Roger Pollard

Article originally from the Miami Herald

Coach Roger Pollard’s Life Celebration 

Coach Roger Pollard was a beloved Gables High teacher, charismatic leader, successful coach, talented author, and loving husband to his wife Shay and adoring dad of their twins.

He took his own life on January 24th, 2024.

Jonathan Vilma, three time NFL Pro Bowler who won a National Championship at the University of Miami and a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints, was a lifelong friend and teammate of Pollard at Gables High.

“Roger was a giver, focused on others,” said Vilma. “The outpouring of grief is evidence of the impact he had on all who knew and learned from him as a teacher, friend, coach and teammate.”

In accordance with Coach Pollard’s instructions, his wife Shay has made arrangements with the UNITE Brain Bank in Boston, the largest tissue repository in the world focused on traumatic brain injury and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). In Roger Pollard’s last act of giving, researchers will study his brain to see if there were any signs of CTE. Regardless of the findings, UNITE will continue to deepen society’s understanding of CTE in an effort to help prevent future tragedies.

“Coach Pollard was a class act, absolutely brilliant, and will be sorely missed,” said Jessica Landsberg, a former student and basketball player at Gables High who works as a local political consultant. “But don’t be fooled: as great a football coach as he was, developing great men and great students always came first – I’m forever thankful for the uplifting words from Coach Pollard when I was in my own basketball slumps.”

Talented Athlete and Coach

Roger Pollard grew up in Fairway Heights and made an early impact as an outstanding athlete in a community that produces more Division I and NFL football players than anywhere in the country. Roger attended Carver and Gables High and Pollard’s parents, Ralph and Cynthia, ensured that his athletic prowess was coupled with a strong moral base, a curious mind, and solid academics.

That combination resulted in Pollard receiving a scholarship to play football at North Carolina State, where Roger also achieved high academic honors. Pollard would always say that football was the tool he used to get his sociology degree and Master’s in Sport Management.

Successful Coach

After returning to Gables High to coach a few seasons, Pollard had the opportunity to coach at Middle Tennessee State. Pollard returned home after completing his Master’s degree to take over the head coaching position at Gables High.

Buddy Howell, who played on Coach Pollard’s first district championship team and went on to play at Florida Atlantic and four years of professional football with the Houston Texans and LA Rams, said that Coach Pollard gave his players and students someone to look up to that had gone to the next level and gave them the discipline and faith in each other to make that happen. “He showed and coached me how to grow as a leader by accepting adversity and fighting through it.”

Talented Teacher and Author

After 15 years of coaching, ten as a head coach, Coach Pollard decided to devote his full attention to teaching and writing. The author of five books, two on football strategy and technique and three on personal motivation and achievement, Coach Pollard loved nothing more than helping young people learn how to achieve their dreams and maximize their potential.

In the dedication to his The Book Everyone Should Read – Motivation and You, Coach Pollard wrote:

“To Tiger, Jordyn, and Shay, you are my foundation and ceiling, the pillars which I both rest upon and stand. My wife, without whom I would be lost, words would do your meaning no justice, know you are loved. My parents, Ralph and Cynthia, the first thing everyone is; a child. Your role as parents has and will always be that of perfection. To my friends, lifelong friends, acquaintance, and mentors. To the angriest of you, the calmest, the lawyers and accountants, all of you who have been, are or will be my corner: the most beautiful thing about reality is the infinite layers each moment of experience contains if you’re willing to dissect it.”

The pain that the community feels about the loss of Coach Pollard is the flip side of the love he showed us and the investment he made in our children and our community. It hurts so bad that his life was cut short because he had such an outsized impact.

So let us accept the challenge Coach Pollard constantly posed: What is your truth and what are you doing to discover it?

The family has set up a GoFundMe page for those wishing to make a contribution to the Jojo & Tiger Education Fund: https://gofund.me/284355fb