Gil Reese

David Argillus "Gil" Reese (January 14, 1901 – May 30, 1993) nicknamed "the Tupelo Flash" was an American football, basketball, and baseball player for the Vanderbilt Commodores of Vanderbilt University. He was captain of all three his senior year, the first to do so at Vanderbilt. Gil was the brother of baseball player Andy Reese, playing with him on the Florence Independents in Alabama.

Early years Gil was born on January 14, 1901 in Tupelo, Mississippi, attended and played sports at Tupelo High School with his brother Andy.

Vanderbilt University Reese attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. Reese received the Bachelor of Ugliness his senior year.

Football Reese played for coach Dan McGugin's Vanderbilt Commodores football teams from 1922 to 1925. Gil was a prominent member of Commodores teams that compiled a win–loss–tie record of 26–5–3 over his four seasons, including two Southern Conference titles. Gil weighed 155 pounds and wore number 11. He was a main focus of backfield coach and former Vanderbilt great Lewie Hardage ever since his first year. "I played against Reese three years" said Billy Harkness, former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback and captain of its 1926 team, "and touched his heel once." It was said Reese could run 100 yards in 10.1 seconds. In 1934, Reese was selected for Vanderbilt's all-time football team.

1922

His freshman season opened with a 38 to 0 triumph over Middle Tennessee State, "The game being featured by the brilliant running of Gil Reese." In his second game, against Henderson-Brown, Reese gave an otherwise lethargic first half from the Commodores its lone spark. Their only points of the half came on a 70-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, in which Reese darted through the entire Henderson-Brown defense. Vanderbilt found its stride in the second half, scoring 26 points, and winning 33 to 0. His third week was the big one, as a starter in the scoreless tie with the Michigan Wolverines at the dedication of Dudley Field, Reese made 105 yards on punt returns, including one return of 24 yards. Walter Camp was impressed by Reese's punt returns that day.

The following game against Texas at the Texas State Fair saw the Commodores win 20 to 10. Reese was the widely accepted player of the game, scoring all three of Vanderbilt's touchdowns, breaking tackles and sprinting past the Texas defense. After a fumble recovery by Hek Wakefield at the 25-yard line, Reese eventually punched it in off-tackle for the game's first touchdown as Vanderbilt led 7 to 3. The second score came later after captain Jess Neely broke a streak of lethargic offense, running back a 30-yard punt return. Starting from the 40-yard line, this drive was credited to Reese. Reese ran it in on the next play, and the try was good. Vanderbilt 20, Texas 10. Reese also got an interception against Texas. The final week against Sewanee saw Vanderbilt win 26 to 0. The first scoring drive was marked by dashes around end from Reese and powerful runs off tackle by Freddie Meiers. Reese went around the right end for 13 yards. Meiers then ran all the way down to Sewanee's 14-yard line, and Reese skirted around left end for ten more. After Meiers failed to gain on the next play, He then ran up behind center to power his way into the end zone. (The umpire got knocked down on this play, and suffered a sprained ankle.)

1923 The 1923 rematch against Michigan saw Vanderbilt lose a bitterly fought game 3 to 0. Both Reese and Wolverine halfback Harry Kipke were "marked men"; The game versus the Tennessee Volunteers saw Vanderbilt gain 455 yards of total offense, winning 51 to 7. Reese rushed for 214 yards, as well as 95 yards on punt returns. (Georgia was labeled "Dixie's top team;" with 232 yards on his five largest plays and over 300 total yards.)

Reese was selected to be All-Southern. In the polling done by the Atlanta Journal, Reese received the second most votes of any All-Southern player with 25. Reese was the leading scorer on the Vanderbilt offense of 1923, responsible for at least 60 of the team's 137 points, on ten touchdowns. He was selected as a Third Team All-American by David J. Walsh of the International News Service.

1924 In the second week of play in 1924, Reese scored four touchdowns as Vanderbilt smothered the Birmingham–Southern Panthers 61-0. The score was not so expected, for the Panthers had held Auburn to merely a 7-0 victory the week before. Ralph McGill described Reese's day: "He stars. A man dashes at him and goes sprawling on the ground. There is another. A twist of the body and a step to the side and he is gone, left to lie on the sod and meditate on the fate that is his. Three or four men rush at him. There is a swirl of action, flying feet and diving bodies, and out of it—Reese running with the grace of a deer. Reese's action is never desperate. He never seems harassed or hurried. His spectacular runs are things of athletic beauty, There is no lost motion. It is perfect." Bomar would defy the odds and return to play football the very next year with the New York Giants in their inaugural season, leaving after 1926 from a different injury.

During the first quarter of the game against the Mississippi A & M Aggies, Reese caught a punt from the Aggies' halfback Patty and ran 54 yards for a touchdown behind excellent blocking. The next game saw the Commodores avenge the 44 to 0 drubbing of 1920 with a 3 to 0 victory in 1924. The Commodores were followed by the largest crowd ever to accompany Vanderbilt on a trip, with five special sections. Reese's day on the ground was not so spectacular, having a total of – 15 yards rushing.

The next week against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Memorial Stadium saw the first victory for Vanderbilt over a Northern school. The Commodores made not one substitution. Reese made the All-Southern squad at year's end. He was also selected as a Third-Team All-American by Norman E. Brown. Gil was elected to captain the team the next year.

1925 In the 1925 game against the Tennessee Volunteers, Reese had the longest run of the college football season up to that point, of 95 yards. Describing the most spectacular play he ever saw, Georgia Tech coach William Alexander cites one from the 1925 game against Vanderbilt. Star back Doug Wycoff was hurt, such that he had to use his substitute Dick Wright. On a muddy field, Wright ran off tackle and dodged Vanderbilt's safety Gil Reese, "usually a sure tackler", to get the touchdown to give Tech a 7 to 0 victory. His final game was a 19–7 win over Sewanee. Fred Russell's Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football stated, "Gil Reese played one of his greatest games but sobbed as he pulled off his No. 11 jersey in the locker room. He was through." Reese then played in the first East–West Shrine Game in San Francisco.

Basketball

1923–24 The 1923–24 team coached by Josh Cody went 7–15. In the SoCon tournament Vanderbilt defeated Clemson 42–13. Reese scored 18. One account reads "Reese and Bomar used to be famous for their forward pass work. They are still using it in basketball. Most of Bomar's passes to Reese are caught over the right shoulder with the recipient facing away from the passer." Along with Bomar, All-Southern forward Alvin Bell was also a teammate. The team lost the next game to the eventual tournament champion, Jack Cobb and Cartwright Carmichael led North Carolina, 37–20.

When Bomar was injured in 1924 and could no longer play basketball, Reese was made the team's captain. making him captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams; the first to do so at Vanderbilt. On November 29, 1926, Gil Reese signed a contract to play with the Nashville Vols. Next year the 1927 Jackson Senators of the Cotton States League attempted to sign Reese.

Coaching career Reese coached the University of Tennessee Doctors in Memphis in 1926. He coached the New Brys Hurricanes of the American Football League in 1927, posting a 3–0–1 record. Reese was named athletic coach at Sacred Heart High School in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1936.

Head coaching record College

Professional