Beyond the Field: Dr. Richard Myles and the League Built for the Other 90%
Dr. Richard Myles has always been searching for his “why”, a purpose, a reason to exist, a way to leave something behind that outlasts him. As a proud Washingtonian who has worn more hats than most, including; chaplain, entrepreneur, and businessman across industries as varied as nightclubs and cleaning services- that “why” has always circled back to one thing: making a difference in the communities that raised him. The recognition has followed. He's been named one of America's Best and Brightest Businessmen, among other honors. But ask him what he's most proud of, and the answer isn't an award. It's a league.
Building the Laboratory of Change
In 1993, Dr. Myles founded the Minor Football League, a venture he calls the "laboratory of change" and the only consistent professional minor football league in the country. Over three decades, it has produced NFL alumni like Barry Word and Eric Swann. But the MFL was never really built for the stars. It was built for the other 90 percent, the players who fall through the cracks between college ball and the pros, the ones who look a lot like Dr. Myles once did.
He knows that gap firsthand. A standout at Cardozo High School, he earned a football scholarship to Arizona State, only to have an injury derail his shot at going pro. That experience, the realization that there was nowhere for players like him to land, became the reason the MFL exists. Three decades later, the league is expanding again, with teams across the United States and, in Dr. Myles' latest ambition, into Africa. Still, its roots remain close to home, anchored by a Mid-Atlantic division that includes the eight-time champion Washington Chiefs, along with teams throughout Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Delaware, and Florida.
More Than a Game
The MFL's reach extends well beyond the field through its nonprofit arm, the Minor Football League Foundation, which pairs players and staff with community leaders to help athletes grow to their fullest potential, on and off the field. For Dr. Myles, this is the legacy that matters most: mentorship and outreach that guide young men away from negative cycles and toward becoming the best versions of themselves.
That mission carries particular weight in Maryland, where the MFL's Colts call Montgomery County home. As the league works to become a true pillar of the community, expect to see a growing Colts presence throughout the county, not as a distant franchise, but as neighbors invested in the people around them.
"It's about being role models, and taking responsibility to become role models and give back to our community," Dr. Myles says.
That responsibility shows up in entrepreneurship programs, financial literacy courses, and personal development initiatives for players and administrators alike. It shows up in award-winning community programs like No Thugs, No Drugs and Away for a Day, and in the league's participation in Washington, D.C.'s Adopt a Block campaign. Recent partnerships, including one with the Take the Lead Foundation, reflect where the MFL is headed next: breaking down barriers not just around race and education, but disability and gender as well.
Even off the field, the league is building futures. Its internship program gives aspiring professionals, from graphic designers to football operations staff, a first step into their industries, and has quietly launched careers both inside and outside of sports. Three decades in, the Minor Football League is still living up to its name: a laboratory, always changing, always building something new.
Home Is Where the Heart Is
When he isn't shaping the future of young athletes, Dr. Myles is out in the community, recently spotted at the Black Sports Business Symposium and the Diggs Day Football Camp. Saturdays between 11 and 11:30 a.m., you can catch him on DC Radio 96.3, hosting the league's official program, Inside the MFL.
And at home, there's no slowing down either. He's a proud father of five and grandfather of more than twenty-one. Busy, chaotic, ever-shifting, and exactly how he likes it. If there's a chance to make something better, Dr. Myles will be there. He wouldn't have it any other way.
As the league works to become a true pillar of the community, expect to see a growing Colts presence throughout the county, not as a distant franchise, but as neighbors invested in the people around them.