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© 2025 COLD WIRE MEDIA. THE COLD WIRE IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF COLD WIRE MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USE OF THIS SITE CONSTITUTES ACCEPTANCE OF OUR TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY

Saturday, September 12, 2026

The Life And Career Of Frank Reich

Ben Donahue
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The Life And Career Of Frank Reich

 

The nickname “Captain Comeback” has been attached to former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach and Jim Harbaugh when he played for the Colts.

However, the moniker could also have been used for Frank Reich.

Before his NFL career, Reich played at the University of Maryland and entered a 1984 game against the Miami Hurricanes in which the Terrapins were losing 31-0.

In just one half, Reich led Maryland to an improbable 42-40 triumph, the largest comeback win in NCAA history at that point.

Months later, he was selected in the third round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.

During his decade-long run with the franchise, Reich started only eight games as Jim Kelly’s backup.

However, on January 3, 1993, he started in the wild-card round against the Houston Oilers and found himself down 38-3 early in the third quarter.

Then, Reich led the Bills to a 41-38 overtime win to advance, the largest comeback victory in NFL history until 2022.

Following his retirement as a player, Reich returned to the NFL as a coach and led both the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers.

This is the story of Frank Reich.

 

Three-Sport Athlete at Cedar Crest High

Frank Michael Reich was born on December 4, 1961, in Freeport, New York.

His father, also named Frank, fought in the Korean War as a Marine, then returned from service to play football at Penn State.

During his time as a Nittany Lion, Frank Sr. was a captain and a college All-Star while playing on both sides of the ball.

Instead of going pro, Reich Sr. chose to be a teacher and coach, leading to an eventual move to Pennsylvania.

When Reich Jr. got the chance to play football, basketball, and baseball at Cedar Crest High School in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, he enjoyed having his father watch from the stands.

No matter the outcome of a game, Reich’s dad shared a simple message: to press on no matter the circumstances.

“What he meant by that was, whether you win or lose, or whether you are 0-10 or 10-0, you play the same way,” Reich said. “You don’t ever let up. You just don’t ever let up.”

Little did Reich know that his father’s words would come in handy in the future.

As the Falcons’ quarterback, Reich played well enough to attract the attention of college coaches, especially after getting selected to participate in the prestigious Big 33 Football Classic in 1980.

 

Backup for the Terps

Sorting through the scholarship offers from big-name schools, Reich landed at the University of Maryland with head coach Jerry Claiborne.

When he got to campus, the quarterback found himself sitting his freshman year and learning the ropes behind sophomore Boomer Esiason, his roommate for the next three seasons.

The Terrapins’ 1981 season ended with four wins, and 1982 dawned with a new coach, Bobby Ross.

Reich, now a sophomore, was still stuck behind Esiason and battling with fellow sophomore Stan Gelbaugh.

Maryland went 8-4 and lost to the University of Washington in the Aloha Bowl, 21-20.

During the season, Reich got to play a few snaps and passed for 17 yards and an interception.

A year later, the Terps had yet another 8-4 season and a loss to Tennessee in the Florida Citrus Bowl as Reich passed for 38 yards, a touchdown, and a pick.

In the 1984 NFL Draft, Esiason was selected in the second round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

After three seasons, the starting job was now Reich’s.

The QB’s first season under center didn’t begin well.

Maryland lost its first two games against Syracuse and Vanderbilt before beating 18th-ranked West Virginia on September 22.

Then, during a contest against Wake Forest a week later, Reich separated his shoulder and watched as Gelbaugh took over.

Reich was still on the bench on November 10 when the Terps were in Miami playing against the sixth-ranked Hurricanes.

 

Reich and the Terps Stun Miami

Gelbaugh was bruised and battered in the first half as Miami quarterback Bernie Kosar staked a 31-0 lead by halftime.

Before the teams came out in the second half, Ross turned to Reich and told him he was taking over.

Recalling his father’s advice from his high school days, Reich put pressure on the ‘Canes, and they withered.

“In the first half, everything that could possibly go wrong, went wrong,” one of Reich’s teammates said. “In the second half, everything that could possibly go right, went right.”

Reich was up to the task and found receiver Greg Hill for a 39-yard touchdown early in the third quarter.

The Terps defense held the Hurricanes, and when Reich got the ball next, he scored on a one-yard run.

Following a Miami field goal, Maryland running back Tommy Neal scored to cut Miami’s lead to 34-21.

Not long after the fourth quarter began, Reich found Hill for a huge 68-yard score on the next possession.

The few Terrapin fans in attendance held their breath as the ball was tipped by Miami defensive back Darryl Fullington before Hill collected it.

When Maryland kicked off after the touchdown, the football gods continued to smile.

The ‘Canes kick returner fumbled the ball, and the Terps’ Rick Badanjek collected it for a touchdown.

The Terps’ lead was now 42-34.

Miami scored late in the quarter and tried for a two-point conversion that was batted away.

 

Third Round Pick

flag with the NFL logo waving

 

Reich and Maryland shocked the world with an improbable 42-40 win, the largest comeback victory in college football history until 2006.

In the second half alone, the Terps outscored the Hurricanes 42-9, and Reich connected on 12 of 15 passes for 260 yards, a rushing score and two passing touchdowns.

He started nine games his senior year and passed for 1,446 yards, nine touchdowns, five interceptions, and scored once on the ground.

Reich’s total stats at Maryland were 1,704 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Despite the low totals, the comeback against Miami showed NFL scouts what Reich was capable of.

In the 1985 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills surprisingly took the QB with the 57th overall pick in the third round.

Then, just like he experienced in college, Reich found himself on the bench as a backup to veteran Vince Ferragamo during Buffalo’s 2-14 season.

A year later, former Hurricanes quarterback Jim Kelly (who had been drafted by the Bills in 1983) left his short USFL career to finally suit up for Buffalo.

Additionally, the franchise drafted Reich’s former Maryland teammate, Gelbaugh, in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft.

 

Sitting and Waiting

During the next few years, the Bills slowly but surely developed into a powerhouse.

With seven games remaining in the ‘86 season, head coach Hank Bullough was fired, and the Bills hired former Chicago Blitz coach Marv Levy to finish the year.

Levy was hired full-time in 1987, and the Bills went 7-9.

Meanwhile, Reich was tethered to the bench and saw action in only four total games in 1985 and 1986 and posted zero stats in 1987.

In 1988, he played sparingly in three contests while Kelly, rookie running back Thurman Thomas, receiver Andre Reed, a developing offensive line, and a tough defense led by Bruce Smith went 12-4.

The team advanced to the AFC Championship game before getting tossed by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Then, in 1989, the infamous “Bickering Bills” squabbled, including Kelly blistering the offensive line after getting injured during a 37-14 loss to Indianapolis in Week 5.

Reich got his first-ever start in Week 6 against the undefeated Los Angeles Rams and led the team to a late 23-20 victory.

In Week 7, Reich helped the Bills defeat the New York Jets 34-3 to get the organization’s record to 5-2.

His three total starts that season produced a 3-0 record, 701 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Buffalo won nine games and lost to Cleveland in the divisional round.

 

1992

The 1990 Bills eventually got over their bickering and won 13 games before advancing to Super Bowl XXV and losing to the New York Giants, 20-19.

Buffalo went 13-3 again in 1991 before losing to the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXVI, 37-24.

In 1992, the team was 11-4 heading into its season finale against the Houston Oilers.

Kelly was knocked from the game with strained knee ligaments, and Reich came in to finish out a humbling 27-3 defeat.

As fate would have it, the playoff seeding had Houston playing Buffalo for the second week in a row, this time in Buffalo.

Reich, who had started just three games the previous two years, started again for Kelly.

By halftime, QB Warren Moon and the Oilers were running away with it, 28-3.

When the second half began, Reich tried to force a pass only to have it intercepted by Houston safety Bubba McDowell, who took the ball 58 yards for a score and a 35-3 lead.

At that moment, the Bills faithful in attendance had pretty much thrown in the towel.

 

Reich Does It Again

American Football Field

 

That’s when things got interesting.

On the Bills’ next possession, running back Kenneth Davis scored.

Kicker Steve Christie then recovered his own onside kick, and Reich found receiver Don Beebe for a 38-yard touchdown that put the score at 35-17.

While the Buffalo defense started hounding Moon into mistakes, Reich used the team’s next three possessions to throw three consecutive touchdowns to Reed.

The third Reich-to-Reed score put Buffalo ahead 38-35, the Bills’ first lead of the day.

“When Frank was doing that comeback, I knew to stay away. He had that mindset; I knew not to say much,” Kelly said. “Frank was always that way. He was a coach in meetings, and we spoke a lot. I owe him a lot for the success I had. I don’t think I would have been as good of a quarterback if Frank was not a part of my life on the field and off the field.”

Just before the end of regulation, Oilers kicker Al Del Greco connected on a 26-yard field goal to tie it at 38 and send the game into overtime.

Houston won the coin toss in the extra period, but Moon’s pass three plays later was picked off by Buffalo cornerback Nate Odomes.

A few minutes later, Christie kicked a 32-yard field goal to give the Bills an incredible 41-38 victory, the largest comeback win in NFL history at that point.

Reich finished the day with a respectable 289 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

He then started a week later against the Pittsburgh Steelers and passed for two touchdowns, and Buffalo won 24-3.

 

Reich Leaves Buffalo

Kelly returned to play in the AFC Championship game and led the Bills to a 29-10 win over the Miami Dolphins.

In Super Bowl XXVII, Kelly went down with an injury in the first half, and Reich took over.

Although he threw for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, Dallas proved too much and won 52-17.

During the 1993 season, Reich played in every game but did not register a start as Buffalo went 12-4 and lost to the Cowboys again in Super Bowl XXVIII, 30-13.

Reich got two starts in 1994, losing both, while the Bills went 7-9 and missed the postseason for the first time since 1987.

Then, in 1995, the Carolina Panthers prepared for their first season in the NFL as a new franchise and selected Reich in the expansion draft.

He started the first three games of the organization’s inaugural season and lost all three.

During a Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Reich was sacked nine times, a team record he now shares with Cam Newton.

Beginning in Week 4, rookie Kerry Collins started the final 13 games of the season.

 

Retirement

Retirement

 

In 1996, Reich went to the New York Jets and started seven games.

He posted a 1-6 record with 2,205 yards, 15 touchdowns and 16 touchdowns (all career-highs) as the Jets went 1-15.

The quarterback was then signed by the Detroit Lions in 1997 and reunited with his Maryland coach, Bobby Ross.

Detroit went 9-7 that year and lost to Tampa Bay in the wild card round.

A year later, Reich got two starts as the Lions went 5-11.

Shortly after the 1998 season ended, Reich decided to retire.

During his 13-year career, Reich started 20 games and won five.

He passed for 6,075 yards, 40 touchdowns, and 36 interceptions, and rushed for 78 yards.

 

Coach Reich

Faith had always been at the top of the Reich family’s priority list.

That was evident when Reich retired from the NFL and returned to Charlotte, North Carolina, to attend Reformed Theological Seminary.

He intended to become a pastor or Christian public speaker.

Still, after getting his master’s in divinity, Reich became director of the seminary and was also a pastor at Ballantyne Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.

Then, in 2006, the desire to return to the gridiron became too much to bear.

Reich reached out to then-Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy and was hired as an intern.

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, as Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning led the franchise to a Super Bowl XLI victory.

Following two years as an intern, Reich moved up the ladder and became an offensive coach for the Colts in 2008.

In 2009 and 2010, he was Manning’s QB coach and Indy’s receivers coach in 2011.

In 2012, he moved to the desert to coach receivers for the Arizona Cardinals.

A year later, Reich was in San Diego as the Chargers’ receivers coach before getting promoted to offensive coordinator for 2014 and 2015.

His next stop was with the Philadelphia Eagles as the offensive coordinator for then-head coach Doug Pederson.

Philly went 7-9 in 2016, but won it all in 2017 when the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

 

Head Coach

Winning the Super Bowl as an offensive coordinator led Reich back to Indianapolis as head coach of the Colts in 2018.

The season started rocky with a 1-5 record, but Indy turned things around and finished 10-6 with quarterback Andrew Luck running the offense.

Indy beat Houston in the wild-card round before losing to Kansas City in the divisional round.

Seven wins in 2019 led to 11 in 2020 and a loss to Buffalo in the wild-card round.

The Colts just missed the postseason in 2021 with a 9-8 record.

When the team began the 2022 season 3-5-1, Reich was fired by owner Jim Irsay.

As fate would have it, five games later, the Colts led the Minnesota Vikings 33-0 at halftime.

In the second half, the Vikings came back to win 39-36.

Minnesota’s 33-point turnaround surpassed Reich’s 32-point comeback in the 1992 playoffs, putting the Vikings at the top of the NFL’s largest comeback in league history list.

Reich temporarily landed on his feet when he was hired to be the Carolina Panthers’ head coach in 2023, the same franchise he quarterbacked in 1995.

Unfortunately, he only lasted 11 games and was fired following a 1-10 start.

 

Still Going Strong

Despite the embarrassment of becoming the only coach in NFL history to get fired during the season by two teams in back-to-back years, Reich stayed the course.

He was hired by Stanford University in 2025 to be the football program’s interim coach.

The Cardinal went 4-7.

In February 2026, New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn hired Reich to be his offensive coordinator.

“Frank has a rare combination of experience, creativity, and calm under pressure,” head coach Aaron Glenn said. “He’s lived this game from every angle — as a quarterback in this league and as a coach who’s led offenses at the highest level.”

Now 64 years old, Reich will work with quarterback Geno Smith and the offense to turn around a unit that was ranked 29th in total offense in 2025.

 

References

https://www.democratandchronicle.com

https://www.newyorkjets.com

https://www.history.com

https://static.umterps.com

https://www.espn.com

https://www.sports-reference.com

https://www.flofootball.com

https://www.pro-football-reference.com

https://www.ydr.com

lebtown.com

https://www.pennlive.com

https://gostanford.com

sportsspectrum.com

https://www.abc27.com

https://www.panthers.com

NEXT:  The Life And Career Of Darryl Talley

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Ben Donahue
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Pro Football History Staff
Ben Donahue
Contributor at Pro Football History
Over 25 years of experience in sports including coach, athletic director, game day operations, media relations, football operations, and scout. He is [...]

Pro Football History