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Princeton University Athletics
Almost 30 Years To The Day, Caraun Reid Returns Princeton To An NFL End Zone
October 05, 2015 | Football
Enough was enough. Thirty years was unacceptable.
Bob Holly '82, once an 11th-round draft pick by the Washington Redskins, was playing quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons when he scored on a 20-yard run in the fourth quarter of a loss at San Francisco.
The date was Oct. 6, 1985. Phil Niekro became the 18th pitcher in MLB history to win his 300th game that day. Gas prices were around $1.18. Nobody tweeted any of this.
It was a long time ago.
No former Princeton football player had scored a touchdown in the NFL since Holly's run. Jason Garrett '89 threw 11 during his time with the Dallas Cowboys, the team he led to an NFC East title as head coach last season, but Garrett never actually scored a touchdown of his own.
Thirty years simply wouldn't suffice, so Caraun Reid — co-captain of the 2013 Ivy League champion Princeton Tigers — made sure the drought would only last 29 years and 364 days.
**BIG MAN SCORING TOUCHDOWN ALERT** Caraun Reid takes it to the HOUSE after Russell Wilson gets stripped! #DETvsSEA http://t.co/rSxuOIDbnH
— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2015
Reid's 27-yard fumble return brought Detroit back within three points of the reigning NFC champion, though the Lions would fall short 13-10.
Reid led Princeton to an 8-2 record in 2013 and a share of the program's 10th Ivy League championship. Detroit selected him in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, making him the highest Princeton draft pick in the modern era.