Mayes Is Now Devoted To Giving Back

Looking back to Oct. 27, 1984

All these years later, and Rueben Mayes is still running.

And the competition is gaining.

Every year, the former Washington State University All-American slows down. Every year, the competition gets bigger and faster. Yep, 7-year-old Kellen Mayes is growing up. “He says he wants to be a defensive tackle,” said Mayes.

“He’s got it all planned out. He’s going to play for the Seahawks and we are going to be there to watch him.

“I don’t know how he decided all of it. Or how he chose to become a defensive tackle,” he continued. “I always tried to skirt as much contact as I could.”

One day, Oct. 27, 1984, Mayes avoided it for a WSU record 357 rushing yards. The record still stands. As does the 50-41 win over Oregon that helped turn a 2-4 start into a 6-5 season.

“I don’t remember it as us doing anything different,” said Mayes. “It just seemed the blocking was there. Then, near the end of the game, somebody told me I was close to a record. I didn’t even know.”

What everybody knew by the time Mayes wrapped up his career at WSU was that he held school records in rushing attempts (636), rushing yards (3,519), average yards per carry (5.3), rushing touchdowns (23), overall touchdowns (26), 100-yard games (13) and allpurpose yards (4,418).

Mayes picked up plenty of postseason awards and was picked by the New Orleans Saints in the 1985 NFL draft.

After Pro Bowl seasons in 1986 and ‘87, injuries started to take their toll. After a brief retirement, Mayes finished his career with Seattle in 1993. Then came the real work.

“During my career, there are a lot of perks and a lot of things are done for you,” said Mayes. “When I was done, I realized you have to sacrifice some things and to humble yourself.”

Nothing may have been more humbling than a man who had everything choosing to help those who had nothing.

In 1993, Mayes started working with inner city youths in education. A couple of years later, he helped found the East Side Urban School in Seattle.

“There is a need to provide those kids an opportunity to meet their potential,” Mayes said.

At East Side, Mayes dealt with troubled kids, some of whom had been kicked out of traditional schools. His school’s goal was to give these teenagers the skills to enter the work force or continue with their education, if that is the route they chose.

“These are some kids with some problems,” said Mayes. “In some cases, maybe there has been some abuse and other things. We try to meet them halfway. Prepare them for life.”

Mayes’ adult life came full circle a few years ago when he and his family moved back to Pullman. He went back to WSU and earned his MBA. Now, he is advising and writing grants for a 17-school system called the National Association of Street Schools. Again, the goal is to help the kids who have been overlooked.

Mayes and his wife, Marie, have two children, 7-year-old Kellen and 4-year-old Logan.

“For us, this is the season of life,” said Mayes. “We have kids. We want to be involved in the community and really try and impact people. We are doing the thing we always wanted to do.”