William R. Reed was a college athletics administrator in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. He served as the commissioner of the Big Ten Conference

Big Ten Conference

The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...

 from 1961 until his death in 1971.

A native of Oxford, Michigan

Oxford, Michigan

Oxford is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,436 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Oxford Charter Township. The village occupies one square mile and is both politically and geographically a part of the township. The village calls itself...

, Reed attended the University of Michigan

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

, graduating in 1936 with a major in political science before continuing at Michigan Law

University of Michigan Law School

The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...

. As an undergraduate at Michigan, he played on the freshmen football team. Reed first joined the Big Ten in 1939 before leaving for a six-year period to serve in the United States Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and then as an assistant to Homer S. Ferguson

Homer S. Ferguson

Homer Samuel Ferguson was a United States Senator from Michigan. He was born in the Pittsburgh suburb of Harrison City, Pennsylvania to parents Samuel Ferguson and Margaret Bush Homer Samuel Ferguson (February 25, 1889 December 17, 1982) was a United States Senator from Michigan. He was born in...

, United States Senator

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

 from Michigan

Michigan

Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....

. He later served as an assistant to Big Ten commissioner, Kenneth Wilson

Kenneth Wilson (athlete)

Kenneth Leon "Tug" Wilson was an American track and field athlete and amateur athletics administrator. He competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics, finishing tenth in the discus throw competition...

, before succeeding Wilson in 1961. Reed died at the age of 55 on May 20, 1971 at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital

Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, located in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, Illinois, is a Level I trauma center.Advocate Lutheran General Hospital is also a 645-bed teaching, research and referral hospital, and one of the largest hospitals in the Chicago area...

 in Park Ridge, Illinois

Park Ridge, Illinois

-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 37,775 people, 14,219 households, and 10,465 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,374.6 people per square mile . There were 14,646 housing units at an average density of 2,083.8 per square mile...

. He was hospitalized four months earlier for rheumatoid arthritis before contracting hepatitis and, ultimately, falling into a coma several days before his death.