Changes: Frank Reagan

Frank Reagan
Frank Reagan
	Reagan on a 1948 Bowman football card
Born	July 28, 1919; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	November 20, 1972 (aged 53); Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Revision as of 14:18, 10 January 2021

Francis Xavier "Frank" Reagan (July 28, 1919 – November 20, 1972) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played professionally for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles during a seven-season National Football League (NFL) career that spanned from 1941 to 1951. Reagan served as the head football coach at Villanova University from 1954 to 1959, compiling a record of 16–36. He was also Villanova's athletic director from 1957 to 1961.

Early life and playing career

Born in Philadelphia, Reagan was a star quarterback and defensive back at Northeast Catholic High School and led the team to championships in 1935 and 1936. He was voted 1st Team All-Scholastic by the Philadelphia Bulletin in his senior year.

Reagan then played college football at the University of Pennsylvania. Standing 5'11" and 182 lbs., Reagan was a varsity player during George Munger's first three seasons as head coach of the Penn Quakers, from 1938 to 1940. Reagan's 135 points scored is still ninth all-time in UPenn history and his 103 points scored as a senior is the second most in one season in over 120 years of Penn football. Reagan had one of the great individual performances of all time against Princeton on October 19, 1940, rushing for 200 yards, scoring five touchdowns and 31 points in a 46–28 victory at Franklin Field. In a game at Michigan in 1938, Reagan was responsible for 356 total yards, rushing for 85, passing for 188, returning kickoffs for 82 and punts for 21. Reagan was named a 1st Team All-American Back for the 1940 season. A captain of both the football and baseball teams, he was awarded the 1941 "Class of 1915 Award" as that member of the senior class who, “most closely approaches the ideal University of Pennsylvania student-athlete”. Sportswriter Grantland Rice called him "one of the two best running backs in college football", the other being Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon of the University of Michigan.

Reagan was drafted in the second round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. After an outstanding rookie season his pro career was interrupted by his military service during World War II. Upon returning to the NFL he led the league in interceptions in 1947. He was traded to the Eagles after the 1948 season and was a big factor in helping the Eagles repeat as NFL Champions in 1949. He played starting safety and recorded seven interceptions. He also punted for a 45-yard average and returned punts for 12.7 yards per return and one touchdown. During his pro career Reagan averaged 40.9 yards on 224 career punts. He finished his NFL career with 35 interceptions. He also scored six touchdowns on offense and threw a touchdown pass.

Coaching and administrative career, later life, honors

Following his retirement as a player and a brief tenure as an assistant coach of the Eagles, Reagan went on to become head coach at Villanova University in 1954. He stayed in that position until 1959. He remained the school's athletic director until 1961 when he went into partnership in an insurance brokerage firm in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

Reagan died of complications of lung cancer at age 53 in 1972.^[1] He is enshrined in both the Northeast Catholic HS Hall of Fame and the University of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. In 2000, Philadelphia Daily News sports writer Ted Silary named Reagan as the best Philadelphia area born punter of the 20th century.

Head coaching record

Year	Team	Overall
Villanova Wildcats (NCAA University Division independent) (1954–1959)
1954	Villanova	1–9
1955	Villanova	1–9
1956	Villanova	5–4
1959	Villanova	3–6
1958	Villanova	6–4
1959	Villanova	0–4
Villanova:		16–36
Total:		16–36
^†Indicates Bowl Coalition, Bowl Alliance, BCS, or CFP / New Years' Six bowl.

References

↑ "Ex-Football Star, Frank Reagan, Dies", The Southern Illinoisan, November 21, 1972, Carbondale, Illinois

External links

Career statistics and player information from Pro-Football-Reference • Databasefootball.com

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Frank Reagan and the edit history here.

[1] "Ex-Football Star, Frank Reagan, Dies", The Southern Illinoisan, November 21, 1972, Carbondale, Illinois

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{refimprove|date=June 2014}}
 {{Infobox NFL player
 | name                = Frank Reagan
@@ Line 7: / Line 6: @@
 | caption             = Reagan on a 1948 Bowman football card
 | number              =
-| position            = [[Safety (gridiron football position)|Safety]], [[Punter (football)|punter]]
+| position            = [[Safety (gridiron football position)|Safety]], punter
 | birth_date          = {{Birth date|1919|7|28}}
-| birth_place         = [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
+| birth_place         = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 | death_date          = {{Death date and age|1972|11|20|1919|7|28}}
-| death_place         = [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
+| death_place         = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
 | height_ft           = 5
 | height_in           = 11
 | weight_lbs          = 182
 | high_school          = [[Northeast Catholic High School|Northeast Catholic (PA)]]
-| college             = [[University of Pennsylvania|Penn]]
+| college             = Penn
 | draftyear           = 1941
 | draftround          = 2
 | draftpick           = 22
 | pastteams           =
-* [[New York Giants]] (1941, 1946–1948)
+* New York Giants (1941, 1946–1948)
-* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (1949–1951)
+* Philadelphia Eagles (1949–1951)
 | pastcoaching        =
-* [[Philadelphia Eagles]] (1952–1953) (backfield)
+* Philadelphia Eagles (1952–1953) (backfield)
-* [[Villanova Wildcats football|Villanova]] (1954–1959) (head coach)
+* Villanova (1954–1959) (head coach)
 | pastadmin           =
 * [[Villanova Wildcats|Villanova]] (1957–1961) (athletic director)
 }}
-'''Francis Xavier "Frank" Reagan''' (July 28, 1919 – November 20, 1972) was an [[American football]] player, coach, and college athletics administrator.  He played professionally for the [[New York Giants]] and the [[Philadelphia Eagles]] during a seven-season [[National Football League]] (NFL) career that spanned from 1941 to 1951.  Reagan served as the head football coach at [[Villanova University]] from 1954 to 1959, compiling a record of 16–36.  He was also Villanova's [[athletic director]] from 1957 to 1961.
+'''Francis Xavier "Frank" Reagan''' (July 28, 1919 – November 20, 1972) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator.  He played professionally for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles during a seven-season National Football League (NFL) career that spanned from 1941 to 1951.  Reagan served as the head football coach at Villanova University from 1954 to 1959, compiling a record of 16–36.  He was also Villanova's athletic director from 1957 to 1961.
 ==Early life and playing career==
-Born in [[Philadelphia]], Reagan was a star [[quarterback]] and [[defensive back]] at [[Northeast Catholic High School]] and led the team to championships in 1935 and 1936.  He was voted 1st Team All-Scholastic by the ''[[Philadelphia Bulletin]]'' in his senior year.
+Born in Philadelphia, Reagan was a star quarterback and defensive back at [[Northeast Catholic High School]] and led the team to championships in 1935 and 1936.  He was voted 1st Team All-Scholastic by the ''[[Philadelphia Bulletin]]'' in his senior year.
-Reagan then played [[college football]] at the [[University of Pennsylvania]].  Standing 5'11" and 182&nbsp;lbs., Reagan was a varsity player during [[George Munger (American football)|George Munger]]'s first three seasons as head coach of the [[Penn Quakers football|Penn Quakers]], from 1938 to 1940.  Reagan's 135 points scored is still ninth all-time in UPenn history and his 103 points scored as a senior is the second most in one season in over 120 years of Penn football.  Reagan had one of the great individual performances of all time against [[Princeton Tigers football|Princeton]] on October 19, 1940, [[Rush (gridiron football)|rushing]] for 200 yards, scoring five [[touchdown]]s and 31 points in a 46–28 victory at [[Franklin Field]].  In a game at [[1938 Michigan Wolverines football team|Michigan]] in 1938, Reagan was responsible for 356 total yards, rushing for 85, [[Forward pass|passing]] for 188, returning [[Kickoff (American football)|kickoffs]] for 82 and [[Punt (gridiron football)|punts]] for 21.  Reagan was named a 1st Team All-American Back for the 1940 season.  A captain of both the football and [[baseball]] teams, he was awarded the 1941 "Class of 1915 Award" as that member of the senior class who, “most closely approaches the ideal University of Pennsylvania student-athlete”.  Sportswriter [[Grantland Rice]] called him "one of the two best running backs in college football", the other being [[Heisman Trophy]] winner [[Tom Harmon]] of the [[University of Michigan]].
+Reagan then played college football at the University of Pennsylvania.  Standing 5'11" and 182&nbsp;lbs., Reagan was a varsity player during George Munger's first three seasons as head coach of the Penn Quakers, from 1938 to 1940.  Reagan's 135 points scored is still ninth all-time in UPenn history and his 103 points scored as a senior is the second most in one season in over 120 years of Penn football.  Reagan had one of the great individual performances of all time against Princeton on October 19, 1940, rushing for 200 yards, scoring five touchdowns and 31 points in a 46–28 victory at [[Franklin Field]].  In a game at Michigan in 1938, Reagan was responsible for 356 total yards, rushing for 85, passing for 188, returning kickoffs for 82 and punts for 21.  Reagan was named a 1st Team All-American Back for the 1940 season.  A captain of both the football and baseball teams, he was awarded the 1941 "Class of 1915 Award" as that member of the senior class who, “most closely approaches the ideal University of Pennsylvania student-athlete”.  Sportswriter [[Grantland Rice]] called him "one of the two best running backs in college football", the other being Heisman Trophy winner [[Tom Harmon]] of the University of Michigan.
-Reagan was drafted in the second round of the [[1941 NFL Draft]] by the New York Giants. After an outstanding rookie season his pro career was interrupted by his military service during [[World War II]].  Upon returning to the NFL he led the league in interceptions in 1947. He was traded to the Eagles after the 1948 season and was a big factor in helping the Eagles repeat as [[History of National Football League Championship|NFL Champions]] in 1949.  He played starting [[Safety (gridiron football position)|safety]] and recorded seven [[interception]]s.  He also punted for a 45-yard average and returned punts for 12.7 yards per return and one touchdown.  During his pro career Reagan averaged 40.9 yards on 224 career punts.  He finished his NFL career with 35 interceptions.  He also scored six touchdowns on offense and threw a touchdown pass.
+Reagan was drafted in the second round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. After an outstanding rookie season his pro career was interrupted by his military service during [[World War II]].  Upon returning to the NFL he led the league in interceptions in 1947. He was traded to the Eagles after the 1948 season and was a big factor in helping the Eagles repeat as [[History of National Football League Championship|NFL Champions]] in 1949.  He played starting [[Safety (gridiron football position)|safety]] and recorded seven interceptions.  He also punted for a 45-yard average and returned punts for 12.7 yards per return and one touchdown.  During his pro career Reagan averaged 40.9 yards on 224 career punts.  He finished his NFL career with 35 interceptions.  He also scored six touchdowns on offense and threw a touchdown pass.
 ==Coaching and administrative career, later life, honors==
-Following his retirement as a player and a brief tenure as an assistant coach of the Eagles, Reagan went on to become head coach at [[Villanova University]] in 1954.  He stayed in that position until 1959. He remained the school's athletic director until 1961 when he went into partnership in an [[insurance broker]]age firm in [[Norristown, Pennsylvania]].
+Following his retirement as a player and a brief tenure as an assistant coach of the Eagles, Reagan went on to become head coach at Villanova University in 1954.  He stayed in that position until 1959. He remained the school's athletic director until 1961 when he went into partnership in an [[insurance broker]]age firm in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
-Reagan died of complications of [[lung cancer]] at age 53 in 1972.<ref>"Ex-Football Star, Frank Reagan, Dies", ''[[The Southern Illinoisan]]'', November 21, 1972, [[Carbondale, Illinois]]</ref> He is enshrined in both the Northeast Catholic HS Hall of Fame and the University of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame.  In 2000, ''[[Philadelphia Daily News]]'' sports writer Ted Silary named Reagan as the best Philadelphia area born punter of the 20th century.
+Reagan died of complications of lung cancer at age 53 in 1972.<ref>"Ex-Football Star, Frank Reagan, Dies", ''[[The Southern Illinoisan]]'', November 21, 1972, Carbondale, Illinois</ref> He is enshrined in both the Northeast Catholic HS Hall of Fame and the University of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame.  In 2000, ''Philadelphia Daily News'' sports writer Ted Silary named Reagan as the best Philadelphia area born punter of the 20th century.
 ==Head coaching record==
-{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
+{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no}}
 {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
- | name      = [[Villanova Wildcats football|Villanova Wildcats]]
+ | name      = Villanova Wildcats
  | conf      = NCAA University Division independent
  | startyear = 1954
@@ Line 53: / Line 52: @@
 {{CFB Yearly Record Entry
  | championship =
- | year         = [[1954 college football season|1954]]
+ | year         = 1954
- | name         = [[1954 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
+ | name         = Villanova
  | overall      = 1–9
  | conference   =
@@ Line 66: / Line 65: @@
 {{CFB Yearly Record Entry
  | championship =
- | year         = [[1955 college football season|1955]]
+ | year         = 1955
- | name         = [[1955 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
+ | name         = Villanova
  | overall      = 1–9
  | conference   =
@@ Line 79: / Line 78: @@
 {{CFB Yearly Record Entry
  | championship =
- | year         = [[1956 college football season|1956]]
+ | year         = 1956
- | name         = [[1956 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
+ | name         = Villanova
  | overall      = 5–4
  | conference   =
@@ Line 92: / Line 91: @@
 {{CFB Yearly Record Entry
  | championship =
- | year         = [[1957 college football season|1959]]
+ | year         = 1959
- | name         = [[1957 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
+ | name         = Villanova
  | overall      = 3–6
  | conference   =
@@ Line 105: / Line 104: @@
 {{CFB Yearly Record Entry
  | championship =
- | year         = [[1958 college football season|1958]]
+ | year         = 1958
- | name         = [[1958 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
+ | name         = Villanova
  | overall      = 6–4
  | conference   =
@@ Line 118: / Line 117: @@
 {{CFB Yearly Record Entry
  | championship =
- | year         = [[1959 college football season|1959]]
+ | year         = 1959
- | name         = [[1959 Villanova Wildcats football team|Villanova]]
+ | name         = Villanova
  | overall      = 0–4
  | conference   =
@@ Line 146: / Line 145: @@
 ==External links==
-* {{Footballstats |nfl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=R/ReagFr20 |rotoworld= |dbf=REAGAFRA01 }}
+* {{Footballstats |nfl= |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=R/ReagFr20 |rotoworld= |dbf=REAGAFRA01}}
+{{Wikipedia|Frank Reagan}}
-{{Villanova Wildcats football coach navbox}}
-{{Villanova Wildcats athletic director navbox}}
-{{1949 Philadelphia Eagles}}
-{{NFL season interception leaders}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Reagan, Frank}}
@@ Line 158: / Line 154: @@
 [[Category:American football safeties]]
 [[Category:New York Giants players]]
-[[Category:Penn Quakers baseball players]]
+[[Category:College baseball players in the United States]]
 [[Category:Penn Quakers football players]]
 [[Category:Philadelphia Eagles coaches]]
 [[Category:Philadelphia Eagles players]]
-[[Category:Villanova Wildcats athletic directors]]
+[[Category:College athletic directors in the United States]]
 [[Category:Villanova Wildcats football coaches]]
-[[Category:American military personnel of World War II]]
+[[Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II]]
 [[Category:United States Marine Corps officers]]
-[[Category:Sportspeople from Philadelphia]]
+[[Category:Sportspeople from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]]
 [[Category:Players of American football from Pennsylvania]]
 [[Category:American people of Irish descent]]

Frank Reagan
Reagan on a 1948 Bowman football card
Born	(1919-07-28)July 28, 1919 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died	November 20, 1972(1972-11-20) (aged 53) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania