George Reed Obituary

George Reed was an American college football and Canadian Football League player. Reed, along with Mike Pringle and Johnny Bright, is one of the players most often mentioned as being the greatest running back in CFL history. In November 2006, Reed was voted one of CFL’s Top 50 players of the league’s modern era by Canadian sports network TSN.

Reed, who played for the Roughriders from 1963 to 1975, retired as the league’s all-time leader in rushing yards (16,116), rushing touchdowns (134) and overall TDs (137). He was named CFL All-Star nine times and a West Division all-star on 11 occasions.

He played a key role in the Riders capturing their first Grey Cup, rushing for 133 yards including a 31-year TD that effectively sealed the outcome as Saskatchewan defeated the Ottawa Rough Riders 29-14 on Nov 26, 1966, in Vancouver.

Reed, who surpassed 1000 rushing yards 11 times in his CFL career, was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame and Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame in 1979 and the Riders’ Plaza of Honour in 1987.