There are plenty of famous football families like the Mannings, the Harbaughs and the Watts.
Locally, the Watkins family has had great success with Sammy, Jalen and their relatives. Now, another family in Southwest Florida is taking over the gridiron, specifically at Riverdale High School.
Willis May took over the South Fort Myers High School football program in 2019 after coaching in West Virginia and the east coast of Florida. May went 28-20 across five seasons with the Wolfpack and made it to the playoffs three times.
However, he decided to step down from SFMHS this past summer.
“I felt like I gave them my heart for five years," Willis said. "I did the best job that I felt I could possibly do.”
Willis didn't give up on football, though. He decided to take an assistant coaching job a couple of miles up the road at Riverdale High School. For Raiders head coach Kendoll Gibson, who used to be one of Willis's assistants, it was a no-brainer.
“One thing about him is he loves football, and we share that same passion," Gibson said.
The main motivating factor for Willis to make the move was family. He wanted to be closer to home and his new granddaughter.
“I love my family," Willis said.
It also doesn't hurt that he gets to coach with his son at Riverdale. Willis is the Raiders' new offensive coordinator, while his son Corey has been with the program for a couple of years as the team's defensive coordinator.
“Coaching with him has been amazing," Corey said. "He’s helped me grow so much. Everything I’ve learned, I’ve pretty much learned from him.”
This isn't the first time the father-son duo have shared the gridiron. Willis coached Corey starting in Pop Warner all the way through high school in West Virginia and Florida. After Corey played college football at Florida Atlantic University, he then joined his dad's coaching staffs at multiple different schools.
“He’s pretty much coached me my whole life," Corey said. "So now being able to coach with him and be alongside him is awesome.”
Although they are on the same sidelines on Friday nights, the two go head to head in practice, trying to get the best of each other in some good ole fashioned family competition.
“They get competitive every practice," Gibson said. "I have to calm them down every practice.”
That excitement is what has made the Mays so successful in the sport of football. It has also made them appreciate taking this journey together.
“Everything me and my dad do is love – love for the game, love for each other," Corey said.
“He makes me proud every day," Willis said.
Riverdale hosts Willis' old school of South Fort Myers on Friday at 7:30 p.m.