08-07-2016, 12:08 PM
Defensive tackle Mike Reid and safety Tommy Casanova are not only among the best football players to ever suit up for the Bengals, they are also two of the most talented men. Neither is usually recognized as being among the greatest Bengals ever mainly because they both left the game so early. Both retired when they were just 27 years old
Mike Reid was one of the greatest athletes in Penn State history. He was a captain of both the '68 and '69 Penn State teams that went 22-0. He was a was unanimous First Team All American. In '69 he won the Maxwell Award and finished 5th in the Heisman voting. In 1987 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He also wrestled and in '67 won the NCAA Eastern heavyweight championship.
The Bengals took him with the 7th pick in the first round of the '70 draft. By his second season he was AP First Team All AFC, and would be for three straigh years. By his third season he was First Team All Pro and a key reason that the Bengals had the #3 defense in the league. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in both his third and fourth season. Although sacks were not an official NFL stat at that time the Bengals credit Reid with 37 sacks over his first three seasons (only 14 games back then). After his 5th season in the league ('74) when he was selecetd to the ProFootball Weekly first team All-AFC team he retired. He had some knee injuries and wanted to concentrate on his music career. Many years later he would also state that he struggled with depression, but in the 1970's no one would admit to that.
Reid was a classically trained pianist good enough to eventually perform with the symphony orchestras from Dallas, Utah, and Cincinnati. By 1980 he was considered one of the top songwriters in the business. In 1984 he won the "Best Country Song" Grammy award for "Stranger in My house" that he wrote for Ronnie Milsap. Altogether Reid would write 12 songs that would become #1 hits and in '05 was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Reid also produced a number one hit as a performer, "Walk of Faith" from his 1990 albumn Turning from Home.. On a purely personal note Mike co-wrote on of my all time favorite songs, Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me".
Tommy Casanova is the only three time All-American in LSU history. He returned kicks in addition to playing both offense and DB from '69-'71. In 2000 Walter Camp Football Foundation selected him to their All-Century Team and in '09 his number 37 was retired by LSU.
His rookie year with the Bengals he was 2nd in the league in punt return average, had 5 interceptions, and was selected selected 2nd team All-AFC by the UPI. He would be selected for 3 Pro Bolws ('74, '76, '77) and was First Team All Pro in '76 when he scored 3 defensive tds. After being selected first team All-AFC for three straight years ('75-'77) he retired. He also had knee problems. In Casanova's 6 years with the Bengals their defense ranked in the top 10 four times including twice in the top 5.
Casanova began working toward his M.D. degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine while he was still playing with the Bengals. After receiving his MD from UC in 1980 and finishing his residency as an opthalmologist he went on to complete a specialized program in oculoplastic surgery at the University of Utah.
Casanova later entered politics and in 1995 and was elected State Senator for the 26th District in Louisana. After only one term he returned to his medical practice.
If they had todays medical procedures back in the 70's both of these men might have played much longer in the NFL. In fact they may have gone on to Hall of Fame careers, but given the success both of them have had off the field I doubt that they have a lot of regrets. And I am proud to point to both of these men as great former Bengals for their accomplishments both on and off the field.
Mike Reid was one of the greatest athletes in Penn State history. He was a captain of both the '68 and '69 Penn State teams that went 22-0. He was a was unanimous First Team All American. In '69 he won the Maxwell Award and finished 5th in the Heisman voting. In 1987 he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. He also wrestled and in '67 won the NCAA Eastern heavyweight championship.
The Bengals took him with the 7th pick in the first round of the '70 draft. By his second season he was AP First Team All AFC, and would be for three straigh years. By his third season he was First Team All Pro and a key reason that the Bengals had the #3 defense in the league. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in both his third and fourth season. Although sacks were not an official NFL stat at that time the Bengals credit Reid with 37 sacks over his first three seasons (only 14 games back then). After his 5th season in the league ('74) when he was selecetd to the ProFootball Weekly first team All-AFC team he retired. He had some knee injuries and wanted to concentrate on his music career. Many years later he would also state that he struggled with depression, but in the 1970's no one would admit to that.
Reid was a classically trained pianist good enough to eventually perform with the symphony orchestras from Dallas, Utah, and Cincinnati. By 1980 he was considered one of the top songwriters in the business. In 1984 he won the "Best Country Song" Grammy award for "Stranger in My house" that he wrote for Ronnie Milsap. Altogether Reid would write 12 songs that would become #1 hits and in '05 was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Reid also produced a number one hit as a performer, "Walk of Faith" from his 1990 albumn Turning from Home.. On a purely personal note Mike co-wrote on of my all time favorite songs, Bonnie Raitt's "I Can't Make You Love Me".
Tommy Casanova is the only three time All-American in LSU history. He returned kicks in addition to playing both offense and DB from '69-'71. In 2000 Walter Camp Football Foundation selected him to their All-Century Team and in '09 his number 37 was retired by LSU.
His rookie year with the Bengals he was 2nd in the league in punt return average, had 5 interceptions, and was selected selected 2nd team All-AFC by the UPI. He would be selected for 3 Pro Bolws ('74, '76, '77) and was First Team All Pro in '76 when he scored 3 defensive tds. After being selected first team All-AFC for three straight years ('75-'77) he retired. He also had knee problems. In Casanova's 6 years with the Bengals their defense ranked in the top 10 four times including twice in the top 5.
Casanova began working toward his M.D. degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine while he was still playing with the Bengals. After receiving his MD from UC in 1980 and finishing his residency as an opthalmologist he went on to complete a specialized program in oculoplastic surgery at the University of Utah.
Casanova later entered politics and in 1995 and was elected State Senator for the 26th District in Louisana. After only one term he returned to his medical practice.
If they had todays medical procedures back in the 70's both of these men might have played much longer in the NFL. In fact they may have gone on to Hall of Fame careers, but given the success both of them have had off the field I doubt that they have a lot of regrets. And I am proud to point to both of these men as great former Bengals for their accomplishments both on and off the field.
