Former UF Football Player, Entrepreneur Ricketts Makes Significant Contribution to GatorMade
Tuesday, October 4, 2022 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Mike Ricketts was like many of his teammates when he first arrived on UF's campus in the late 1970s.
He was talented and strong, a celebrated prep football standout at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania. He left Valley Forge as the school's all-time leading rusher with more than 4,000 career yards, ranked among the all-time Pennsylvania state leaders with then-NFL veterans Matt Suhey and Jimmy Cefalo.
But Ricketts was different, too, a young African-American man introduced at an early age to the possibilities beyond those defined by the painted lines of a football field.
"My training started before I went to college,'' he said.
Ricketts grew up in New Jersey in a family of business owners. His grandfather, Albert Ricketts, founded a construction company that Ricketts' father, Kenneth Ricketts, later operated. Ricketts, whose full name is Kenneth Michael Ricketts, started helping with payroll at AK&K Construction — hence the second "K" in the final iteration of the company name — when he was 13.
In an era when opportunities for Black business owners were limited, Ricketts tagged along to construction sites and learned the business as his grandfather and father negotiated deals, applied for loans, purchased materials, and built offices and factories.
The experience opened his eyes to a different world, and when his football career fizzled with the Gators due to injuries — he was recruited by a young Doug Dickey assistant named Steve Spurrier — Ricketts wasn't overcome with thoughts that his shot at success was sacked.
He took a job for a while at a correction facility near Gainesville, and when he returned home to New Jersey, Ricketts tried to open as many doors as possible, using his background as an economics major to discover his future path.
Ricketts founded Quality Packaging Specialists International (QPSI) in 1992, a company that has grown into an industry leader in marketing services, contract packaging and supply chain management. The company's success has made Ricketts wealthy.
He recently made a significant contribution to Gator Boosters to support GatorMade, the player-led and purpose-driven initiative that empowers UF football scholar-athletes with opportunities to learn, serve, and lead.
"I had a lot of mentors along the way. It takes a village, and that village for a lot of these guys, starts at the University of Florida,'' Ricketts said. "It's the last chance you're going to have to make an impression on a young person's life. Because at that point, they are still searching for a direction."
Mike Ricketts, center, played for the Gators from 1979-81. He later became a successful businessman in his native New Jersey. (Photo: Jesse S. Jones/UAA Communications)
Ricketts is a firm believer in the program, a concept he first encountered when touring other standalone football facilities with UF officials when the school was exploring building one of its own. The Gators opened in August the Heavener Football Training Center, which houses the team's day-to-day operations and the offices of GatorMade.
"I think it can make a difference and it can be systemic change,'' Ricketts said. "Why GatorMade? This program can make a difference in people's lives. It can make a difference in the university. It can make a difference in recruiting. It can make a difference for all involved."
Phil Pharr is executive director of major gifts for Gator Boosters. Pharr and Ricketts were UF teammates, and the two have remained close over the years.
In Pharr's eyes, Ricketts serves as a living embodiment of a successful life after football and a great example for current players.
"He has been in their shoes," Pharr said. "He didn't go on to play in the NFL, but he had a life plan and has positively impacted so many lives."
Ricketts has remained connected to the program over the years in various endeavors, whether speaking to the team occasionally, serving as a mentor, or providing financial assistance to programs that aid players trying to find their way after football. As a Black man, Ricketts said he developed a deep interest in GatorMade because he sees it as a tool to shine a light toward areas many young Black athletes have never looked before stepping foot on a college campus.
Florida's current roster of scholarship players is more than 75 percent African-American, a demographic Ricketts considers underserved in business and entrepreneurial opportunities.
"There's got to be a better way,'' Ricketts said. "These guys, it's the same thing over and over and over. All the talent, all the minds and intelligent people we have, and all the money we have, there's got to be a better way. This is something that is all-encompassing. We need to teach these guys how to be successful in society.
"I was exposed [to different opportunities] long before I got to the university. It was molded in me. Most of the kids we get at the university, especially the Black kids, they're not seeing that. The first chance they get to see it or feel it or experience it is at the university. Then we send them off a cliff when they walk out the door."
As Ricketts reflects on his journey, he is reminded of his good fortune when he meets former college and prep teammates who didn't have a blueprint for success. They struggled to carve out a meaningful career when the clock ran out on their football careers.
That is partly why Ricketts has opened his wallet to support GatorMade. He wants future generations to have a better future.
The initiative is led by director Savannah Bailey, who joined head coach Billy Napier's staff after working at Clemson for five years as the director of life skills and community service with the Tigers' P.A.W. Journey program.
"To have Mike Ricketts, who is not only a Swamp Alumnus but also an incredibly successful businessman and mentor, support GatorMade is an ultimate showing of leadership and development that we want to create for all of our football scholar-athletes,'' Bailey said. "His support allows us to create more opportunities for experiential learning and skill application for our young men. We are incredibly thankful to have Mike as a resource for this program and most importantly, for our students as they continue to become GatorMade."
While Ricketts last played for Florida more than 40 years ago, he is at peace knowing he made a much more significant contribution off the field than on it.
He splits his time between New Jersey and his Fort Lauderdale home these days. His kids help run QPSI, and Ricketts' father, who taught him what business success looked like, is still around and often visits, relishing his son's success.
The circle of life is one Ricketts envisions GatorMade helping create in future generations.
"I would like to see every athlete that leaves the university have a mentor for life,'' he said. "We're not doing enough to engage our players. They're not coming out of here prepared. The degree tells people you're qualified but doesn't prepare you for life. Exposure prepares you for life. You become a product of that environment. You need mentors. You need a support system. You need somebody to help show you the way.
"I get the whole diversity problem in America, but this is the Gator brand. If that guy is doing well, guess what happens to the Gator brand? It just got expanded, and then that becomes an ongoing growth cycle."
