Tom Reid Biography

Woodrow Wilson High / (Class of 1972) Beckley, West Virginia

Classification: AAA Boys

Specialty: Sprints

Baptist College of Charleston / University in Charleston, South Carolina

Thomas Reid was a 1972 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Beckley, West Virginia. From 1970 through 1972, Reid was a top-notch sprinter for the Flying Eagles. He holds the state meet records for the 100- and 220-yard dashes, was the state meet high-point winner two years in a row, and he was named West Virginia Track Man of the Year in 1972.

Early Life:

Thomas Reid began running during the eighth grade at Beckley Junior High.

High School:

In the pre-metric days of the state meet, Reid claimed six individual championships in the 100-, 220- and 440-yard dashes from 1970-72 for the Flying Eagles.

In the 1970 state meet, he was victorious in the 220 with a time of 21.9 seconds.

Reid followed that by winning the AAA high-point award in 1971, crossing the line first in the 220 (a record 21.4 seconds) and the 440 (50.3), in addition to helping Beckley’s 880-yard relay team grab top honors. Reid helped Beckley capture second at the state meet by scoring 13.5 of their 35 points.

He closed out his prep career in 1972 with another high-point award, winning all three of the shortest open sprints: 100 (10.0, setting a record of 9.7 in trials), 220 (21.1, another record) and 440 (49.4). When the state meet converted to the metric system in 1980, Reid’s 100 and 220 records still stood, although his 9.7 was shared with two others.

Reid was voted Trackman of The Year for 1972 in balloting by the West Virginia Sportswriters Association, outdistancing Parkersburg's Kim Nutter by 12 points. Reid collected 17 first-place votes, six seconds and five thirds for 68 points. Nutter had eight firsts, 11 seconds and 10 third. Finishing third was Mike Mosser of WVU, followed by Oscar Jones, Stonewall Jackson; Don Sauer, WVU; Mike Tyson, Charleston; and Mark DeFazio, Roosevelt Wilson.

During Reid’s high school career (1970-1972), he scored a total of sixty-five points at the West Virginia State Meet.

High School Rivalry

While in high school, Mike Tyson was one of Reid’s fiercest rivals, which he battled for two years.

Tyson was a former Charleston High star with whom Reid staged numerous classic races on the cinders. Tyson, also a football standout who later competed at Iowa State, was in line for a berth on the 1976 U.S. Olympics track team until an injury sidelined him. He passed away in 2008.

Reid defeated Tyson in the 220 in 1971 and in the 100 and 220 in the 1972 meet. According to the WVSSAC program, his efforts earned Reid the 1972 McCoy Award, named for Huntington coach Ray McCoy and presented by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association to the state’s top track person.

Reid ran in 10 meets his senior year, losing once in 20 races when Charleston's Mike Tyson edged him a fraction of a second in the 100. Both were clocked with 9.6's.

At Woodrow, he said he received good guidance from his coach, Pete Culicerto. “I was fortunate to have a good coach in Coach Culicerto. He guided me through the high school years.”

Reid was inducted into Woodrow Wilson High School’s Track and Field Hall of Fame on September 2nd, 2011, along with several other Woodrow Wilson standout track athletes, coaches and teams. His coach, Pete Culicerto, who led the boys squad to each of its six state titles and was named West Virginia Track Coach of the Year in 1982 was one of the six inductees.

College:

After Reid graduated from Woodrow Wilson, he enrolled at the Baptist College of Charleston (now Charleston Southern University). There, he continued racing for three years, earning NAIA All-American honors and winning the NAIA 220-yard national championship (20.7 seconds) as a freshman.

He was inducted into the CSU Athletic Hall of Fame on May 9th, 1989.

Personal Life:

In 2014, the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission staged a 100th birthday party for the boy’s state track and field championships. Reid, along with many other past record holders, were invited back to participate in the festivities at Laidley Field. During that time, he said that he was a chemical operator in South Carolina.

West Virginia State Meet - 200 Meters – All-Class All-Time Top Ten:

T1. 1972 Tom Reid - Woodrow Wilson - 21.21 - Trials

T1. 1973 - Mike Tyson - Charleston - 21.21 - Trials

3. 1989 - James Jett – Jefferson - 21.39 - Trials

4. 1971 - Tom Reid - Woodrow Wilson - 21.51

5. 2007 - Marquel Ali – Woodrow Wilson - 21.57

T6. 1969 - Bob Rieves – Wheeling - 21.61

T6. 1985 - Eric Knapper – Dunbar - 21.61 - Trials

8. 1986 - Eric Knapper – Dunbar - 21.65 - Trials

9. 2010 - Daniel Brown – Huntington - 21.66

10. 2012 - Dante Price – Jefferson - 21.67

* 1972 - Mike Tyson – Charleston - 21.71 - Trials

* 1975 – Gibson – Jefferson - 21.71 - Trials

* 1967 - Robert Collins - Oak Hill - 21.71

(T) Denotes a tie. Converted Times

West Virginia State Meet - 200 Meters - AAA Boys All-Time Top Ten:

T1. 1972 - Tom Reid - Woodrow Wilson - 21.21 - Trials

T1. 1973 - Mike Tyson – Charleston - 21.21 - Trials

3. 1989 - James Jett – Jefferson - 21.39 - Trials

4. 1971 - Tom Reid - Woodrow Wilson - 21.51

5. 2007 - Marquel Ali - Woodrow Wilson - 21.57

6. 1969 - Bob Rieves - Wheeling - 21.61

7. 2010 - Daniel Brown – Huntington - 21.66

8. 2012 - Dante Price – Jefferson - 21.67

T9. 1972 - Mike Tyson – Charleston - 21.71 - Trials

T9. 1975 - Gibson – Jefferson - 21.71 - Trials

T9. 1967 - Robert Collins - Oak Hill - 21.71

(T) Denotes a tie. Converted Times

West Virginia State Meet (By The Decades) - 400 Meters - AAA Boys 1970's:

1. 1975 - Rodney Gibson – Jefferson - 48.24

2. 1978 - Chris Smith - Point Pleasant - 48.64

3. 1976 – Haden – Bluefield - 49.04

4. 1970 – Wells - St. Albans - 49.23

T5. 1972 - Tom Reid - Woodrow Wilson - 49.33

T5. 1974 – Doleman – Jefferson - 49.33

T5. 1979 – Walden - Herbert Hoover - 49.33

(T) Denotes a tie. Converted Times

State Meet Record Holder (Pre-Metric Era):

100 Yards (AAA Boys) - Tom Reid - Woodrow Wilson - 9.7 – 1972

220 Yards (AAA Boys) - Tom Reid - Woodrow Wilson - 21.1 - 1972

Note: High school track distances used to be administrated in yards. Sprints were contested over 100-, 220- and 440-yards and the longer races were run over 880-yards, 1-mile and 2-mile. But at the end of the 1979 season that all changed… The 1980 spring track season was the first year of conversion to the metric system for West Virginia high schoolers.

Submitted by Mike McMillion (06/28/17)

Results courtesy of RunWV & Jesse Skiles