Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 11-27-15 Edition

Feature
Former Police Officer Says It’s A Joy To Transport NFL Players
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
He calls his job of driving the NFL teams that come to town ‘a blessing.’
When Ricky Wade re- tired from the Tampa Police Department 3 years ago, he had no specific plans; he knew that he wouldn’t just sit around, idling away his time.
Initially, he spent some time transporting children through the Police Athletic League. He enjoys driving passengers – children, adults, elderly.
Now, he’s doing some- thing he loves and calls it a blessing. Wade is the Lead Driver of 5 buses in the Bay Area that service all NFL teams that come into town. The fleet of buses for Acad- emy Bus Company entails 27 drivers that service 5 cities in Florida.
Wade said one day his supervisor said to him that the boss of the company wanted to see him. “I thought to myself, oh Lord what have I done.” He was told that because he is one of the best drivers for the com- pany, well-dressed and has such a pleasing personality, they were making him the Lead Driver for all NFL teams, except the Dallas Cowboys, who fly their driv- ers into whatever town they are playing in.
The teams arrive in Tampa on Saturday. The
buses are in a holding area and drive out on the tarmac once the plane lands. The teams go directly to the buses. “As the Lead Driver, I transport the head coach, as- sistants, quarterbacks and running backs. The other players get on the other 3 or 4 buses, according to how many they need,” Wade ex- plained. “People wouldn’t believe it, but these are some of the nicest guys. They are really down to earth.”
With police escorts, the buses take the entourage to their hotel and any other places.
On game day, with police escort one bus picks up the trainers early and transports them to the stadium. The coaches and other players are transported later. The drivers get an all access pass to watch the game, too. Im- mediately after the game, the group is taken back to the airport for their trip home.
Wade has been driving buses for 18 years. As a child growing up in Jacksonville, he’d often tell his mom that he wanted to go see his grandmother. “She’d put me on the Greyhound bus, with a lunch and sit me right be- hind the bus driver. I thought, these men were the coolest people in the world. I was just fascinated by them,” he said.
While an officer with the Tampa Police Dept., he was one of the escorts for 35 buses taking a group to Busch Gardens. “I thought
Ricky Wade is the Lead Driver for NFL teams that come to town to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
that was a beautiful sight. I told the owner of First Prior- ity the company transporting the group, that I wanted to learn to drive the buses. He told me to come over on Monday. I did. He told me to sit in the driver’s seat and said, ‘let’s go.’ Andy said are you sure you have not driven before?”
The same happened when he went for his certifi- cation – he made no mis- takes and has been driving ever since.
One of his most exciting experiences was just recently when he took a school from Tampa to Charleston, SC. His destination was about 4 blocks from the 197-year-old Emmanuel AME Church, where the 9 people were killed earlier in the summer.
“That is a beautiful place.
They took me throughout the building; they were getting ready to have the funeral for the pastor who was the church’s pastor before the one that was killed. Now, they’re having an elevator in- stalled. I told the pastor that what the devil meant for evil, God made it good.”
Additionally, Wade drives for Tampa Catholic and Berkeley Prep. He also drives limousines, and his passion is driving motorcy- cles. As a member of the Buf-
falo Soldiers, he and his wife, Brenda, travel throughout the country on the cycles.
Wade is a minister at New Mt. Zion M. B. Church. He is a member of the Male Chorus, Ministerial Ministry and is also one of the drivers of the church bus.
He is currently gearing up for “Sincerely Santa” (Vice President), the annual holi- day event that will kick off December 3rd at Oak Park School. He has been doing this event for 19 years.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015