Childhood & Early Life
Frank Reich Jr. was born Frank Michael Reich Jr, on December 4, 1961, in Freeport, New York, to Pat and Frank Reich Sr. He grew up with his younger brother, Joe. His father worked as a high-school football coach.
Soon after he was born, the family moved to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where Frank spent the rest of his adolescence. Frank was interested in sports ever since he was a kid. He played basketball, baseball, and football. He inherited the love for sports from his father, who had played college football extensively.
Frank attended the ‘Cedar Crest High School’ in Pennsylvania and participated in a lot of sports. Gradually, he discovered football to be the sport of his choice and focused on it wholeheartedly. In 1980, he also played football as a quarterback in the ‘Big 33 Football Classic Tournament.’
Following his high-school graduation, he received an athletic scholarship from ‘Maryland University’ to play with the ‘Terrapins.’ The scholarship enabled him to play with them for 3 years.
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Career
One of the most memorable games of his college career was a game against the ‘Miami Hurricanes’ in 1984. ‘Miami’ led 31–0 until halftime. However, owing to Frank’s excellent portrayal of skills, ‘Miami’ ended up winning the game 42–40, which was hailed as the biggest comeback in college football history back then.
Following performances such as these, it was almost certain that Frank would be considered by the top teams in the upcoming ‘NFL Draft’ of 1985. Rightly enough, he was drafted by the ‘Buffalo Bills’ that year.
Frank was drafted by the ‘Buffalo Bills’ in the third round of selections, as the 57th pick. He was assigned as a backup to Jim Kelly, and for the next few seasons, Frank did not get any chance to play.
In 1989, Jim Kelly had a shoulder injury, which led the team management to give Frank a chance. Frank began performing well soon and led his team to two straight victories. He also aided his team to defeat the ‘Los Angeles Rams,’ a team which was unbeaten till that game. With some more such performances, Jim had a great start to his ‘NFL’ career.
Jim had recovered by the beginning of the next season, and hence, Frank awaited a chance to play. He got the chance to play late in the season, when Jim got injured yet again. Frank grabbed the opportunity and played a key role in his team winning the ‘AFC East’ title.
Despite playing brilliantly whenever he got the chance, he was kept as a regular backup for Jim Kelly and was allowed to play only when Jim was unavailable.
During a match with the ‘Houston Oilers’ in the 1992 season, Frank led his team to a seemingly impossible chance to win after his team went behind by 32 points. The final score was 41–38, and although the ‘Bills’ lost the match, it was hailed as one of the best comebacks in ‘NFL’ history.
During the ‘Super Bowl XXVIII,’ Frank got yet another chance to play for his team, against the ‘Dallas Cowboys.’ At one point, the score was 31–7, in favor of the ‘Cowboys,’ and then Frank took charge and scored 10 points consecutively, bringing the score closer. However, in the end, the ‘Buffalo Bills’ lost.
In March 1995, Frank signed with the ‘Carolina Panthers.’ However, he was once again kept as a substitute for star quarterback Kerry Collins. Collins and Frank were arch rivals during their school years, as they both played for rival high schools, ‘Lebanon High School’ and ‘Cedar Crest High School,’ respectively.
In 1996, Frank was selected to play for the ‘New York Jets’ and started in 7 games. He then joined the ‘Detroit Lions’ the following year. Although he showed exceptional skills as a footballer, he was never allowed to play regularly. He retired in 1998.
He began his coaching career in 2006, when he was chosen as a coaching intern for the ‘Indianapolis Colts.’ In the 2008 season, he became the new quarterback coach for the team. In 2011, he was made the wide receivers coach, but following his team’s abysmal performance in the ‘NFL’ season, the entire coaching staff, including Frank, was replaced.
In 2012, he began working as a wide receivers coach for the ‘Arizona Cardinals’ but was dismissed a few months later.
After coaching the ‘San Diego Chargers’ and the ‘Philadelphia Eagles’ briefly, Frank returned as the coach of the ‘Indianapolis Colts’ in 2018, this time as the head coach. The season started on a negative note, with the ‘Colts’ scoring a 1–5. However, the situation turned around unexpectedly, as the team ended up winning 9 of their final 10 games, taking the score to a shocking 10–6.
Family & Personal Life
Frank Reich is a highly religious man and a devout Christian. He is also a motivational speaker, and most of his speeches revolve around the role of God in a person’s success.
He has attended the ‘Charlotte Campus of Reformed Theological Seminary,’ located in North Carolina and has earned a master’s degree in divinity.
He was a pastor at ‘Ballantyne Presbyterian’ until he moved to Indianapolis.
Frank got married to his high-school girlfriend, Linda Reich, in 1986. They had met in high school when Linda was a cheerleader and Frank was a football player. The couple has three daughters together.
