Background and career
Andre Darnell Reed (born January 29, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football for the Kutztown Golden Bears and was selected by the Bills in the fourth round of the 1985 NFL draft with the 86th overall selection. Following 15 seasons with the Bills, with whom he earned seven Pro Bowl selections, Reed spent his final season as a member of the Washington Redskins in 2000. Reed ranks 18th in all-time NFL touchdown receptions with 87 and tenth in all-time NFL post-season receptions with 85. Reed helped lead the Bills to four consecutive, although winless, Super Bowls, Super Bowl XXV to Super Bowl XXVIII. At the time of his 2001 retirement, Reed was second in all-time NFL career receptions. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Reed was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on January 29, 1964. He began his football career at Allentown's Dieruff High School, where he played quarterback and competed in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference. In his senior year in 1981, Reed helped lead Dieruff to an EPC tri-championship, tying for the championship with Emmaus High School and Whitehall High School.
Reed then attended Kutztown University, where he moved to the wide receiver position and drew the attention of the NFL for his speed and durability at the receiver position. He set nine school records and finished his college career with 142 receptions for 2,020 yards and 14 touchdowns.
In the 1985 NFL draft, Reed was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round with the 86th overall selection, making him just the second player ever from Kutztown to be selected in an NFL Draft; the first was Don Shaver in 1981. Reed played for the Bills for 15 consecutive seasons, from 1985 through 1999, during which he helped lead the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls. He was released in the 2000 offseason along with fellow longtime Bills' players Thurman Thomas and Bruce Smith after the team found itself in severe salary cap trouble; the roster dump began a period of downfall for the Buffalo Bills, who did not again reach the playoffs until the 2017 season.
In addition to the role he played in taking the Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls, Reed is also remembered for his contributions to the Bills' January 3, 1993, playoff victory over the Houston Oilers, a game that has come to be known as "The Comeback." In the game, which Houston led 35–3 during the third quarter, Reed caught three touchdowns in the second half, leading Buffalo's rally from a 32-point deficit in what became the largest comeback in NFL history. Reed finished the game with eight receptions for 136 yards and three touchdowns. The game is recognized as one of the largest comebacks by any team in the history of all of the American professional sports. Following the Bills' victory over Houston, Reed went on to catch eight passes for 152 yards in the Bills' 52–17 Super Bowl XXVII loss, on January 31, 1993, to the Dallas Cowboys.
In 2000, Reed signed a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos in June but was buried on the depth chart behind Rod Smith, Ed McCaffrey, Robert Brooks, and Travis McGriff. Reed eventually asked for his release from the Broncos after then Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan informed Reed that he would be inactive for their 2000 season opener and wanted to make a more immediate contribution. He eventually joined the Washington Redskins and retired after the 2000 season.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
