A defensive lineman, Reid played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and then spent four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League before retiring after the 1974 season. He subsequently began his musical career, co-writing several hit singles for country music artists, including Ronnie Milsap's "Stranger in My House", which won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song in 1984. Reid later began a solo recording career, releasing two studio albums for Columbia Records. He charted seven singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts as a singer, including the Number One hit "Walk on Faith."