Kendall Reffett has the typical vocabulary of a girl still a couple months shy of her second birthday.
She looks at pictures in her book and points out a “puppy” — though sometimes the “puppy” is actually a bear — or an “elephant.” Kendall also can say things like, “Go Huskies!” and “Cougars suck!” and has a temporary tattoo with a Washington helmet on her right arm.
OK, maybe not so typical. But you can blame her dad for that.
Welcome to the life of a college football family.
Sitting in on a couch in his Everett home, reading a book to Kendall while his wife Nicole looks on, Jordan Reffett would look like your average dad, were he not 6-foot-5, 295 pounds.
Reffett, a senior defensive tackle and one of Washington’s outspoken leaders, plays his last game at Husky Stadium on Saturday, a completely changed man from the kid who graduated from Moses Lake High School in 2002.
Since then, Reffett married Nicole, his high school sweetheart, in the summer of 2004.
“I figured I wasn’t getting any better looking,” he said. “I’ve got the prettiest darn girl in town, so I figured I might as well keep her.”
A year and a half later, the couple welcomed Kendall into the world, adding new meaning to Reffett’s nickname on the team, “Pops.”
At 24, Reffett is the oldest member of the Washington team, and thanks to his new life as a family man, he is starting to act like it.
“I grew up really fast,” Reffett said, daughter still on his lap. “Being married at a young age, I was still probably not as responsible as I should have been.”
Nicole interrupts at this point with a smile, saying, “I’m glad he can admit it.”
“But after having Kendall, my priorities changed completely,” Reffett continued. “Everything I do is for my family. Everything I do is to be successful and help my family. Take care of my babies. Both of them.”
If not for the football memorabilia and pictures that cover the wall of their two-bedroom Everett home, Jordan and Nicole could be any young married couple in love. But how many mothers have to cope with their husband living in a dorm room for three weeks during fall camp? And how many toddlers spend Monday afternoons hanging out at a media luncheon, running from one player to another, or sneaking cookies from a reporter’s bag while daddy talks to TV cameras.
“It’s pretty hectic at times, but we’ve done it for so long now that it’s just part of the schedule,” said Nicole, who works as a medical assistant at a naturopathic doctor’s office. “Every day is going to be different.”
Carl Bonnell, Washington’s other married fifth-year senior, has a nephew who is about the same age as Kendall, and couldn’t imagine trying to pull off the juggling act of student, football player and father that Reffett does.
“My brother has a two year old, and he’s a handful,” Bonnell said. “Being in school and playing football and the responsibilities that that requires, it would be really tough, and I admire Jordan for being able to do it.”
Jordan and Nicole admit they aren’t doing all the work alone. Greyson Gunheim, or Uncle G, is a regular at the Reffett house, and serves as the occasional baby sitter when his teammate and best friend needs a hand. Over the summer, several players served as free labor as the Reffetts remodeled their house, which they plan to sell in the near future.
“Jake (Locker) and Jordan put sheet rock up in the house,” Nicole said.
Jordan then added, “His dad came and fixed all the mistakes that we made. Just having all the guys support me and help out, it means a lot.”
Thursday nights are “Family Dinner” night at the Reffett house, when members of Jordan’s football family come for home-cooked meal prepared by Nicole. As Jordan puts it, anyone who is willing to drive that far north gets free dinner.
Once this football season ends, Reffett will start pursuing his NFL dreams. That he can even think about a career after college is a testament to how much Kendall has changed him, Reffett said. After barely playing in 2004 and 2005, Reffett earned a starting spot midseason last year, and won Washington’s oldest and most prestigious honor, the Guy Flaherty Award. The statue, which is given to the team’s most inspirational player, sits on top of the Reffett’s TV, proudly displayed next to a picture of Reffett sacking Alex Brink in last year’s Apple Cup, and a rookie card of former Husky Steve Emtman, Reffett’s football idol.
This season, Reffett has started every game and has eight tackles for loss, including 2.5 sacks. That his improvement started after Kendall’s birth is no coincidence, Reffett says.
“Since Kendall came into this world, I’ve become a heck of a football player,” he said. “She helps me do everything right. My goal is to be in the NFL, and she drives that.”
For now, NFL dreams will have to wait. Reffett has more immediate goals in mind, like winning the Apple Cup and continuing Kendall’s potty training. Success in either would make Reffett proud.
While mom and dad sit on the couch, Kendall runs into the bathroom and takes a seat on her training toilet. Dad, the 6-5, 295-pound college football player, takes a seat next to her in the bathroom, encouraging his daughter.
Afterwards, high fives are exchanged between father and daughter while mom laughs at the celebration.
Ok, so maybe he hasn’t grown up completely, but there’s no doubting that family life has changed Reffett.
“I see it every day, and I still can’t understand how he does it,” said Gunheim. “I have a lot of respect for how he handles himself and his family. I think it makes him a better person and a better player.”
Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on UW sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesbloga
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