Editing Andre Reed

{{Short description|American football player (born 1964)}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Andre Reed
| image       = Andre Reed Autographs USS Ronald Reagan Mar 20, 2009.jpg
| caption     = Reed in March 2009
| number      = 83, 84
| position    = [[Wide receiver]]
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|1964|1|29}}
| birth_place = [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 2
| weight_lb   = 190
| high_school = [[Louis E. Dieruff High School|Dieruff]] (Allentown)
| college     = [[Kutztown Golden Bears football|Kutztown]] (1982–1984)
| draftyear   = 1985
| draftround  = 4
| draftpick   = 86
| pastteams   = * [[Buffalo Bills]] ({{NFL Year|1985|1999}})
* [[Denver Broncos]] ({{NFL Year|2000}})*
* [[Washington Redskins]] (2000)
| highlights  = * 2× Second-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1989 All-Pro Team|1989]], [[1990 All-Pro Team|1990]])
* 7× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1989 Pro Bowl|1988]]–[[1995 Pro Bowl|1994]])
* [[Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame]]
* [[Buffalo Bills#50th Anniversary Team|Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Team]]
| statlabel1  = [[Reception (gridiron football)|Receptions]]
| statvalue1  = 951
| statlabel2  = [[Reception (gridiron football)|Receiving yards]]
| statvalue2  = 13,198
| statlabel3  = [[Touchdown|Receiving touchdowns]]
| statvalue3  = 87
| pfr         = ReedAn00
| HOF         = andre-reed
}}

'''Andre Darnell Reed''' (born January 29, 1964) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[wide receiver]] for 16 seasons in the [[National Football League]] (NFL), primarily with the [[Buffalo Bills]]. He played [[college football]] for the [[Kutztown Golden Bears football|Kutztown Golden Bears]] and was selected by the Bills in the fourth round of the [[1985 NFL draft]] with the 86th overall selection. Following 15 seasons with the Bills, with whom he earned seven [[Pro Bowl]] selections, Reed spent his final season as a member of the [[Washington Redskins]] in 2000.

Reed currently ranks 18th in [[List of NFL career receiving touchdowns leaders|all-time NFL touchdown receptions]] with 87 and tenth in [[List of NFL career receptions leaders#Players with at least 80 postseason receptions|all-time NFL post-season receptions]] with 85. Reed helped lead the Bills to four consecutive, although winless, [[Super Bowl]]s, [[Super Bowl XXV]] to [[Super Bowl XXVIII]].

At the time of his 2001 retirement, Reed was second in all-time NFL career receptions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/rec_career.htm|title = NFL Receptions Career Leaders|website = [[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]}}</ref> He was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2014.

==Early life==
Reed was born in [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]], on January 29, 1964. He began his football career at Allentown's [[Louis E. Dieruff High School|Dieruff High School]], where he played [[quarterback]] and competed in the [[Eastern Pennsylvania Conference]], which is known for producing top collegiate and NFL football talent.  In his senior year in 1981, Reed helped lead Dieruff to an EPC tri-championship, tying for the championship with [[Emmaus High School]] and [[Whitehall High School (Pennsylvania)|Whitehall High School]].

==College career==
Reed then attended [[Kutztown University of Pennsylvania|Kutztown University]], where he moved to the [[wide receiver]] position and quickly drew the attention of the NFL for his speed and durability at the receiver position. He set nine school records and finished his college career with 142 receptions for 2,020 yards and 14 touchdowns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kutztown.edu/about-ku/administrative-offices/presidents-office/presidents-medal/andre-reed.html|title = Andre Reed - President's Medal Recipients}}</ref>

==Professional career==
===Buffalo Bills===
In the [[1985 NFL draft]], Reed was selected by the [[Buffalo Bills]] in the fourth round with the 86th overall selection, making him just the second player ever from Kutztown to be selected in an NFL Draft; the first was Don Shaver in 1981.<ref>{{Cite web |title=1985 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1985/draft.htm |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=NFL Draft - Players from Kutztown | website=FootballDB.com | url=https://www.footballdb.com/draft/college.html?c=Kutztown | access-date=23 July 2023}}</ref> Reed played for the Bills for 15 consecutive seasons, from [[1985 Buffalo Bills season|1985]] through [[1999 Buffalo Bills season|1999]], during which he helped lead the Bills to four consecutive [[Super Bowl]]s. He was released in the 2000 offseason along with fellow longtime Bills' players [[Thurman Thomas]] and [[Bruce Smith (defensive end)|Bruce Smith]] after the team found itself in severe [[salary cap]] trouble; the roster dump began a period of downfall for the Buffalo Bills, who did not again reach the playoffs until the [[2017 Buffalo Bills season|2017 season]].

===="The Comeback"====
{{Main|The Comeback (American football)}}
In addition to the important role he played in taking the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls, Reed is also remembered for his contributions to the Bills' January 3, 1993, playoff victory over the [[1992 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]], a game that has come to be known simply as [[The Comeback (American football)|"The Comeback."]]  In the game, which Houston led 35–3 during the third quarter, Reed caught three touchdowns in the second half, leading Buffalo's rally from a 32-point deficit<ref>{{cite news | title=Bills and Eagles Turn Mountains Into Molehill; Buffalo Erases 32-Point Deficit | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/04/sports/pro-football-bills-eagles-turn-mountains-into-molehill-buffalo-erases-32-point.html |newspaper=New York Times |date=January 4, 1993 |access-date=July 12, 2016 }}</ref> in what became the largest comeback in NFL history. Reed finished the game with eight receptions for 136 yards and three touchdowns.  The game has been enshrined in NFL history as one of the greatest games ever played.  It also is recognized as one of the largest comebacks by any team in the history of all of the American professional sports.

Following the Bills' victory over Houston, Reed went on to catch eight passes for 152 yards in the Bills' 52–17 [[Super Bowl XXVII]] loss, on January 31, 1993, to the [[1992 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]].

===Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins===
In 2000, Reed signed a two-year contract with the [[Denver Broncos]] in June but was buried on the depth chart behind [[Rod Smith (wide receiver)|Rod Smith]], [[Ed McCaffrey]], [[Robert Brooks (American football)|Robert Brooks]], and [[Travis McGriff]].<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/21/sports/pro-football-former-rivals-join-broncos.html | work=The New York Times | title=PRO FOOTBALL; Former Rivals Join Broncos | date=July 21, 2000}}</ref> Reed eventually asked for his release from the Broncos after then Broncos Head Coach [[Mike Shanahan]] informed Reed that he would be inactive for their [[2000 Denver Broncos season|2000 season opener]] and wanted to make a more immediate contribution.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/reed-bucking-the-broncos/ | work=CBS News | title=Reed Bucking The Broncos | date=September 1, 2000}}</ref> He eventually joined the [[Washington Redskins]] and retired after the [[2000 Washington Redskins season|2000 season]].

==NFL records==
Reed ranks 15th in all-time NFL history in [[List of National Football League career receiving touchdowns leaders|touchdown receptions]] with 87 and ninth in NFL history in [[List of National Football League career receptions leaders|all-time post-season receptions]] with 85 as of 2022.

He exceeded 1,000 receiving yards four times in a 16-year career and rushed for 500 yards and a touchdown on 75 carries. With the Bills, Reed played in four consecutive [[Super Bowl]]s (1991–1994) and was selected to the [[Pro Bowl]] in seven consecutive seasons (1988–1994). He set season career highs with 90 receptions in 1994, ten touchdowns in 1991, and 1,312 receiving yards in 1989.

A tribute to his physical durability, Reed played in 234 NFL games between 1985 and 2000, [[Most games played, NFL history|the 99th-most games played by any player in NFL history]], including players in less physically demanding positions, including kickers and punters.

===Super Bowl records===
In his four Super Bowls, Reed recorded 27 receptions, the third-most total career Super Bowl receptions in NFL history behind [[Jerry Rice]]'s 33 and [[Travis Kelce]]'s 35, and 323 total Super Bowl receiving yards, sixth-most in Super Bowl history.

==NFL career statistics==
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! colspan="2" | Games
! colspan="6"| Receiving
! colspan="5" |Rushing
! colspan="2" | Fumbles
|-
!GP
!GS
! Rec !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! FD 
!Att
!Yds
!Avg
!Lng
!TD!! Fum !! Lost
|-
! [[1985 NFL season|1985]] || [[1985 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|15|| 48 || 637 || 13.3 || 32 || 4 || — 
|3
| -1
| -0.3
|14
|'''1'''|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1986 NFL season|1986]] || [[1986 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| 15 
|15|| 53 || 739 || 13.9 || 55 || 7 || — 
|3
| -8
| -2.7
|4
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1987 NFL season|1987]] || [[1987 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| 12 
|12|| 57 || 752 || 13.2 || 40 || 5 || — 
|1
|1
|1
|1
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1988 NFL season|1988]] || [[1988 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| 15 
|14|| 71 || 968 || 13.6 || 65 || 6 || — 
|6
|64
|10.7
|36
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1989 NFL season|1989]] || [[1989 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|'''16'''|| 88 || '''1,312'''|| 13.7 || 78 || 9 || — 
|2
|31
|'''15.5'''
|23
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1990 NFL season|1990]] || [[1990 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|'''16'''|| 71 || 945 || 13.3 || 56 || 8 || — 
|3
|23
|7.7
|26
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1991 NFL season|1991]] || [[1991 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|'''16'''|| 81 || 1,113 || 13.7 || 55 || '''10'''|| 62 
|'''12'''
|'''136'''
|11.3
|'''46'''
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1992 NFL season|1992]] || [[1992 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|'''16'''|| 65 || 913 || 14.0 || 51 || 3 || 41 
|8
|65
|8.1
|24
|0|| '''4''' || '''4'''
|-
! [[1993 NFL season|1993]] || [[1993 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| 15 
|15|| 52 || 854 || '''16.4'''|| 65 || 6 || 32 
|9
|21
|2.3
|15
|0|| 3 || 1
|-
! [[1994 NFL season|1994]] || [[1994 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|'''16'''|| '''90''' || 1,303 || 14.5 || '''83'''|| 8 || '''64'''
|10
|87
|8.7
|20
|0|| 2 || 2
|-
! [[1995 NFL season|1995]] || [[1995 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| 6 
|6|| 24 || 312 || 13.0 || 41 || 3 || 10 
|7
|48
|6.9
|14
|0|| 2 || 2
|-
! [[1996 NFL season|1996]] || [[1996 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|'''16'''|| 66 || 1,036 || 15.7 || 78 || 6 || 42 
|8
|22
|2.8
|13
|0|| 1 || 0
|-
! [[1997 NFL season|1997]] || [[1997 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| 15 
|15|| 60 || 880 || 14.7 || 77 || 5 || 39 
|3
|11
|3.7
|9
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1998 NFL season|1998]] || [[1998 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| 15 
|13|| 63 || 795 || 12.6 || 67 || 5 || 49 
|0
|0
|—
|0
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[1999 NFL season|1999]] || [[1999 Buffalo Bills season|BUF]]
| '''16'''
|'''16'''|| 52 || 536 || 10.3 || 30 || 1 || 31 
|0
|0
|—
|0
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! [[2000 NFL season|2000]] || [[2000 Washington Redskins season|WAS]]
| 13 
|0|| 10 || 103 || 10.3 || 21 || 1 || 8 
|0
|0
|—
|0
|0|| 0 || 0
|-
! colspan="2"| [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/ReedAn00.htm Total]|| 234 
!217|| 951 || 13,198 || 13.9 || 83 || 87 || 378 
!75
!500
!6.7
!46
!1|| 12 || 9
|}

==Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame==
In 2006, Reed was voted into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame, joining a number of other players from Bills history whose names are enshrined in cement inside [[Highmark Stadium (New York)|Highmark Stadium]]. Reed's was inducted in 2009 along with former teammate [[Bruce Smith (defensive end)|Bruce Smith]] and team owner [[Ralph Wilson]]. Through the night, Reed was referred to multiple times as "future Hall of Famer" with various speeches voicing their ringing endorsement for Reed as a candidate.

==Pro Football Hall of Fame==
Reed became eligible for induction into the NFL's Pro Football Hall of Fame, the highest honor afforded a former NFL player, in 2006. However, he was not selected for induction in any of his first seven years of eligibility due partly to a logjam of accomplished wide receiver candidates, including [[Art Monk]], [[Michael Irvin]], and [[Cris Carter]]. Although Irvin, Monk and Carter are now enshrined as of 2007, 2008 and 2013 respectively, the logjam became worse for Reed when he was again overlooked in 2009 and 2010, which saw wide receiver candidates [[Jerry Rice]] and [[Tim Brown (American football)|Tim Brown]] both eligible for the first time.<ref name="Rice, Smith land spots in Hall of Fame">{{cite web|url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35271598/ns/sports-nfl/|title=Rice, Smith land spots in Hall of Fame|access-date=February 6, 2010|agency=Associated Press|date=February 6, 2010|publisher=NBC Sports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208055447/http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/35271598/ns/sports-nfl/|archive-date=February 8, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Rice has long been considered one of the greatest players in league history and was almost assured of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer, making 2010 a long shot for Reed. As expected, Rice was inducted, which cleared some of the logjam going forward for Reed.<ref name="Rice, Smith land spots in Hall of Fame"/> Reed remained a Hall of Fame candidate in 2011, 2012, and 2013 but was passed over each of those years.

On February 1, 2014, Reed was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and he was inducted on August 2, 2014.

==Television career==
Since his NFL retirement in 2000, Reed has provided football commentary on the [[ESPN2]] show, ''[[ESPN First Take|First Take]]'', and appears periodically as a football analyst on ''[[NFL on Fox]]''.  He has also appeared on the [[Spike (TV channel)|Spike TV]] sports series ''[[Pros vs. Joes]]'' in the show's second season.

He is also known for ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]'' where he appeared in "Ka'aelike" (Season 7, Episode 12). He played a federal prosecutor on  ''[[MacGyver (2016)|MacGyver]]''.  He also appeared on ''[[Magnum P.I. (2018 TV series)|Magnum PI]]'' Season 2 Episode 17 as himself and as a car salesman who abuses his uncanny resemblance to Andre Reed.

==Philanthropy==
The Andre Reed Foundation was established in 2010 to help underprivileged children reach their full potential and become responsible contributors to their communities.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}} Reed is currently a [[Boys & Girls Clubs of America]] (BGCA) Ambassador after being inducted to their Hall of Fame in 2015. In addition, he leads up a literacy program for underprivileged youth in the BGCA, called Read with Reed 83 Challenge.

==Legacy==
On October 18, 2014, [[Kutztown University of Pennsylvania]], Reed's alma mater, renamed University Field to [[Andre Reed Stadium]] in his honor in a ceremony.<ref>{{cite news|author=Staff|title=Kutztown University to name its football stadium in Andre Reed's honor|work=The Morning Call|location=Allentown, Pennsylvania|date=September 18, 2014|url=http://www.mcall.com/sports/varsity/mc-cn-andre-reed-kutztown-0918-20140918-story.html|access-date=September 23, 2014}}</ref>

==Popular culture==
Reed is mentioned in the 1996 film ''[[Jerry Maguire]]'' as one of several NFL wide receivers with lucrative contracts, as Rod Tidwell,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116695/|title = Jerry Maguire|website = [[IMDb]]|date = December 13, 1996}}</ref> a fictional wide receiver for the [[Arizona Cardinals]], played by [[Cuba Gooding, Jr.]], tells his agent, played by [[Tom Cruise]], that his contract warrants high pay.

==Personal life==
In 2023, Reed married Theresa Villano in [[San Diego]], California. Reed has hosted an annual celebrity golf event for over 10 years. Reed's nephew, Jackson Reed, plays [[college football]] for [[Susquehanna University]] as a [[wide receiver]]. Reed regularly keeps in touch with Jackson, who also wears the number 83. Jackson attended his uncle's celebrity golf event in the summer of 2024 alongside friends and teammates from the Susquehanna Riverhawks Football team. Jackson, born and raised in Pennsylvania like his Uncle, is a fan of the [[Philadelphia Eagles|Philadelphia Eagle]]s but still roots for the [[Buffalo Bills]] because of his uncle's history with the team.

In 2025, Reed was named commissioner of the [[Entertainment Football Association]], an [[arena football]] league with teams along the Eastern Seaboard.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Leary |first=Matt |date=2025-01-15 |title=Arena football makes its return to Nassau Coliseum starting in June |url=https://greaterlongisland.com/arena-football-makes-its-return-to-nassau-coliseum-starting-in-june/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Greater Long Island |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.profootballhof.com/players/andre-reed/ Andre Reed] at the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]
* [http://www.buffalosportshallfame.com/Class_of_2004/andre_reed/ Andre Reed] Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame profile
* {{Footballstats |nfl=andre-reed |cfl= |afl= |espn=6 |cbs= |yahoo=37 |fox= |si=37 |pfr=R/ReedAn00 |rotoworld=}}

{{Navboxes|list=
{{Buffalo Bills}}
{{Bills1985DraftPicks}}
{{Buffalo Bills 50th Season All-time Team}}
{{Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame}}
{{2014 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Andre}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:American football wide receivers]]
[[Category:Buffalo Bills players]]
[[Category:Denver Broncos players]]
[[Category:Kutztown Golden Bears football players]]
[[Category:Louis E. Dieruff High School alumni]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Allentown, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Washington Redskins players]]