Ed Reed
University of Miami
Defensive Back, 1998-2001

• Twice earned First Team All-America honors (unanimous in 2001, consensus in 2000).
• Led Miami to four consecutive bowl victories, ending career with a national championship following the 2001 season.
• 2001 Big East Defensive Co-Player of the Year remains Hurricanes' all-time leader in career interceptions (21).
• Played for coaches Butch Davis and Larry Coker.
• Becomes the seventh Hurricane player to enter the Hall.

He picked off a school-record 21 passes, twice earned First Team All-America honors, and ended his career with a national title, surefire College Football Hall of Fame credentials. But for Ed Reed, one moment among many stands out from his time at Miami.

His head coach, Butch Davis, was known to players as a "my way or the highway" kind of guy. Yet when a torrential downpour came one day during Florida State week, and when players decided to turn the practice fields into their own personal slip-and-slide, Davis let loose and joined the Hurricanes in soaking himself, setting the tone for the program Miami was, and the program Miami would soon be.

The Canes beat FSU for their third straight win, and they did not lose again that season. Heck, they did not lose again until three calendar years later, as they rattled off a 34-game winning streak that included a national championship in 2001.

That was Larry Coker's first year as head coach, after serving as the offensive coordinator. Davis' engagement, and the pulse he had of the program, was what led to players asking their administration to keep the hire in-house after Davis left for the Browns in 2001.

"We loved football more than anything," Reed said. "I remember me and Reggie (Wayne) waking up late having to run across campus to make it to our morning workout, because you didn't want to disappoint your teammates. We worked so hard, but we made sure we had fun."

Reed jokes that he never wanted to leave Miami, and his relationship with The U today speaks to that affinity. He works school camps, and he is in regular contact with current Canes players, including safety Jaquan Johnson who say Reed reaches out to him on social media to ask him if he is watching film.

"He really just wants to know how you're doing with life, because he knows the whole atmosphere and how college is, and Miami itself," Johnson said.

Reed led the Hurricanes to four consecutive bowl victories, ending his career with a perfect 12-0 record and the national championship after defeating Nebraska in the 2002 Rose Bowl. Overall, the Hurricanes tallied an impressive 41-8 record during his four years at "The U."  

Reed's 21 career interceptions are a Miami and Big East record, and he holds the Hurricanes' career record with four interceptions returned for touchdowns. The standout defensive back led the conference in interceptions in 2000 and 2001, posting four consecutive games with a pick in both seasons.

He becomes the seventh Miami player to make the Hall, and 11th with an affiliation with the school. He mentioned literally a dozen players and coaches by name when passing along credit for this honor, and he is convinced that none of his accolades could have come without the lessons he learned being around greatness in Coral Gables every day.

"It helped us to understand if we worked together, there would be more of us with opportunities in life, and that's what it is," Reed said. "It's no different than society. If we work together, we could have more success. We would have more success as a team, as a family, as one people."

Reed played 12 seasons in the NFL, including 11 with the Baltimore Ravens, and he established the Ed Reed Foundation to help youth in underserved communities.

Reed will be honored this Saturday, Oct. 6, with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during Miami's game against Florida State. He will officially be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame during the 61st NFF Annual Awards Dinner on Dec. 4 in New York City.