Reed credits Grambling with football, life success
11:18 PM, Jul. 15, 2012 |
Editor's note: This article is part of a series looking at this year's Grambling Legends Hall of Fame inductees, which were honored Saturday.
GRAMBLING — Raised by a single mom in a Covington, Ga., housing project, a young Jake Reed thought his best bet for a better life would be to join the military like his uncle.
But that's before Grambling State football coaches found Reed and molded him into an elite receiver.
Reed credited the coaching staff for serving as his father figures, and after a 12-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, Reed was part of a 12-member class inducted into the Grambling Legends Sports Hall of Fame.
"I had my mind solely set on the military, but my mom said I should give Grambling a try," Reed said at Friday's reception at the Eddie G. Robinson Museum. "I knew I had talent, but all the other kids in the projects had talent, too.
"Eddie Robinson, Eddie Robinson Jr. and all the other coaches took me in, and I wouldn't be where I am today without them."
Reed was part of an explosive Minnesota aerial attack in the 1990s that included Cris Carter and later Randy Moss.
Carter and Reed set an NFL record by combining for 207 receptions in 1994, and they were the first receiver duo to each have 1,000-yard seasons for four consecutive years.
Reed said he never dreamed of playing in the NFL, even when he starting making his mark at Grambling.
He ended his pro career with 450 catches for 6,999 yards and 36 touchdowns.
"I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get drafted, even though I saw other (Grambling) guys getting drafted," Reed said. "But my high school coaches and guys like Eddie Robinson Jr. kept telling me I could it.
"And when the time came, it was almost surreal when I realized I would be drafted."
Reed helped GSU to a combined 17 wins in his final two seasons (1989-90), resulting in a second-team All-SWAC selection in 1989 and first-team SWAC pick in 1990.
In his senior season, Reed totaled 954 receiving yards and was one of only 17 players in Grambling history to play in the Senior Bowl.
"I would tell my friends, 'Hey man, I'm doing real good," Reed said. "The Bayou Classic wasn't on TV back then, so my friends back home said, 'Yeah right. You from Covington (Ga.), you won't get drafted."
The Vikings selected the 6-foot-3 Reed in the third round in the 1991 draft.
Reed played with the Vikings from 1991-99 and 2001 while playing with the Saints in 2000 and 2002.
As he admired Grambling's history in the Eddie G. Robinson Museum on Friday, he said is proud to be part of this elite hall of fame.
"Seeing all of this history ... I don't know of another school that has this much history," Reed said. "It's very special to be in here with these top guys. I can bring my kids and grandkids and their kids here, and I will wear the 'G' on my chest and in my heart for the rest of my life.
"Everyone can't go to LSU or Alabama or Tennessee. The HBCU schools will have a place for you if you have talent and are willing to work hard. I was a long way from home ... and they were like my family. That's what it means to be a G-Man and a Gramblinite."
Reed passed on that family mentality to his own kin, and several of his younger siblings attended college after Reed became the first. Reed's younger brother, Dale Carter, played seven seasons as a Kansas City Chiefs cornerback after playing college ball at Tennessee.
Source:
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/2012071...
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