Dick Rehbein '77 was a football lifer. A two-time First Team All-American and three-time First Team All-Conference performer as an offensive lineman for Ripon College, he built a life out of the game he loved, going on to serve as an assistant coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 21 years across four different teams until his untimely death in 2001. One of Rehbein's most notable contributions to the sport came many years after playing his final game at Ripon's Ingalls Field, when he played an integral role in New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick drafting future NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.
But before he became a successful assistant in the NFL, Rehbein was one of the finest players Ripon's football team had ever seen before or since as one of just three players in program history to earn All-American honors more than once, doing so in each of his final two seasons. Playing center as the anchor of Ripon's offensive line, Rehbein started every game of his career. During his senior season, Rehbein was paramount in Ripon leading the Midwest Conference in both rushing yards per game (251) and total offensive yards per game (417). His domination on the gridiron landed Rehbein in the Ripon College Athletics Hall of Fame, with his induction occurring in 1997.
"Dick is a very poised young man," former Ripon Head Football Coach Bob Geisey said at the conclusion of Rehbein's college career. "Throughout his career, he helped pick the team up whenever they needed it. A team leader, he has earned the respect of all his teammates and has set a good example with his dedication to the game."
Bill Connor, who coached Rehbein during his first three years with the team concurred, ""Dick is a player who always works up to his full potential. On the field, he knows his own assignment and other players' assignments as well. He seldom makes a mental error and is a good blocker."
If anyone was surprised by his All-American nods, Rehbein himself may have been amazed the most.
"You bet I'm surprised I was named to the All-American team," Rehbein said after receiving the honor for the first time. "I thought it would be tough enough making All-Conference for the second year in a row. To receive All-American honors is like the frosting on the cake."
A Criminal Justice major from De Pere, Wis., Rehbein was the only Division-II or Division-III player from a Wisconsin school to earn All-American honors during his senior season. What ended as a storied collegiate career almost never happened at Ripon. As student-athlete at De Pere High School, Rehbein had thoughts of playing football at a large university, but turned down an opportunity to attend the University of Minnesota, which he never regretted.
"I've played a lot more here than my friends who went to big schools," Rehbein is on record as saying during his time as a Ripon College student-athlete. "I've learned a lot more playing here than I would have warming the bench somewhere else."
After Rehbein's graduation in 1977, he pursued his dream of playing professional football, participating in the Green Bay Packers' training camp that summer. He did not make their final roster, as he was cut by Packer great and then-Head Coach Bart Starr. Two years later, Rehbein again found himself with an opportunity in the NFL - this time as a coach, with Starr hiring him as the Packers' Special Teams Coach.
After serving in that role for four seasons with the Packers, Rehbein worked one year for the USFL's Los Angeles Express, before being hired as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Vikings, including as Assistant Offensive Coordinator for two years. He then worked as an assistant in many roles for the New York Giants, prior to being hired by the Patriots in 2000 as the team's quarterbacks coach.
One of his first jobs in that new role, as requested by first-year Head Coach Bill Belichick, was to find a developmental quarterback that could be a project behind starter Drew Bledsoe. That project turned out to be Michigan's Tom Brady, who Rehbein lobbied for during draft meetings at every opportunity.
After flying to Michigan to scout Brady during his senior season, along with then-Patriots linebackers coach Rob Ryan, Rehbein was sold.
"Dick had an unbelievable vision for him. I remember flying on the way back home and Dick was talking, 'This is my guy. I love this guy," recalled Ryan. Rehbein raved about Brady to his wife Pam and spent parts of the next several months advocating for him to Belichick and the rest of the front office.
"Dick loved Brady. He loved the quarterback's potential, his awareness, and his ability to find receivers all over the field," one of Dick's closest friends and then-Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis said. "Dick was certain Brady could be an NFL star and he was never afraid to offer an opinion unlike many other assistant coaches."
Rehbein's wish came to fruition with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft when the Patriots selected Brady, who would go on to appear in 10 super bowls, winning seven, while setting numerous NFL records including most wins by an individual player in league history.
Brady did not start in an NFL game until 2001 after serving as the Patriots fourth-string QB as a rookie and sitting behind Bledsoe for the first couple games of the 2001 season, before the latter suffered a major injury. Unfortunately, Rehbein never got to see his pet project play in an NFL game, as he passed away unexpectedly due to the heart condition cardiomyopathy during training camp in 2001, a season that would culminate in Brady's first career Super Bowl victory.
"This is a very difficult day for the New England Patriots and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing Dick Rehbein," Belichick said at the time of Dick's death. "Dick was the kindest and most decent of men, who cherished his family and his career as an NFL coach. He was respected and admired professionally, by players and coaches alike and he'll be deeply missed."
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