NFL Hall of Famer Ed Reed set to become next Bethune-Cookman football coach

Chris Vinel, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read
Ed Reed, who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2019, has agreed in principle to become Bethune-Cookman University's next head football coach.
Ed Reed, who was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2019, has agreed in principle to become Bethune-Cookman University's next head football coach.
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Bethune-Cookman University found its next head football coach Tuesday, and he will bring quite the resume to Daytona Beach.

National Football League Hall of Famer and former Miami Hurricanes star defensive back Ed Reed has agreed in principle to lead the Wildcats, the school announced via Twitter.

The 44-year-old Reed becomes the 16th head coach in program history. He replaces Terry Sims, who was let go last month after amassing a 38-39 record in seven seasons.

Reed starred at the University of Miami for four years and won a national championship as a senior before the Baltimore Ravens chose him in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He spent most of his 12-year career with the Ravens, winning a Super Bowl in 2012, before spending time with the Houston Texans and New York Jets.

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In 12 pro seasons, Ed Reed (20) established himself as one of the best defensive backs in NFL history with 64 career interceptions and myriad other honors and accolades.
In 12 pro seasons, Ed Reed (20) established himself as one of the best defensive backs in NFL history with 64 career interceptions and myriad other honors and accolades.

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Reed is widely viewed as one of the best safeties of all time. He earned five All-Pro nods and claimed the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year award among other honors and accolades. His 64 career interceptions rank seventh in NFL history.

Since officially retiring in 2015, he served as the Buffalo Bills’ assistant defensive backs coach in 2016 and has been a Miami Hurricanes adviser since 2020.

By hiring Reed, Bethune-Cookman looks to follow the model Jackson State used under Deion Sanders the past three seasons. Sanders too is a hall of fame defensive back with a big name. At the times of their signings with Southwestern Athletic Conference programs, neither had college head-coaching experience. Sanders won 27 games during his tenure in Jackson and bolted for Colorado earlier this month. He and Reed were teammates in Baltimore in 2004 and 2005.

Reed inherits a rebuilding project at Bethune-Cookman. After nine winning seasons in 10 years from 2010 to 2019, the Wildcats have finished 2-9 in back-to-back campaigns since moving from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference to the SWAC.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ed Reed, NFL hall of fame player, named Bethune-Cookman football coach