{{Short description|American athlete (1901–1993)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Infobox college coach | name = Gil Reese | image = 185px | alt = | caption = Reese in 1922<br />''"The Tupelo Flash"'' | birth_date = January 14, 1901 | birth_place = Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S. | death_date = {{Death date and age|1993|5|30|1901|1|14}} | death_place = Obion, Tennessee, U.S. | alma_mater = | player_sport1 = Football: | player_years2 = 1922&ndash;1925 | player_team2 = Vanderbilt | player_sport3 = Baseball: | player_years4 = 1922&ndash;1925 | player_team4 = Vanderbilt | player_sport5 = Basketball: | player_years6 = 1922&ndash;1925 | player_team6 = Vanderbilt | player_positions = Halfback, forward, Outfielder | coach_years1 = 1926 | coach_team1 = UT Doctors | coach_years2 = 1927 | coach_team2 = New Bry's Hurricanes (AFL) | coach_years3 = 1933 | coach_team3 = Southern Rails baseball | coach_years4 = 1936&ndash;? | coach_team4 = Sacred Heart High School (Memphis, Tennessee) | overall_record = | bowl_record = | tournament_record = | championships = '''Football:'''<br />2 SoCon (1922, 1923) | awards = Three-sport captain (1925)<br />Porter Cup (1924)<br />'''Football:'''<br />2× All-Southern (1923, 1924)<br />third-team All-American (1923, 1924)<br />1934 All-time Vandy team | coaching_records = }} '''David Argillus "Gil" Reese ''' (January 14, 1901 – May 30, 1993) nicknamed "'''the Tupelo Flash'''"{{refn|group=n|As well as "the son of Mercury" and the "Mississippi Meteor".}} 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<ref>U. S. Social Security Death Index. Number: 408-22-4270; Issue State: Tennessee; Issue Date: Before 1951.</ref> in Tupelo, Mississippi, attended and played sports at Tupelo High School with his brother Andy.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t_eCZ5tvc08C&pg=PA45|page=45|title=Lee Co, MS - Pictorial|author=Lee Co. Historical Society|year=2001|publisher=Turner Publishing Company |isbn=9781563117510}}</ref>

==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 ({{Winning percentage|49|11|4}}) 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.<ref name="50Years">Russell, Fred, and Maxwell Edward Benson. ''Fifty Years of Vanderbilt Football''. Nashville, Tennessee, 1938, p. 39-44, 67</ref> "I played against Reese three years" said Billy Harkness, former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback and captain of its 1926 team, "and touched his heel once."<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://newspaperarchive.com/us/tennessee/kingsport/kingsport-times/1936/08-28/page-2|title = Tennessee Sports|last = Siler|first = Tom|date = August 28, 1936|work = Kingsport Times|accessdate = August 26, 2015}}</ref> It was said Reese could run 100 yards in 10.1 seconds.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1925-02-05 |title=Captain Three Times |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/times-signal-captain-three-times/160751320/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |work=Times Signal |page=12 |publication-place=Zanesville, Ohio |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In 1934, Reese was selected for Vanderbilt's all-time football team.

====1922==== thumb|300px|The Wolverines chasing after Reese in 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."<ref>Fuzzy Woodruff. ''A History of Southern Football 1890–1928''. p.&nbsp;187.</ref> 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.<ref name = "VandyArkansas">{{Closed access}} [http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=W5EI4FONMTM1ODMzMzEzNy4zMDY4Njk6MToxNToxMzIuMTk4LjIyNC4yMDk&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=8&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=8&p_docnum=1&p_docref=v2:11210D409F608820@EANX-117BC6B1C2D2CB28@2423336-117BC6B290F53790@25-117BC6B645AC0E90@Vandy+Defeats+Arkansas+Team.+Although+Playing+Slovenly+Ball%2C+Commodores+Win+by+33-0 "Vandy Defeats Arkansas Team."] ''Macon Daily Telegraph'' October 8, 1922: 8.</ref> 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,<ref name=":4">{{cite news |date=December 7, 1923 |title=Gil Reese |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=950&dat=19231207&id=FN5PAAAAIBAJ&pg=2850,6422789 |access-date=2024-12-12 |newspaper=The Evening Independent |page=Five-B |via=Google News Archive}}</ref> including one return of 24 yards.<ref name=":1" /> Though displaying skill, he was contained by the Wolverines, forcing his movement sideways. Reese once "side stepped his way through half the Michigan team for eight yards."<ref name=":1">{{Closed access}} {{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1873197002.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+15%2C+1922&author=SAM+GREENE&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+(1858-1922)&edition=&startpage=21&desc=Michigan+And+Vanderbitt+Play+To+Scoreless+Tie+In+Commodores%27+Stadium.|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104170555/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/freep/access/1873197002.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+15,+1922&author=SAM+GREENE&pub=Detroit+Free+Press+(1858-1922)&edition=&startpage=21&desc=Michigan+And+Vanderbitt+Play+To+Scoreless+Tie+In+Commodores'+Stadium.|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 4, 2013|newspaper=Detroit Free Press|title=Michigan and Vanderbilt play to Scoreless Tie In Commodores' Stadium: Southerns Spring Surprise on Rivals|author=Sam S. Greene|author-link=Sam Greene (sportswriter)|date=October 15, 1922}}</ref><ref>"It's All In The Slant." ''Ironwood Daily Globe'' September 18, 1922: 6.</ref> Walter Camp was impressed by Reese's punt returns that day.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://secure.pqarchiver.com/ajc_historic/access/520604922.html?FMT=AI&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+26%2C+1922&author=WALTER+CAMP&pub=The+Atlanta+Constitution+%281881-1945%29&desc=Camp+Praises+Work+of+Vandy+Against+Michigan|title=Camp Praises Work Of Vandy Against Michigan|newspaper=Atlanta Constitution|author=Walter Camp|date=October 26, 1922|access-date=August 29, 2014|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121217174215/https://secure.pqarchiver.com/ajc_historic/access/520604922.html?FMT=AI&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+26,+1922&author=WALTER+CAMP&pub=The+Atlanta+Constitution+(1881-1945)&desc=Camp+Praises+Work+of+Vandy+Against+Michigan|archive-date=December 17, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> thumb|left|200px|Fair Park Stadium, place of the Texas game, circa 1922 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Vandy Commodores Win Over Texans|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times|date=October 22, 1922|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=NBFPAAAAIBAJ&dq=vanderbilt%20football&pg=3394%2C1678210}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Gains">{{Cite news |last=Record |first=Ned |date=1922-10-22 |title=Big Gains Are Made on Punts and Wide Runs in Dallas Game |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-worth-star-telegram-big-gains-are-m/160751639/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |page=14 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The second score came later after captain Jess Neely broke a streak of lethargic offense, running back a 30-yard punt return.<ref name="Downs Texas">{{Closed access}} [http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=W5EI4FONMTM1ODMzMzEzNy4zMDY4Njk6MToxNToxMzIuMTk4LjIyNC4yMDk&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=38&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=38&p_docnum=1&p_docref=v2:0F99DDB671832188@EANX-105AAC57FA53546D@2423350-105AAC580978FB1C@0-105AAC5A8F989BAA@Vanderbilt+Downs+Texa+Longhorns%2C+Long+Grid+Rivals "Vanderbilt Downs Texas Longhorns, Long Grid Rivals."] ''Dallas Morning News'' October 22, 1922</ref> Starting from the 40-yard line, this drive was credited to Reese.<ref name="Downs Texas"/> After two Vanderbilt runs, one of about ten yards around end from Scotty Neill and another of about four yards through the middle from Doc Kuhn, Reese jetted around the end, "slipping here, twirling there,"<ref name="Gains"/> for a 46-yard touchdown. In the second half, Neely hit Lynn Bomar on a long pass that went twenty-three yards in the air, with Bomar running for some twenty more and down close to the goal.<ref>"Commodores Win By Superior Play When Near Longhorns' Goal." ''Wichita Daily Times'' [Wichita Falls, Texas] October 22, 1922: 9.</ref> Reese ran it in on the next play, and the try was good. Vanderbilt 20, Texas 10. Reese also got an interception against Texas.<ref name="Gains"/>

In the Kentucky game, Reese was sent in for Freddie Meiers to close out the game. He had one run of 35 yards, failing to score because of Kentucky's Brewer just getting his feet from behind.<ref name="Wildcats">{{cite news|title=Wildcats Lose Hard Fought Game To Vandy Eleven At Nashville|newspaper=The Kentucky Kernel|date=November 17, 1922|url=http://eris.uky.edu/catalog/xt7qz60bwf6t_7|access-date=August 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219210355/http://eris.uky.edu/catalog/xt7qz60bwf6t_7|archive-date=December 19, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> 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.<ref name="EasilyWins">{{Closed access}} [http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=W5EI4FONMTM1ODMzMzEzNy4zMDY4Njk6MToxNToxMzIuMTk4LjIyNC4yMDk&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=75&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=75&p_docnum=1&p_docref=v2:1126154AC3F56D80@EANX-1192EE725D40FF98@2423390-1192EE72AA015390@6-1192EE7506ADA7E0@Vanderbilt+Easily+Wins "Vanderbilt Easily Wins."] Columbus Ledger December 1, 1922: 7.</ref><ref name="OverSewanee">{{Closed access}} [http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=W5EI4FONMTM1ODMzMzEzNy4zMDY4Njk6MToxNToxMzIuMTk4LjIyNC4yMDk&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=78&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=78&p_docnum=1&p_docref=v2:1252FEAF2D2D3A44@EANX-127EFDE2D9F6F026@2423390-127EFDE2DF5DEA99@5-138051C00DF54F42@Vanderbilt+Winner+Over+Sewanee%252C+Twenty+Thousand+See+%5BIllegible "Vanderbilt Winner Over Sewanee."] Augusta Chronicle December 1, 1922: 6.</ref> 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,<ref name="Sewanee" /> Reese carried the ball for a score on a flank attack.<ref name="OverSewanee" /> Towards the end of the game, Reese took two runs which together accounted for 19 yards.<ref name="OverSewanee" /><ref name="Sewanee">{{cite news|newspaper=The Sewanee Purple|title=Sewanee Loses To Vanderbilt, 26-0|date=December 14, 1922|hdl = 11005/1158}}</ref> He then ran up behind center to power his way into the end zone.{{refn|group=n|The umpire got knocked down on this play, and suffered a sprained ankle.<ref name="OverSewanee" />}} At year's end, Reese appeared on Billy Evans's Southern Honor Roll and the second team of All-Southerns chosen by Homer George, sports editor for ''The Atlanta Constitution.''<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.fold3.com/image/#101028085|newspaper=The Atlanta Constitution|title=Fletcher, Georgia Star, And Barron at Halfback; Covington Quarterback|date=December 3, 1922}}</ref>

====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";<ref name="50Years" /> and Vanderbilt's offense never crossed the 35-yard line.<ref name="50Years" /> Reese and Doc Kuhn were said to raise fans to their feet with the showcase of speed, but the Wolverines kept it confined to sideways runs of little gain.<ref name="Alumnus">cf. {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ASFYAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA48|title=Michigan Alumnus, Volume 30|year=1923|pages=48–52}}</ref> The game versus the Tennessee Volunteers saw Vanderbilt gain 455 yards of total offense, winning 51 to 7. Reese rushed for 214 yards,<ref name="Swamped">{{Closed access}} {{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=U64F5BITMTQwNTUwNTA3MC44NjI2MTk6MToxMzoxMzIuMTk4LjUwLjEz&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=11&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=11&p_docnum=3&p_docref=v2:1223BCE5B718A166@EANX-12851F45D945E837@2423735-12850E5AFA653B12@71-13827662348079B8@|title=Tennessee Is Swamped By Vandy|newspaper=Times-Picayune|date=November 11, 1923}}</ref> as well as 95 yards on punt returns.<ref name=":4" /> He scored five times, with touchdown runs of 70 yards, 45 yards, and 29 yards respectively.<ref name=":4" /> With the win Vanderbilt was still a contender for the Southern title.<ref name="Swamped"/> thumb|240px|Reese's 81-yard touchdown against Georgia Reese again stuffed the stat sheet against the Georgia Bulldogs the next week, scoring four touchdowns. Two came on punt returns, and another two on the ground. Fred Russell would say this was when "the Gold and Black hit the season's peak."<ref name="50Years" /> Morgan Blake, sportswriter in the ''Atlanta Journal'', wrote "No southern team has given the Georgia Bulldogs such a licking in a decade."<ref name="Blake">{{cite news|url=http://redandblack.libs.uga.edu/xtf/view?docId=news/1923/rab1923-0171.xml&query=&brand=rab-brand|title=Gil Reese Stars As Commodores Defeat Athenians|newspaper=The Red and Black|author=Morgan Blake|date=November 22, 1923|access-date=August 29, 2014|archive-date=July 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715003127/http://redandblack.libs.uga.edu/xtf/view?docId=news/1923/rab1923-0171.xml&query=&brand=rab-brand|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{refn|group=n|Georgia was labeled "Dixie's top team;"<ref name="50Years" /> its only loss coming against traditional powerhouse Yale. Georgia's defense had previously shut out all its Southern Conference opponents, with no southern team crossing the Bulldogs' 20<ref name="50Years" /> or 25<ref name="Blake" /> yard line.}} Reese foreshadowed what was to come with a 23-yard run. The first touchdown came on a 5-yard run from Reese behind guard Tuck Kelly. Just a bit later, Reese returned a punt for 63 yards and the touchdown. Reese started the return by running wide to the right; seven Georgia players were in hot pursuit. Reese stopped in his tracks, causing two Georgia defenders to go past him. Running down the sideline and weaving through the rest of the defenders' missed tackles, eventually Reese was beyond them all and ran in for the score.<ref name="Blake" /> {{rquote|left|When you say that Mr. Reese is a combination of a greyhound, rabbit, antelope, and greased pig you only mildly do this young gentleman justice.|Morgan Blake}} Morgan Blake says this score was what broke the Bulldogs' will. He further lamented,"when you say that Mr. Reese is a combination of a greyhound, rabbit, antelope, and greased pig you only mildly do this young gentleman justice."<ref name="Blake" /> The first half ended with Vanderbilt up 14 to 0. The Bulldogs had not yet managed a single first down. Later in the third quarter, Reese ran for 30 yards on a sneak play. It "not only fooled the Bulldogs but everyone in the stands."<ref name="Blake" /> It seemed there was a moment of not knowing where the ball was, until Reese shot out the other side of the line. Punishing runs off tackle then led the Commodores to another touchdown. In the fourth quarter, Reese ran for an 81-yard touchdown. He did it running up the middle of the field,<ref name=":4" /> and "behind great interference furnished by the entire Vanderbilt team, and especially Bomar and Kuhn."<ref name="Blake" /> Former Vanderbilt coach Wallace Wade, who was at the game scouting Georgia, said the Commodores that day were "the smartest I ever saw."<ref name="50Years" /> Reese ran for over 200 yards for the second week in a row,<ref name="Reese">{{Closed access}} {{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=U64F5BITMTQwNTUwNTA3MC44NjI2MTk6MToxMzoxMzIuMTk4LjUwLjEz&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=17&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=17&p_docnum=3&p_docref=v2:1223BCE5B718A166@EANX-12851F4E56F1701E@2423749-12851574DD19E70C@67-128580EBC6DCF4D4@|newspaper=Times-Picayune|title=Great Tribute Paid Reese, Vanderbilt's Great Star|date=November 25, 1923}}</ref> with 232 yards on his five largest plays and over 300 total yards.<ref name=":4" /> The final game of the year versus Sewanee was marred by the rain. On a fourth down Doc Kuhn hit Reese on a pass, and Reese scampered across the goal line. Vanderbilt won 7 to 0.<ref name="Noses">{{Closed access}} {{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=U64F5BITMTQwNTUwNTA3MC44NjI2MTk6MToxMzoxMzIuMTk4LjUwLjEz&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=19&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=19&p_docnum=2&p_docref=v2:1223BCE5B718A166@EANX-12851F5109E57D46@2423754-1285185F2F76C780@21-12858183047A3C07@|newspaper=Times-Picayune|title=Vanderbilt Noses Over Sewanee 7-0|date=November 30, 1923}}</ref> thumb|280px|Reese in uniform on the sidelines 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.{{refn|group=n|The most went to Douglas Wycoff, fullback at Georgia Tech, who faced little competition.<ref>{{Closed access}} {{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=U64F5BITMTQwNTUwNTA3MC44NjI2MTk6MToxMzoxMzIuMTk4LjUwLjEz&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=19&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=19&p_docnum=1&p_docref=v2:1223BCE5B718A166@EANX-12856F548F1B8772@2423763-12822CBC30638BE9@125-1285A1215C7E66F2@|newspaper=Times-Picayune|title=All Star Eleven To Be Rewarded By Atlanta Paper|date=December 9, 1923}}</ref>}} 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.<ref>"Walsh Picks Three Teams of All-Americans In 1923 Seasonal Postmortem". ''The Coshocton Tribune''. December 6, 1923.</ref>

====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.<ref name="Year">Vanderbilt Yearbook, The Commodore, 1925</ref> 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."<ref name="50Years"/> The next week the Commodores tied the Quantico Marines 13 to 13. The Commodores' second touchdown came on a 59-yard drive with a flurry of forward passes; as well as runs from Tom Ryan through the line and Gil Reese around it. Reese eventually ran into the end zone.

Two weeks later against Georgia, 1923 consensus All-American Lynn Bomar suffered an injury which would tragically end his career with Vanderbilt football. A kick to the chin from a cleat gave him a severe brain hemorrhage, leaving him with half of his body paralyzed for two days. It was figured he would never play football again. "Not a player on the team could talk of Bomar's injury without tears coming to his eyes."<ref name="50Years" /> Gil Reese once recollected: "He would never let them jump on me. Whenever anyone would threaten me, Bomar was always right there to say; "Keep your hands off that boy." They always did, too. Bomar always looked after me, and he always called back to me when we started on end runs. No one could run interference like Bomar."<ref name="Traughber">Traughber, William L. Vanderbilt Football: Tales of Commodore Gridiron History. Charleston, South Carolina: History, 2011. pp. 89</ref> 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.<ref name="ReeseRuns">{{Closed access}} {{cite news|url=http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/HistArchive/?p_product=EANX&p_theme=ahnp&p_nbid=V47T4DNEMTQwNjk4MzAwMi4zMzQ5OTg6MToxMzoxMzIuMTk4LjUwLjEz&p_action=doc&s_lastnonissuequeryname=8&d_viewref=search&p_queryname=8&p_docnum=72&p_docref=v2:1223BCE5B718A166@EANX-1285165D401D8DF1@2424099-12826937B34964B1@72-128576B4AF75D81C@|newspaper=Times-Picayune|title=Gil Reese Runs Fifty-Four Yards To One Touchdown|date=November 9, 1924}}</ref> 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.<ref name="50Years"/> The lone score of the game could largely be credited to Reese. Vanderbilt elected to start the game with the wind at its back, hoping for an edge in punts which would lead to good field position early. Reese caught one of these punts in these exchanges on the fly and, noticing both of Tech's ends blocked to the ground, raced to within striking distance of the end zone. From here, Hek Wakefield made a drop kick.<ref name="Strategy">{{cite news|newspaper=Atlanta Constitution|title=Strategy of Commodores Defeats Tech|date=November 16, 1924}}</ref> Reese's day on the ground was not so spectacular, having a total of &ndash; 15 yards rushing.<ref name="TechAlumnus">{{Cite book |title=Georgia Tech Alumnus |date=December 1924 |publisher=Georgia Tech |location=Atlanta |pages=79}}</ref> thumb|right|280px|Reese being tackled during the Minnesota game 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.<ref name="50Years"/> "It was the most glorious victory in the annals of Vanderbilt and Southern football"<ref name="Year"/> said the Vanderbilt yearbook. The first touchdown drive ended when Tom Ryan broke through a hole created by Bob Rives, finishing a 63-yard drive. A pass from Ox McKibbon to Reese, and off tackle runs by Ryan, Reese, and Neil Cargile put the Commodores in the position to score. Vanderbilt did not get a single first down in the second quarter. Later, in the third quarter, McKibbon threw a pass which gained 18 yards, and then threw another one of 10 yards, to Reese, who ran in the score.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19241122&id=o1YsAAAAIBAJ&pg=6374,4751370|title = Gophers Beaten By Vanderbilt Commodores, 16-0|date = November 22, 1924|work = Spartanburg Herald}}</ref> Reese made the All-Southern squad at year's end. He was also selected as a Third-Team All-American by Norman E. Brown.<ref>Norman E. Brown (December 8, 1924). "Brown Picks All-American Team for the Journal". ''Hamilton Evening Journal''.</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19251024&id=i1IbAAAAIBAJ&pg=6658,4351758|title=Vanderbilt Player Makes Season Mark|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=October 24, 1925}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Kansas City Star|year=1926|title=Forty-Five Yards for Georgia Tech|author=W. A. Alexander|url=http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv07/CFHSNv07n4i.pdf|access-date=February 13, 2015|archive-date=February 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213170521/http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/CFHSN/CFHSNv07/CFHSNv07n4i.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> His final game was a 19&ndash;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.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1787&dat=19311119&id=qeUhAAAAIBAJ&pg=5442,1163005|title = Bachman Trip To California Is His Third|last = Wright|first = Frank S.|date = November 19, 1931|work = Sarasota Herald-Tribune}}</ref>

===Basketball===

====1923–24==== The 1923–24 team coached by Josh Cody went 7&ndash;15. In the SoCon tournament Vanderbilt defeated Clemson 42&ndash;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."<ref>"Tournament Tidbits", by Walter Schwam, Atlanta Journal, March 1, 1924.</ref> Along with Bomar, All-Southern forward Alvin Bell was also a teammate.<ref name="arkhof">{{cite web|url=http://www.arksportshalloffame.com/inductees/ |title=Class of 1978 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417195305/http://www.arksportshalloffame.com/inductees/ |archive-date=April 17, 2016 }}</ref> The team lost the next game to the eventual tournament champion, Jack Cobb and Cartwright Carmichael led North Carolina, 37&ndash;20.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/SC/1924.html |title=History of the Early Southern Conference Atlanta Basketball Tournament |accessdate=February 6, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304002055/http://www.bigbluehistory.net/bb/SC/1924.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref>

When Bomar was injured in 1924 and could no longer play basketball, Reese was made the team's captain.<ref name=":0" />

===Baseball=== Reese also played baseball at Vanderbilt, at a different position each year.<ref name=try/> He once beat Vanderbilt's track team in a race whilst wearing his baseball uniform.<ref name=":0" /> He also was captain of the baseball team,<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 1924 |title=Tennessee Delta—Vanderbilt University |url=http://phikappapsi.archeios.com/files/2012/03/1924-25_vol45_no1-6.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063916/http://phikappapsi.archeios.com/files/2012/03/1924-25_vol45_no1-6.pdf |archive-date=2016-03-04 |access-date=2024-12-12 |magazine=The Shield of Phi Kappa Psi |page=127 |volume=45 |issue=1}}</ref> making him captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams; the first to do so at Vanderbilt.<ref name=":0" />

==Pro baseball== Gil was the brother of baseball player Andy Reese, playing with him on the Florence Independents in Alabama.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1842&dat=19240911&id=XRosAAAAIBAJ&pg=1558,2239064|title=Wilson Dam Takes The Lead Winning Thriller Yesterday|date=September 11, 1924|work=The Florence Times}}</ref> On November 29, 1926, Gil Reese signed a contract to play with the Nashville Vols.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=try>{{cite news|url=http://cambridge.dlconsulting.com/cgi-bin/cambridge?a=d&d=Sentinel19270122-01.2.20&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN------|date=January 22, 1927|title=Another Reese to Try|work=Cambridge Sentinel|volume=23|number=2}}</ref> Next year the 1927 Jackson Senators of the Cotton States League attempted to sign Reese.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://newspaperarchive.com/us/mississippi/biloxi/biloxi-daily-herald/1927/03-03/page-5|title = Jackson Signs 26 Ball Players|date = March 3, 1927|work = Biloxi Daily Herald|accessdate =August 26, 2014 }}</ref>

==Coaching career== Reese coached the University of Tennessee Doctors in Memphis in 1926.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=1926-11-30 |title=Gil Reese To Join Nashville |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-news-gil-reese-to-join-nashvil/160751403/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |work=The Miami News |page=13 |via=Newspapers.com |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://dlynx.rhodes.edu/jspui/bitstream/10267/5518/1/19260212_souwester.pdf|title=Lynx Versus Docs on Turkey Day|work=The Sou'wester|date=February 12, 1926|volume=7|number=16|page=3}}</ref> He coached the New Brys Hurricanes of the American Football League in 1927, posting a 3&ndash;0&ndash;1 record.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=The Coffin Corner|url=http://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/13-03-425.pdf|title=Tigers Roar In Tennessee|author=Bob Gill|volume=13|number=3|year=1991}}</ref> Reese was named athletic coach at Sacred Heart High School in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1936.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://newspaperarchive.com/us/mississippi/greenville/greenville-weekly-democrat-times/1936/08-27/page-3|title = Gil Reese Named Athletic Coach At Memphis School|date = August 27, 1936|work = Greenville Weekly Democrat Times|accessdate = August 26, 2014 }}</ref>

==Head coaching record== ===College=== {{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = Tennessee Docs | conf = Independent | startyear = 1926 | endyear = 1926 }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1926 | name = Tennessee Docs | overall = 3–5 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = Tennessee Docs | overall = 3–5 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record End | overall = 3–5 | bowls = no | poll = no | polltype = | legend = no }}

===Professional=== {{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subhead | name = New Bry's Hurricanes | conf = American Football League | startyear = 1927 | endyear = single }} {{CFB Yearly Record Entry | championship = | year = 1927 | name = New Bry's Hurricanes | overall = 3–0–1 | conference = | confstanding = | bowlname = | bowloutcome = | bcsbowl = | ranking = no | ranking2 = no }} {{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal | name = New Bry's Hurricanes | overall = 3–0–1 | confrecord = }} {{CFB Yearly Record End | overall = 3–0–1 | bowls = no | poll = no | polltype = | legend = no }}

==See also== *1924 College Football All-America Team *1925 College Football All-America Team *List of Vanderbilt University athletes

==Notes== {{Reflist|group=n}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{Navboxes | list1 = {{Tennessee Docs football coach navbox}} {{1922 Vanderbilt Commodores football navbox}} {{1923 College Football Composite All-Southerns}} {{1924 College Football Composite All-Southerns}} }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reese, Gil}} Category:1901 births Category:1993 deaths Category:American football halfbacks Category:American football safeties Category:American men's basketball players Category:Baseball second basemen Category:Baseball outfielders Category:Forwards (basketball) Category:Tennessee Docs football coaches Category:Vanderbilt Commodores baseball players Category:Vanderbilt Commodores football players Category:Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players Category:All-Southern college football players Category:Players of American football from Tupelo, Mississippi Category:20th-century American sportsmen