After retiring in May 2015, former Oxford and Mansfield champion Drew Ricketts now protects his community as a firefighter with Green Watch in Solihull.
The defender’s career path since his contract expired at the end of the 2014-15 season has been fascinating.
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From working at Bannatynes Health Club as a personal trainer to running his own football coaching business, Ricketts is now thriving as a firefighter with his local fire department.
He said: “My only two hopes in life were to become a professional footballer or a firefighter.
“I feel very lucky to say I did both.”
But there’s much more to Ricketts’ story than a career switch.
What happened on the evening of November 1, 2020, while he was off duty, tested all of his training and instincts.
Ricketts explains, “It was just an ordinary night.
“My partner and I were on our way to drop off a package at her friend’s house and when we came out of a gas station.
“I saw a woman standing in the middle of the road turning people around.
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“At first I didn’t think much about it, but when I looked again I saw that there was a car with a collapsed windshield.
“Someone called for help and people looked sad, so I grabbed my gloves and mask from the glove compartment – which I have with me in case of an emergency – and ran over to help.”
As Ricketts approached the victim, who was lying face down and unresponsive, he quickly realized the gravity of the situation.
He said: “A woman told me there had been an accident involving a man and he was not breathing.
“Another woman kneeled silently next to him, which I knew was a sign of shock.
“It was clear that the gentleman had suffered serious injuries; he had multiple wounds to his head and there was no pulse.
“At the fire service, we call those situations a category 1 incident, which means that it is an incident with life-threatening injuries.
“It can be overwhelming for most people to come across that and be told that someone isn’t breathing.
“But because of my job, I’m trained to control my emotions in that kind of environment. It was almost second nature.
“Because he had several open wounds, I had to try to calm the bleeding before starting CPR.”
While Ricketts was performing chest compressions, he was also on the phone with emergency services.
His partner counted each compression as he informed the paramedics of the situation, how many crew members were needed and the location of the incident.
“I went into work mode.
“You can’t explain it to someone who hasn’t had that experience, but when I gave the treatment it was like being back in training school and my mentor telling me what to do.
“Everything just came back to me.”
After two tireless rounds of CPR, there was still no sign of life. With every second that passed, the tension grew.
“We do a level three first aid course at work, which is basic life support.
“You learn about techniques and signs.
“After two sets I had no reaction, but on the third set, on the twentieth compression, he gave me a breath and a painful moan.
“That told me he was reacting to what I was doing.
“He lost consciousness shortly afterwards, but there was a weak pulse.
“I put him in the side position and at that moment I saw the blue flashing lights and the paramedics arrive.”
Months went by without Ricketts knowing if the victim had survived.
He had returned to his daily life and wondered if the man had recovered. One day someone contacted him.
“It was a relative of the man.
“They told me he had been in a coma for three weeks, punctured both lungs, broken every limb of his body, but was recovering at home.
“With my job, I don’t really know what happens after they go to the hospital,
“But on this occasion they found out where I worked, what station I work at and last Christmas they sent me some chocolates and a voucher to say thank you.”
Ricketts’ decisiveness saved a man’s life.
It also earned him a nomination for a Pride of Britain Award in 2021, after his name was put forward by the man’s family.
The Pride of Britain Awards was conceived in 1999 and exists to honor British citizens who have acted courageously or extraordinarily in challenging situations.
The pride he felt when he found out the news is a moment Ricketts will never forget.
He said: “It was on 27e May 2021 – two days after my birthday.
“I went to the desk and the gentleman’s family had left me a card with a fire angel teddy bear, and on the card they said they can’t thank me enough and they could never repay me for what I did .
At that point they said I had been nominated for the Pride of Britain and Pride of Birmingham Award. It was surreal. I didn’t know how to take it.
“Unfortunately I didn’t win it, but that wasn’t why I did it either. I wasn’t trying to be a hero.
It’s just who I am as a person. I am willing to help anyone and luckily I was the right person, in the right place, at the right time.”
Since being nominated, Ricketts has rediscovered his passion for football, having fallen out of love with it after leaving Mansfield Town.
When not working, he plays for local non-league teams on Saturdays and Sundays and manages his own coaching business.
Despite temporarily turning his back on the game, he has always cherished the memories made.
Ricketts said: “When I left Oxford I found it difficult to get around, being away from home and not knowing where I would be from one season to the next.
“I took some time off and it was just what I needed.
“I have such fond memories of my time in Oxford. Those years stay with you.
“I think I’ve seen more of my teammates and coaches than my family!”