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B.J. Futrell hired as Mentoring Director

BTSPhilly   |   Jul 29, 2020

Philadelphia, Pa. – Beat the Streets Philadelphia (BTSP) is proud to announce the hiring of B.J. Futrell as the new Mentoring Director. Futrell will join the BTSP executive staff, and work closely with critical partners: Penn Wrestling, Drexel Wrestling, and the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center to deliver mentoring to BTSP Student-athletes

Futrell was a resident athlete at the Pennsylvania Regional Training Center from 2016-2019. During this time, he served as a coach and mentor at BTSP, working extensively with student-athletes. 

Futrell returns to Philadelphia after serving as an Assistant Coach at the United States Naval Academy during the 2019-2020 season. Under his leadership, Navy qualified five wrestlers for the NCAA Tournament and crowned two EIWA champions. Additionally, Navy had three wrestlers become NWCA Scholar All-Americans.

Collegiately, Futrell was a two-time All-American for the University of Illinois. He was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and twice achieved NWCA Scholar All-American status. Futrell earned a Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology in 2012 and a Master of Education in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership in 2013.

On the Senior Level, Futrell was a member of the 2017 U.S. National Team and a 2014 University Worlds silver medalist. Throughout his career, Futrell placed at over 20 different Senior-level events and won titles at the Dave Schultz Memorial International, the Bill Farrell International and the Ion Corneanu & Ladislau Simon Memorial in Bucharest, Romania. He was also a member of the Titan Mercury Wrestling Club team that brought home a title from the 2016 Club World Championships in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Futrell will begin his new position in August and is eager to make an impact within the program.

"It is always worth more to invest in people than to invest in things. Studying education in graduate school allowed me to gain an understanding of the contemporary and historical barriers to the distribution of education. The current education system perpetuates social and economic inequality across generations, and BTSP is working to reduce these disparities. I am now in a unique position to be able to provide more access to academic support, serve the underserved community of Philadelphia, and grow the sport of wrestling. Accepting this position was a WIN, WIN, WIN. I couldn't be more excited to work with this team, bring more hope to the communities of Philadelphia, and continue to change the life trajectory of the kids that are a part it." said B.J. Futrell.

As part of an organizational restructuring, Ben Reiter, who served as the Mentoring Director since August of 2017, will transition to a newly created Senior Director of Advancement & Strategic Partnerships position. Ben expanded the impact of Mentoring through collaborative initiatives, innovative curriculum, and personal passion for the mission.

Executive Director, James Mangan is thrilled about the changes.

"B.J. is a dynamic individual with a first-hand understanding of the vitally important work of mentoring BTSP student-athletes. Having served as a Mentor, Coach, and Partner in the past will allow B.J. to have an immediate impact on the organization as we build on past success and position for a rapidly evolving future."    

At BTSP, we strive to positively alter life's trajectory of the youth we serve by living the core values of Grit, Compassion, Service, and Team.  


Beat the Streets Philadelphia (BTSP) is a sports-based youth development nonprofit that is committed to fostering the holistic growth of student-athletes living in at-risk under-served communities. BTSP implements mentoring, academic support, and wrestling programs throughout the greater Philadelphia region as vehicles to ‘Positively Alter Life’s Trajectory.’