The founder and CEO of the Lee Lee Kiddz flag football league is committed to providing Baltimore youths with an athletic outlet as well as tutoring, mentoring, and leadership development.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) will present its Community Champion of Equity and Justice Awards at the 2025 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Black History Month Celebration on Feb. 6. Kevin Ricks will receive one of the awards.
Kevin Ricks is the founder and chief executive officer of Lee Lee Kiddz, a nonprofit youth flag football league that engages Baltimore elementary and middle school youths in athletics and physical fitness while empowering them in their educational pursuits.
The league’s mission is to provide comprehensive, year-round programs that combine flag football, academic tutoring, mentoring, and leadership development to help young people build life skills, enhance their educational outcomes, and prepare for future success.
(Watch a video about Ricks below or on YouTube.)
Ricks started the league in 2021 with a co-ed league that included mostly boys and named it after his late mother, whose nickname was “Lee Lee.” The league has expanded to include girls teams, and 500 youth now participate in the spring and fall seasons, Ricks said.
“What motivated me to start the league was giving kids an outlet and to motivate them to do better in life and school,” said Ricks, who played football and ran track growing up in Baltimore. “I believe in giving kids something that I wish I had gotten when I was growing up.”
Results have been impressive. In addition to the increase in the number of players, 93 percent of participants said they felt more motivated to do well in school, according to the league’s website; 95 percent said their school attendance and grades had improved; 89 percent said their focus had improved; 83 percent said their time management skills had improved; and 80 percent saw an improvement in their ability to manage stress and anxiety.
Ricks led the creation of Maryland’s first girls middle school football league, opening doors for young female athletes. He also was the first person in Maryland to unify middle schools from multiple counties in a collaborative flag football league.
He also leads impactful community engagement initiatives such as collecting and distributing school supplies and backpacks, organizing toy drives for students in underserved areas, and arranging food distributions for families in need. Moreover, Ricks supports local schools through financial sponsorships and dedicates significant time volunteering in the schools.
He also has provided complimentary haircuts and hairstyling, organized and hosted free football clinics, and offered free photography services to schools.
“The main thing I want kids to learn is to just enjoy life and never give up,” Ricks said. “You have people that look just like you and grew up just like you that are here to help you be great.
“I was very excited to learn that we had won this UMB Community Champion of Equity and Justice Award,” Ricks added. “I love that we are receiving recognition for the work we put in. I say ‘we’ because I wouldn’t be able to get this far without my team.”
One of the league’s favorite slogans, Ricks said, and one that is displayed prominently on the Lee Lee Kiddz website, is: “You don’t have to do everything. You just have to do your part.”
“I just want to thank my team and the people who believe in us,” he said. “We will not stop working to provide a better space for our youth.”