The current President and former Head Coach of the Miami HEAT and Hall of Fame inductee, Pat Riley has a resume that is unquestionably one of the most impressive in all of sports. Few in any profession have achieved the levels of success that Riley has accomplished while serving various roles in half a century of dedication to the game he loves. The list of accomplishments for the nine-time NBA champion is equally long and impressive.
Along with his wife, Chris, Riley has been involved with numerous charity and community service projects throughout his career. They founded The Miami HEAT Family Outreach in 1997 which has raised over $20 million for the South Florida community and whose primary beneficiaries include Jackson Memorial Foundation’s Guardian Angels which supports the Holtz Center for seriously ill children and SafeSpace which is a domestic violence shelter for women and their children. They are also involved in the Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s Kids for Kids organization which they started in 1992 in New York, and the YMCA in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. For over 30 years the Rileys have been actively involved with Boys and Girls Clubs of America. As a result of his efforts, Riley has received many prestigious awards, including the Miami Project Sports Legend Award in 1992, Boys and Girls Clubs Miami Person of the Year Award in 1998, and was honored by the YMCA Miami in 1998. Riley was also instrumental in establishing the HEAT’s Home Strong program in 2006 which supports and gives aid to military personnel.
Riley is not only one of professional basketball’s winningest coaches, but his speeches before hundreds of corporations have earned him the title of “America’s Greatest Motivational Speaker.” He has been rated by SUCCESS magazine as “The best in his field.” Riley has also completed an award winning 30-minute motivational video entitled “Teamwork” in which he applies his winning philosophies to business and life in general. In addition to being one of the most sought after motivational speakers in the country, Riley has authored two books, Show Time and The Winner Within. Pat and his wife have two children, James Patrick, and Elisabeth Marie.
Categories: Sports
