Reed to be inducted into college Hall of Fame

Ed Reed

St. Rose native and renowned retired NFL star Ed Reed will add another accolade to a growing list of them when he is inducted later this year into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Reed, a Destrehan High School alumnus and legendary figure with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, will be enshrined for the career he put together at the University of Miami, where he helped lead the Hurricanes to a National Championship in 2001.

Reed is one of 10 players and three coaches named to this year’s class, which will be officially inducted on Dec. 4.

Reed will become the eighth Miami player to ever be enshrined. His four year career at Miami saw him earn All-American status in 2000 and 2001. His teams went 4-0 in bowl games during his tenure, which ended with his senior season helping spur Miami to a perfect 12-0 record and national championship win.

He set two Big East conference records, his marks 21 career interceptions and 389 career return yards still standing today. He was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award in 2001, earned by the country’s best defensive back.

Reed’s fellow Class of 2018 inductees include players Trevor Cobb, Kerry Collins, Dave Dickenson, Dana Howard, Calvin Johnson, Paul Palmer, Matt Stinchcomb, Aaron Taylor and Charles Woodson and coaches Frank Beamer, Mack Brown and Mel Tjeerdsma.

Reed played 12 years in the NFL, 11 of those with Baltimore,  and immediately began racking up honor after honor after he was selected in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. Reed’s interception total of 64 ranks seventh all-time and he added nine others in his 15 career playoff games. He was a five-time All Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler. He was selected as NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and helped propel his Ravens to a Super Bowl championship in 2013.

Perhaps best known for his nose for both the ball and the end zone, Reed’s 1,590 career yards on interception returns rank as the most in NFL history, outpacing former record-holder Rod Woodson’s previous mark by more than 100 yards. He returned seven pickoffs for touchdowns.

At Destrehan, Reed starred in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. His efforts caught the eye of the University of Miami, where he was a two-time All-American and was a cornerstone on the Hurricanes’ 2001 National Champion squad. His 21 interceptions at the school were another school record.

Reed remains active with DHS, sponsoring the school’s annual Ed Reed jamboree and hosting a yearly football camp there.

Last year, Reed was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.

 

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