He never played in a Super Bowl, but ask any offensive lineman who took the field against the Cincinnati Bengals’ Mike Reid in the early 1970s and they’ll tell you there were few opponents who were any better. The NFL’s 1970 Defensive Rookie of the Year after a stellar career at Penn State, Reid joined the Bengals just as the AFL was merging with the older league and quickly became a stalwart on the line. He recorded 12 sacks in ’71 and again in ’72 when he donned this jersey and made All-Pro.
This week, we’re offering one of Reid’s game worn jerseys from the 1972 season. The home black mesh jersey is in nice shape with a screened on ‘74’ in white and Reid’s name across the back. There is a tear in the collar some moderate wear from use but that only contributes to the attractiveness of this piece of NFL history that clearly saw the turf on more than one occasion. It’s a piece that may also appeal to country music fans. As many know, Reid left football after a knee operation in 1975 and pursued his passion for music. He’d already played piano with various symphy orchestras in the off-season and after a meeting with Larry Gatlin, he became a hugely successful song writer in Nashville. Reid wrote or co-wrote 11 #1 hits sung by such superstars as Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Ronnie Milsap, Bette Midler, Tim McGraw and Wynonna Judd and was inducted into the Nashville Song Writers Hall of Fame in 2005. The shirt is a Sand-Knit made Size-50 with full tagging on front tail. This jersey comes complete with a full color Just Collect Letter of Authenticity and is guaranteed to pass PSA or JSA authentication.