Only Mike Reid Until Penn State Football

Continuing our countdown until Penn State football starts again, we’re going old school with former Nittany Lion defensive lineman Mike Reid, who played under Joe Paterno in the late 1960’s. This #68 was a captain for the undefeated 1968 and 1969 teams and won the 1969 Maxwell trophy, and finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy race that season.

Reid went on to be the #7 pick overall in the 1970 NFL Draft, playing for the Cincinnati Bengals for several years. In 1972 and 1973, Reid was named All-Pro and cemented his legacy as one of the best pass rushers in the NFL in 1971. After retiring from football after the 1974 season due to injuries, Reid was later elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

After graduating with a B.A. in music from Penn State, Reid performed as a pianist for several symphonies, and later focused on creating his own band and becoming a popular country music songwriter.

Reid co-wrote singles for top country music artists, including Ronnie Milsap, with the song “Stranger in My House” winning the Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1984. Reid also wrote twelve total No. 1 singles, including “Forever’s as Far as I’ll Go”, recorded by Alabama.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Reid had a solo recording career, with seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, and composed music for several musicals, including his latest, “The Last Day” . Now, Reid can claim the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame along with his NFL Football Hall of Fame accolades.