Q&A: UVA Football Player Joe Reed Talks Trains, Frog Giggin’ and Beating Tech

As a kid, Joe Reed rode a lot of trains. From Buckingham to Charlottesville, Staunton and Afton, Reed would spend entire days on the railroad with his father, who worked as an engineer.

“That was my favorite part of growing up – riding the train with my dad,” Reed said. “I always liked the view.”

During the trips, Carlton Reed – a baseball player at Ferrum College in his day – would regale Joe with stories about the glory years of University of Virginia sports teams. In particular, he loved to discuss the 1990 UVA football team that was briefly ranked No. 1 in the nation.

“He always talked to me about how he wanted me to be a part of getting UVA football to being like that,” Reed said.

Now in his third year as a wide receiver, Reed, an American studies major, said he feels the ’Hoos – coming off a 6-7 season and trip to the Military Bowl – are on the cusp of turning a corner under Bronco Mendenhall, head coach in his third year.

“The culture is just so beautiful now,” said Reed, who led the ACC in yards per kickoff return last year (29.7). “I told Coach Mendenhall about a month ago that I can’t wait for 10 years from now when I come back and see how different things are after we’ve built everything up.”

Heading into Saturday’s season opener against Richmond, UVA Today caught up with Reed, who hails from the town of Charlotte Court House, Virginia about 50 miles southeast of Lynchburg (population of roughly 500 people).

Q. What was it like growing up in such a small town, where so many generations of your family have lived?

A. I loved it. We were all just so close. I played baseball, football and basketball with the same guys since I was 5 years old, the same coaches. You see the same people all the time. I feel like that’s the beauty of living in a small town. That’s why it’s so special to me.

Q. Did you ever consider any other schools prior to picking UVA?

A. No, I’ve always wanted to come to UVA. My dad was a big UVA fan, which is funny because a lot of the people I went to school with were big Virginia Tech fans. I’ve always wanted to come to UVA, which is why I committed so early [his sophomore year].

I knew coming to UVA that I would be playing ACC football and also getting a great education. As clichéd as that may sound, that was really what I liked – and it was right up the road.

Q. Who was the most influential person for you growing up, other than your parents?

A. My older brother, C.J. He’s my biggest fan. He always wanted the best for me. I remember he’d get me out in the yard and we’d throw footballs and baseballs and we had a batting cage in our backyard. 

Q. We’d be remiss if we didn’t ask you about one your favorite hobbies, frog gigging.

A. My friends and I would always do it. We would always walk around the banks. When the sun goes down, there’s not much else to do, so we would be like, ‘Hey, let’s go catch some frogs.’ We’d skin ’em and cook ’em the next morning. They are really good.

Q. Do your teammates ever give you any grief about this?

A. At first, they did, but I’m thinking they want to go and try it out now [smiling]. I’m getting that vibe.

Q. You’re a big baseball fan. Who’s your favorite team?

A. Red Sox. I was a huge Big Papi [David Ortiz] fan as a kid.

Q. Do you have any idea after your football playing career what you might want to do?

A. I’d like to work in the government, maybe for the F.B.I.

Q. What are your personal goals for this season?

A. Just playing faster. Going into my third year and knowing the pace of the game – I just want to play faster and make bigger plays.

Q. What are the team goals?

A. To beat Tech and win a bowl game.

Q. How excited is your dad for the season?

A. He texts me every day, asking me how things are going. He’s counting down the days until the season starts. He loves it.

Q. How you would describe your overall UVA experience?

A. All the lessons I’ve learned here – from my coaches, from my professors, from classmates and teammates that I’ve met – have just been awesome.