New Jaguars VP uses past experiences to foster next generation of football players

Growing up in Southern Mississippi as the son of immigrant parents, Adriel Rocha used camps to explore his passion for the game of football. Fast forward to now and he’s using the experiences from his youth to foster those same experiences for the next generation.

Rocha was recently promoted to the Jaguars’ Vice President of Community Impact and Football Development, a position that’ll see him help grow the reach of the club’s impact in the Jacksonville community.

It’s an elevation from a role that he’s been in for the past three years — a role that’s seen Jacksonville surge in the league, especially in youth football and legends’ relations.

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“This is the first time they’ve ever had this role, it just got created,” Rocha said. “Not to say we don’t have a Vice President of Social Responsibility or a Chief Impact Officer, but this is showing that the team is putting a lot of energy and support into community impact and football development.”

Using the past to fuel the future

Rocha’s parents are originally from Durango, Mexico, and didn’t have deep knowledge about football. But Rocha’s two older brothers played the sport which made him want to compete in it. His friends played in Pop Warner, which only further pushed him toward wanting to play the sport, but it wasn’t until he went to football camps during middle school when he became obsessed over the sport.

“My experiences of going to a youth football camp in junior high is really what changed everything for me,” Rocha said. “It allowed me to meet new friends, meet coaches from different areas and be able to see a player that I had only seen on TV in person. Those things really went far for me and made me realize that a lot of these guys come from the same areas of Mississippi that I lived and had a lot of the same stories that I had had.”

Combined with getting autographs from players during training camp of the New Orleans Saints, Rocha began wanting to be a part of every and anything that the NFL did.

He’d watch the draft on television and collect trading cards of different players. It was an obsession, as he put it.

“My brothers introduced me to the sport, my friends allowed me to participate in the sport but being a part of those kinds of events made me obsessed with it,” he said.

Rocha saw a full circle moment during a later time as he was worked for the Saints. In one of his first few days on the job he found himself standing in the lunch line with tight end Jimmy Graham in front of him and quarterback Drew Brees behind him.

As the two players conversed with each other, the moment signaled the realization that everything he once obsessed over as a kid had become a reality.

A true triple threat

Rocha is responsible for overseeing Legends (Jaguars Alumni), Football Development (Youth and High School Football), along with NFL initiatives and other community growth and planning for the team.

Those are spaces where Jacksonville has shined in the years since Rocha has taken over.

Last fall, the Jaguars hosted former players for a full “Legends Weekend” including a dinner on Saturday night and a ceremony to honor them during the home game versus the Texans.

That’s just one way they’ve helped keep connections with former players as Rocha and his team also help those former players appear at events and in different capacities representing the team.

In the youth football space, the club had blossomed.

Jaguars’ Prep has evolved into one of the most recognizable sponsors of youth football in the state of Florida.

From hosting camps and events at TIAA Bank Field to providing financial aid to local sports programs, the Jaguars have continued to grow as a leader in youth football activity in the NFL.

In a state with three NFL franchises, the Jaguars have partnered with the Florida High School Athletic Association to sponsor regional and statewide events.

“Anything that our community sees us expanding and growing in is because we've done the research and we built relationships with these key community stakeholders to be able to do more and more,” Rocha said when asked about the process of growing in each of these spaces.

Hispanic outreach a point of emphasis

Something that isn’t listed as a role for Rocha, but he’s fully embraced, is Hispanic outreach. In his position, he can connect with Latino families on behalf of the team.

“I’m passionate about it because my parents came to this country as immigrants from Durango, Mexico,” he said. “They didn’t speak the language and I feel like whenever I go and speak to them, I’m like the American Dream for most immigrant families here in Jacksonville, especially Latino or Hispanic.

“When I’m talking to them in Spanish and I’m letting them know that I’m able to work a job that I love, but I had parents that were working jobs that they hated, and they struggled for the opportunity. So that’s something that I really enjoy,” he continued.

Rocha has been recognized for his work in community outreach by the First Coast Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and he’s also been honored statewide for his efforts but wants more people to know that the organization is actively trying to grow in that area.

“That’s something that I don’t think a lot of people know about locally,” he said. “Jacksonville is one of the fastest growing Hispanic cities in the state of Florida and across the region, and it’s something that I wished more people knew that we were involved in that space.”

As he moves into an expanded role with the club, look for the Jaguars to continue to surpass previous marks of community involvement.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars moving into youth football leaders in NFL