As the son of Jarvis Greer, one of Memphis’ most notable sportscasters, playing a sport had always been ingrained into J.J. Greer. “I started playing soccer and basketball when I was around 4 years old.”
When eighth grade rolled around, Greer decided to exclusively pursue soccer, as it seemed to be a more realistic proposition due to his height. Able to play as both a defender and a midfielder, Greer chose to play for Christian Brothers High School. After three consecutive losses in the state finals, CBHS was finally crowned champion during Greer’s senior year.
Next, he earned a scholarship to play soccer at University of Memphis. It was there he met his wife, Stephanie, a member of the University of Memphis volleyball team. The two shared a class, and then crossed paths at a meet-and-greet event for university athletes. They began dating and eventually got married in 2014. By that time, Greer started his professional career and had signed with the Charlotte Eagles.
Each level of soccer proved to be a greater challenge. “In high school, you’ll have a few kids who are the best on their team,” says Greer. “Once you get to college, it’s much more level and everyone is talented. Then at the professional level, it’s even harder. You always have to play your best to be in consideration to play. Even then, you might play your best, but something happens and you’re back on the bench.” After a season in Charlotte, Greer and Stephanie moved to Colorado Springs, where he joined the Colorado Switchbacks for the 2015-16 season. A few months before relocating again to play in Phoenix, the Greers had their first child, Theodore Jarvis Greer.
Photo by Austin Kylie
Greer thought that his schedule as a professional athlete worked well to balance his professional and family life. “I’d wake up around 6:30 and make a good breakfast, and then our training and activities would last around four hours,” he says. “Usually we’d be there from 8 to 12, then we’d be finished for the day. It really gave me a lot of time to spend with my family.” Even though half of the 30-plus game schedule required travel, Greer says that he was never away for too long. “Maybe the longest we’d be gone was for a few days over the weekend, but we’d normally be back pretty quickly.”
It’s apparent that Theo takes after the athletic genes in the family. “As soon as he wakes up, he’s usually running around the house,” says Greer. “We’ve got a few balls lying around the house that he’s usually throwing or kicking.” The bundle of energy that Theo provides is a good test for the Greer family; later this year, J.J. and Stephanie are expecting triplets. Greer laughs when asked if he feels fully prepared. “If you know someone who says that they’re ready for triplets… well, introduce me to them!” With the rest of the family involved in sports, he thinks that most of his kids will follow a similar path. “We would like them to be involved in sports. We’ll of course be pushing them academically, but if I had to guess, I’d say two of the three triplets will get into sports.”
Having recently moved back to Memphis after retiring from professional soccer last season, Greer believes that his family is in the right place. “I really think there are a lot of good things going on in Memphis; it’s changed even since I first moved away. Plus, I’ve got a lot of friends here, and we’ll have the kids really close to our family.” Stephanie is able to work from home, teaching English to young Chinese students through the VIPKID organization. Greer now works for Snap-raise, a national fundraising organization geared at improving the quality of school sports programs. While no longer playing professionally, Greer is still able to be involved in sports and have a positive impact on local youth teams.
Despite retiring at a young age, Greer has no regrets about his professional soccer career. If anything, he was able to wrap up his career on an incredibly high note. “My last season in Phoenix, the team really pushed and brought in some big stars,” says Greer. “We had Didier Drogba [former striker for London team Chelsea FC], Sean Wright-Phillips, and then they had Mexican soccer legend Omar Bravo. After we’d signed Drogba, in his first game one of our central defenders got injured, so I came off the bench. Almost immediately Drogba scored, and it was so special being able to celebrate that goal with him. Growing up, Chelsea had been my favorite team, and Drogba was my favorite player.”
Playing alongside your all-time favorite athlete? That’s certainly a story to tell the Greer kids.
Samuel X. Cicci lives in downtown Memphis and is associate editor of IMB and Memphis magazines.