WSU Hall of Famer George Reed dies at age of 83

PULLMAN – Washington State lost one of its premier football players on Oct. 1.

George Reed, a WSU Hall of Fame running back who went on to enjoy one of the best careers in the Canadian Football League, died at age 83.

Reed played for Washington State in the 1959, 1961 and 1962 seasons, rushing for 992 yards and 17 touchdowns during his final two seasons and earning a spot in the East-West Shrine and Hula Bowl games.

Reed lost his 1960 season to a serious leg injury, which threatened to end his career. He came back for the following two seasons in Pullman and went on to play 13 seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, earning most outstanding player honors in 1965 and in 1976.

“Worst football leg injury I ever saw,” former WSU team physician Dick Morton said, according to a 2019 story in the Regina Leader-Post the daily newspaper of Regina, Saskatchewan. “His leg was broken cleanly. They said it sounded like a rifle shot when it happened. The ankle was badly dislocated.”

Reed also had obstacles of a much different nature to overcome. In 1959, Reed and Perry Harper, the only two Black players on the team, traveled to Houston for WSU’s game against Houston. Reed and Harper were not allowed to stay with their teammates in the Texas State Hotel in downtown Houston, instead going to a dormitory at Texas Southern University.

Reed wasn’t fazed. He scored a touchdown and a 2-point conversion to help Washington State secure a 32-18 win.