Jeff Reed (American football)

Infobox NFLactive
name=Jeff Reed

---

caption= Reed warms up against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006.
currentteam=Pittsburgh Steelers
currentnumber=3
currentpositionplain=Kicker
birthdate=birth date and age|1979|4|9
birthplace=Kansas City, Missouri
heightft=5
heightin=11
weight=225
debutyear=2002
debutteam=Pittsburgh Steelers
college=North Carolina
undraftedyear=2002
pastteams=
* Pittsburgh Steelers (2002-present)
highlights=
* Super Bowl champion (XL)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Field Goals Made
statvalue1=135
statlabel2=Field Goals Attempted
statvalue2=165
statlabel3=Field Goals %
statvalue3=81.8
nfl=REE265822

Jeffrey Montgomery Reed (born April 9, 1979) is an American football place kicker currently playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His nickname is Creech.

High school years

Reed graduated from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1997. While there, Reed was captain of the soccer team and kicker for the football team. He was a letterman in both sports. His senior year the soccer team went all the way to the state finals but fell short to a 2-1 defeat. Also during his senior year, Reed kicked a 54 yard field goal, the second longest in North Carolina history, against Providence High School, setting a new school record. In football, he won All-Conference and All-County honors.

Reed was also involved in the school newspaper, National Honor Society, and the Spanish National Honor Society. He graduated 9th in his class out of 365 and was voted Best Personality and Best All Around by his fellow classmates.

In the Spring of 2005 he was added to the East Mecklenburg Wall of Fame. His father, Morris, played basketball for Wichita State and his mother, Pam, was a cheerleader for Wichita State, his sister Kristen, played soccer at UNC-Charlotte and one year professionally for the Carolina Speed .

College

Reed attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he majored in journalism and played football. He had never kicked in a college game until the 2000 season, but he emerged as one of the most consistent kickers in the country. He was an honorable mention All-ACC pick as a senior and a second-team All-ACC player as a junior. He entered the 2000 season as a walk-on, but he eventually earned a scholarship after connecting on 28-of-36 field goal attempts and 66-of-67, setting a UNC record with 66 consecutive extra points. He was also one of 20 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award, which is given annually to the nation’s top kicker, and was also first-team Academic All-ACC.

Pro career

Reed joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as a free agent in 2002. Originally signed as a midseason replacement to the injured (and inconsistent) Todd Peterson, Reed quickly contributed to the team finishing the season with 100 points, which led to the team releasing Peterson in the offseason and making Reed their primary kicker. He is often referred to by Pittsburgh Steelers fans as "Skippy Reed," or, to a lesser degree, "Guaranteed Reed." Myron Cope, former Steelers announcer, also annoited Jeff Reed with a nickname of "Hayseed Reed." His unshakeable presence on the field has led to him making several game-winning or game-tying field goals, frequently amidst loud, hostile crowds. Reed proved that he could kick in the clutch during the Steelers 2005 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the New York Jets, as he kicked the 33-yard game winning field goal (after his New York counterpart Doug Brien missed two late field goals) in overtime to give the Steelers the victory. Reed was also a major reason the Steelers were able to compete in the 2005-2006 playoffs, as he kicked two game winning field goals during the 2005 campaign, one against the San Diego Chargers on "Monday Night Football", and another against the Baltimore Ravens on Halloween to give the Steelers two crucial victories. During the 2005-06 NFL playoffs, where the Steelers eventually won Super Bowl XL, Reed successfully kicked all three field goal attempts and converted all fourteen of his potential PATs.

Every year Reed is a very generous player to his fans at the Latrobe, PA training camp when the fans line up for autographs. This year, two young girls from Las Vegas brought their Jeff Reed jerseys along with them for him to sign and he came out of the locker room and took a picture with one of them and signed both of their jerseys and many more of the fans merchandise.Fact|date=October 2008

Reed is also involved heavily in his community with charity work such as “Kick For Kids” which donates $300 dollars for every field goal he makes. Also he is involved in Junior Achievement, does commercials for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and helped a family raise money for a 5 year old who had a brain tumor.Fact|date=October 2008

Trivia

* Reed currently is the 5th most accurate kicker in NFL history

External links

* [http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/303081 Jeff Reed at nfl.com]
* [http://news.steelers.com/team/player/49239/ Steelers Profile]