After playing football at Cornell University, Reed coached at the University of Cincinnati, Pennsylvania State University, and his alma mater. From 1899 to 1900 he coached at Cincinnati, and guided the Bearcats to a 8–6–1 record. He coached at Penn State in 1903, compiling a 5–3 record. From 1910 to 1911, he was the head coach at Cornell, where he led that team to a 12–5–1 record. His career record is 25-14-2.