SE Illinois News

Southern Illinois senior wide receiver Billy Reed has done plenty on the field to get recognized.

Recently, he was honored for what he does away from the gridiron.

Reed, a native of Lockport, has been named one of 10 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Good Neighbor Award recipients, according to siusalukis.com. The award recognizes MVC athletes' academic achievement, sportsmanship and community service.

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Reed told Southeast Illinois News that the award meant a lot to him, given the importance he puts on academics, as well as the great deal of community service he has done.

“I didn't really, like, try to get this award, but it's good to get some recognition, I guess, for all the hard work you put in,” he said.

Reed has a 3.723 grade-point average in finance, is a two-time recipient of the Missouri Valley Football Conference Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, is a recipient of the Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) President's Council Academic Excellence Award and is an Academic All-MVFC First Team pick. He also made the MVFC Honor Roll.

His community service has included volunteering with Keep Carbondale Beautiful, Special Olympics, Souper Bowl for Hunger, Carwash for Heart Walk, and the Boys and Girls Club through the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, as well as reading to students at Tri-C and Carruthers Elementary.

Reed became connected with a lot of his community service through his work with SIU's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which puts an emphasis on community involvement, according to siusalukis.com. Also, Salukis Head Coach Rich Hill also guided him in this area, Reed said.

Reed's SIU football career was set to come to an end on Nov. 19, with the Salukis' final game of the 2016 season. Going into that contest, Reed was second on the team, with 37 receptions, and also had 442 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Last season, he racked up 805 receiving yards – the fifth-highest single-season total in program history – to go with 56 receptions and five touchdowns en route to All-MVFC Second Team honors.

Reed said he became interested in football through neighborhood games while growing up, as well as being an avid Chicago Bears fan. He then started playing organized football in seventh grade, which set the stage for a strong high school career as a quarterback.

Reed called football the ultimate team game, with the need for all 11 players to do their jobs to succeed.

“I played a lot of sports in high school, but football, there's just like that brotherhood, just kind of that bond in the locker room that I really enjoy and went through,” he said.

Reed said he could have played quarterback at a lower-level college, but he wanted to play at the higher level that SIU presented. That meant a switch to wide receiver, which he called a “crazy transition” because of how raw he was at the time.

“It was a long process ...,” he said. “I had to, like, learn the ins and outs of running routes and just how to think as a receiver.”

As for his future in football, Reed said he will play in an all-star game in Florida soon and train for SIU's pro day.

“If I get a good opportunity, I think I'll definitely keep playing for as long as I'm healthy,” he said.

Each conference school picks its own Good Neighbor Award honoree. Ten athletes are recognized in the fall, winter and spring.