Thunder Owner Reed's 1991 Draft Day Was Intense
April 25, 2008 - Intense Football League (Intense)
Frisco Thunder News Release
FRISCO, Tex. (April 25, 2008) -- The first round of the 1991 NFL draft went by and the mood at Jake Reed's home went from relaxed to nervous. The second round passed and Reed was thinking ``whoa."
A little later, the phone call came from offensive coordinator Tom Moore. Reed was headed to Minnesota with the 68th pick overall in the third round.
The heck with Brady Quinn's wait. Trying being a small school (Grambling) product who's been told he has a shot of going in the first, then waiting a few more hours before four months of interviews, workouts and all the drama of transitioning from college to pro is finally over.
``I had a lot of family and friends over and it was getting intense,'' recalled Reed, now the owner of the Intense Football League's Frisco Thunder. ``You have a whole bunch of mixed emotions. When you come from a small school, you're not sure what's going to happen."
Reed would go on to a stellar 12-year NFL career, 10 of those with the Vikings. The first reaction to going Minnesota?
``It's cold up there," Reed kidded. ``I was excited because I was a country boy whose only been through Georgia and Louisiana and a few other places in the south."
1991 was a draft deep. Five receivers, including Alvin Harper (Dallas) and Herman Moore (Detroit) went in a first round that produced seven future Pro Bowlers. Brett Favre went to Atlanta in the second round.
After all the workouts, the Indianapolis combine and the interviews with player personnel directors, Reed could finally focus on playing at the next level.
``A lot of people think the draft is a happy time," Reed said. ``When you're from a small school, you're in limbo. Also, You can get caught up in the hype. Staying grounded is the only thing that'll carry you."
Now that he's an owner, Reed appreciates what teams have to go through to build a champion.
``Owners have to be careful who their giving money to," Reed said. ``So many of these first and second rounders are busts. They have one or two games on TV and the hype starts. You have to figure out whose going to be a consistent contributor."
He'll watch Saturday's draft with his son, but Reed's more focused on the Thunder these days. His Vikings won't have a first round pick after trading the 17th selection to Kansas City for all-pro defensive end Jared Allen.
``I still bleed purple, so I hope this trade helps them gets a winning team," Reed said.
The Thunder, off for the next two weekends, is currently 5-3 and in third place in the nine-team IFL. Frisco returns to action 5/10 against the CenTex Barracudas.
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