The Man Who Saved Football: Bill Reid’s Crucial Role in the Game’s Survival

For the better part of four decades, American football had been a growing attraction on Eastern campuses, but in the early twentieth century, due to the brutality of the game and the lives lost or altered by injury, many wanted football banned. One man helped defend the gridiron game, just long enough to save it from extinction.

William T. “Bill” Reid was born on October 25, 1878, in San Francisco, California. Though an accomplished player and coach at Harvard, Reid’s most profound and lasting contribution to American sports was his pivotal role in saving football from being banned entirely.

Bill played during the fierce period of American football just at the end of the 19th century. He was a good player for Harvard, though, as he became the first Harvard player to score two TDs in a game against Yale. After his playing days, he became the Crimson’s Head Coach.

As a coach in the early 1900s, Reid made his most significant contributions to football. The NFF’s website states that Reid and fellow coaches from Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth were called to Washington, D.C. President Theodore Roosevelt was incensed by the violence in the game and threatened to ban the sport. Reid convinced Roosevelt not to end the game he loved, and he coerced all present to sign a contract stating that they would adhere to the rules of football and promote change to make the game safer for players. 

Teddy Roosevelt was satisfied with this and allowed football to remain in American sports. As a coach, Reid’s record was 30-3-1.

The National Football Foundation selected Bill Reid to enter the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970.

Accolades and Accomplishments

Playing Career (Harvard Fullback, 1898-1899):

• Played fullback during the “blood-and-brutality” days of football at the close of the 19th century.
• Became the first Harvard player to score two touchdowns against rival Yale in a single game.
• Was named a Second-team All-American in both 1898 and 1899.

Coaching and Administration Career (Harvard Head Coach, 1901, 1905-1906):

• Coaching Record: 30-3-1 across three seasons as Harvard’s head coach.
• The Roosevelt Meeting (October 1905): Reid, along with coaches from Yale and Princeton, was summoned to the White House by President Theodore Roosevelt, who was incensed by the high number of serious injuries and deaths in the sport and threatened to abolish it.
• Saving the Game: Reid was instrumental in convincing Roosevelt not to ban the game. He helped draft an agreement, signed by the attendees, committing the major college powers to adhere to the spirit and letter of the rules and work toward reform.
• Rules Reform Leader: Reid served on the national rules committee and advocated for radical changes, including the eventual adoption of the forward pass and the ten-yard first down, which mitigated the violence of mass-formation plays. These changes helped lead to the formation of the NCAA.

Honors:

• College Football Hall of Fame Inductee (1970).