While working construction during summer break from the University of Oklahoma, Jim spied Robin hanging out at a pool in Enid. “She was still in high school but she was so pretty!” Jim said. “We spent most of that summer together.” But when Jim returned to school, the romance cooled. It wasn’t until he spotted Robin walking across campus two years later that Jim made a realization. “By then I was playing for the Miami Dolphins and had returned in the off-season to finish my degree,” Jim said. “When I saw Robin, I knew I wanted to marry her.”
The couple married and headed to Miami. “At first, things were great,” Robin said. “But Jim started going out and drinking. Even after the birth of our son, Blake, his drinking escalated. I finally left.”
Meanwhile, Jim was spiraling out of control. “I actually woke up from a black out and discovered I was 600 miles from Miami. I didn’t know how I got there,” said Jim. “I got back in the car and drove to Oklahoma. I found Robin and begged her to give us another chance.”
Robin returned to Miami, but Jim’s drinking continued. In 1972, Jim experienced a careerending injury and the family returned to Oklahoma. “On the outside, we were normal,” Jim said. “We had two children, and I was doing well in business. But I was an alcoholic.” The Rileys existed this way for the next 17 years. “I was attending AL-ANON, but it wasn’t until I met a woman who had been hit by a drunk driver that the guilt I felt (because of Jim’s drinking) overwhelmed me,” Robin said.
With the help of family and friends, an intervention was held and Jim entered rehab. “I had caused a lot of pain…It took time, hard work and forgiveness, but we did heal,” Jim said.
The family would only enjoy a short time together before tragedy struck. Blake, 19, was killed in a car accident. “Right before his death, Blake and I had talked. I was so proud of him… It took me 41 years to be the man that he already was at 19,” Jim said, “That conversation was a gift.”
Because of their battle with addiction and overcoming the tragic death of their son, the Rileys find their commitment to each other stronger than ever. Since 1986, Jim and Robin have managed an outreach program for individuals overcoming addiction. The program now includes four sobriety houses in the Oklahoma City area.