Flint Southwestern, 1987
2025 Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
Category: Hockey
Rico Phillips was born and raised in Flint and is a proud graduate of Flint Southwestern High School. As a student at Flint Southwestern he was a trainer, and this led to his introduction to the sport of hockey. Rico was immediately intrigued by the sport and hooked by the speed of the game; the skill it took to play it and the high passion that the players played with. Rico learned how to skate so that he could become a full-time trainer for the hockey team. With dedicated practice and extra ice time, he finally mastered the art of skating and became a hockey player and referee in the same season.
Since the 1980s, Rico has continued to have a great impact on Flint-area sports and the world of hockey. Over the years, Rico became known as a great ice hockey referee and would become the first African American to referee a Michigan High School Athletic Association state final. Rico was the only African American referee in the Flint area for over 30 years and at times had to deal with racial slurs and taunts from coaches. He never let that stop him and continued to work to diversify the sport of hockey in his own community. In 2010, Rico founded the Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program, a program designed to introduce and teach ice skating and hockey to young boys and girls in the Flint area.
For his efforts in promoting hockey in the inner city, Rico was awarded the Willie O’Ree Community Hero Award in 2019. This award is given annually to an individual who through the sport of hockey has positively impacted on their community, culture and society. The award was named in honor of Willie O’Ree, the first African American to play in the National Hockey League. Rico worked for 27 years as a firefighter in the city of Flint and is known by many around the area as “Firefighter Phillips.” In 2020, Rico was named the Director of Culture Diversity and Community for the Ontario Hockey League. This position allowed him to continue his goal to bring diversity and inclusion to the sport of hockey.
Rico Phillips, you are the true definition of being “Flint Strong!” You have made Flint proud, welcome to the Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame!
