What Happened to Will Reichard’s Dad? Exploring the Tragic Health Crisis of the Vikings Kicker’s Family

Will Reichard aka the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin‘ has the word successful as a prefix to his name. The journey began in high school when he made 27 of 29 career field goal attempts at Hoover High School in his hometown. The 23-year-old from Alabama started his college football career with a tag of the nation’s number-one kicker before entering the NFL; all thanks to his dad, Gary Reichard.

Before hitting the gridiron with the Vikings, Reichard loved soccer. He and his father, Gary, would travel to various sporting events while enjoying road trips. But when his kicking talent came to the limelight, Gary didn’t waste a tiny moment before setting his son with the best coaches in the nation.

His decision paid off when Will participated in a pee-wee football league and scored a game-winning field goal to win the league. All this time, his dad, who was his first coach, was there on the sidelines to look out for his son.

“They were just always together,” Will’s mother, Dana Reichard, said. “They loved to train. A lot of times, they just had fun on those road trips. They’d stop at unique places to eat, play music loud. If time allowed, they’d try to visit all the things unique to the area.”

Sadly, Gary never got to see his son rise to the top as the nation’s best kicker. Back when Will was just a freshman at Hoover High, tragedy struck, and he lost his father. A day before, he met his father for the last time and the next day the news arrived that his father was no more.

What happened to Gary Reichard?

At 53, Gary Reichard was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he passed away on March 28, 2016, after suffering for over a month. “It was an unexpected diagnosis and we knew it wasn’t curable, but we really thought he’d undergo treatments and we’d have him maybe at least two more years,” Will’s mother said after his dad’s passing.

And right after he was diagnosed with the cancer, Gary ensured a great success for his son, Will Reichard. He’d reached out to all of his son’s coaches and trainers to inform about his condition and to ensure all the guidance his son can get to attain his goals. However, Reichard was troubled by his father’s loss and his game was impacted in the following months.

He tore his ACL that summer in a soccer tournament, sidelining him for his sophomore football season. Later, a hip flexor injury during his freshman year at Alabama further tested his resilience. However, he came back stronger, thanks to his mother, Dana, who instilled faith in Will through the Reichard family’s favorite bible verse.

Today, Will Reichard always points up to the sky after making a field goal in the memory of his father. During a talk with Sports Illustrated, Reichard said, “He was my first kicking coach. I’ve had a lot of kicking coaches over the years, but he was the one always there training with me on the weekends and taking off work to take me to practice.”

And while Reichard Sr. is not here to witness his son’s performance in the league, Will himself is keeping his father’s teachings close to his heart on the gridiron.