Ed Reed inspired to win National Championship by past Miami football plaques
Ed Reed was recently hired by the Miami football program to help improve the culture the Hurricanes currently have. The culture for Miami seems to have been lost over the past 15 years. Reed was inspired by the national championships before him.
Ed Reed is often regarded as the greatest player in the history of the Miami football program. The recent hiring of the Pro Football Hall of Famer as the Chief of Staff for Manny Diaz is expected to help improve the culture throughout the Hurricanes football program. The hiring was lauded by everyone who follows Miami.
When Reed joined the Miami football program in 1997, the Hurricanes were six years removed from their last of four National Championships in nine seasons. Miami finished 5-6 in 1997 with Reed taking a redshirt as a freshman. The 1997 season was the first losing record Miami had since 1979 when they also finished 5-6.
Reed had two interceptions to tie for the team lead in 1998 as a redshirt freshman and also returned six punts for 40 yards. In the four years Reed played on the Miami football team he was part of an exceptional secondary each season. In 1998 Reed played with Al Blades Sr. and Mike Rumph in the secondary.
Reed and Rumph who is now the Miami cornerbacks coach will work with rising junior Al Blades Jr. in 2020. Blades Sr. tragically died in a car accident at the age of 26 in 2003. Reed was part of the ReUnion special or former Miami football players, wide receivers Reggie Wayne and Michael Irvin Sr and linebacker Ray Lewis.
The special was aired by FoxSports on Facebook live from South Beach Superbowl weekend.
what motivated him to lead Miami to another National Championship during his tenure in Coral Gables. The National Title was Reed’s favorite memory and he explained what went into his motivation.
"“My greatest memory (at Miami) by far is winning the national championship…It was so long before that and just being around there. I remember I used to walk around and look at all the championship plaques and I wondered to myself, ‘How can we win a championship?’We should have won it the year before when we went to the Sugar Bowl with Reggie (Wayne) and them. We had a great team that year. I think it was one of the greatest teams ever honestly, but I wanted to make sure we had that back. I was the Papa Smurf of college football my senior year. Nobody was older than me.I wanted to make sure we won that.”"
The presence of Reed as the Chief of Staff and part of the Miami football program should have a greater influence on the Hurricanes players than the plaques did as a motivational tool in the 1990s. Former Miami head coaches Butch Davis and Larry Coker were able to restore Miami to the elite of college football.
Ed Reed's exact role and responsibilities as Chief of Staff. dark. Next
Davis credited Reed with being the Hurricanes coach on the field. The knowledge that Reed has understanding what Miami needs to change the culture in the current locker room and as a member of the Ravens successful teams in the 2000s that culminated with a title in Superbowl XLVII should help the current Hurricanes.