Russell Burton Reader Jr. (June 26, 1923 – August 12, 1995) was an American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player. Reader was born in Ypsilanti, Michigan

Ypsilanti, Michigan

Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...

 and graduated from Dearborn High School

Dearborn High School

Dearborn High School is a secondary school, founded in 1893, located on Outer Drive in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. Dearborn High is one of the three high schools of the Dearborn City School District. There are over 1800 students currently attending Dearborn High...

 in Dearborn, Michigan

Dearborn, Michigan

-Economy:Ford Motor Company has its world headquarters in Dearborn. In addition its Dearborn campus contains many research, testing, finance and some production facilities. Ford Land controls the numerous properties owned by Ford including sales and leasing to unrelated businesses such as the...

. After graduating from Dearborn High School, Reader enrolled at 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...

 where he was a member of Fritz Crisler

Fritz Crisler

Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler was an American football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football," an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of...

's 1941 Michigan Wolverines football team

1941 Michigan Wolverines football team

The 1941 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1941 college football season. The 1941 team compiled a record of 6–1–1 and was ranked No. 5 in the final Associated Press poll.-Schedule:-Starters:...

. After 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...

, Reader enrolled at Michigan State University

Michigan State University

Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...

 and played at the halfback

Halfback (American football)

A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...

 position for the Spartans football

Michigan State Spartans football

The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...

 team in 1946 and 1947. Reader was considered a triple-threat player, as he handled rushing, passing and kicking duties for the Spartans. In November 1945, he led the Spartans to a 33–0 win over the Penn State Nittany Lions, as he threw two touchdown passes and also caught a touchdown pass. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the 21st round (195th overall pick) in the 1947 NFL Draft

1947 NFL Draft

The 1947 National Football League Draft was held on December 16, 1946.The National Football League in this draft made the first overall pick a bonus pick determined by lottery. The Chicago Bears won the first lottery...

. Simkus played in two games for the Bears in the 1947 NFL season

1947 NFL season

The 1947 NFL season was the 28th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season by one game from eleven games per team to twelve, a number that remained constant until the 1961 season....

, and began the 1948 season with the Bears as an understudy for Sid Luckman

Sid Luckman

Sidney Luckman, known as Sid Luckman, was an American football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League from 1939 to 1950...

 at the quarterback position. He started the 1949 season with the Toronto Argonauts

Toronto Argonauts

The Toronto Argonauts are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League. The Toronto, Ontario based team was founded in 1873 and is one of the oldest existing professional sports teams in North America, after the Chicago Cubs and the Atlanta...

 in the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

 and finished the season playing for the Windsor Bulldogs

Windsor Bulldogs

The Windsor Bulldogs are a defunct Canadian semi-professional and amateur senior ice hockey team. The team played in the City of Windsor, Ontario, Canada and participated in the International Hockey League and the OHA Senior A Hockey League prior to the IHL....

 in the Canadian American Football League. Reader died in 1995 at age 72 while living in Milford, Michigan

Milford, Michigan

Milford is a village in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,175 at the 2010 census. The village is located within Milford Township.- Geography :...

.