abstract
| - Samuel Stephone "Sammy" Reed (born March 14, 1964) is a retired American football player best known for playing on the University of Arkansas football team in the 1980s, winning the national championship over Michigan in the 1986 Rose Bowl. Reed, who was a heavily-recruited wide receiver and safety coming out of Abilene High School, was jailed for eight months in 1983 due to an assault charge during the 1983 Covenant riots. After pleading guilty, he was paroled for good behavior and was out of football for a year before returning to Arkansas for the 1984 season. While his participation for the Razorbacks elicited controversy, he emerged as one of their key players in 1984 and even more so in the 1985 season, where his rapport with Jeff Robinson made the Razorbacks one of the top passing offenses in the nation and in the Southern Conference, dominating opponents all year long. He caught the game-winning touchdown pass in the Rose Bowl that season, helping Arkansas win its first and only national championship. He returned to finish his degree in 1986, although his numbers declined. He was taken in the third round of the 1987 Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, appearing on their 1988 NFL Championship squad. He was traded to the Covenant Mustangs in 1994, playing in front of his hometown team until 1997, when he retired. He currently works as head coach at his alma mater, Abilene.
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