Don Reid was born in Old North Dayton, growing up there in a family which included an older sister and two brothers. He attended Allen Elementary School The family moved to Patterson Village, and Don enrolled at Belmont for the ninth grade. There he played on the basketball team. He then enrolled at Stivers for the rest of his high school years.
Don was a talented and versatile athlete, who played both football and basketball at Stivers. He was a two year starter at quarterback, leading the Tigers to their first winning season in several years. Don was an excellent passer and could also run the football when necessary. He was a starter at defensive halfback for two years and handled punting duties in his senior year. Don was selected 1st team All-City defensive back and 2nd Team All-City quarterback in his senior year. Don played third base on the Stivers baseball team which became the Dayton City League champions.
After graduation, Don enlisted in the Navy. He attended aviation school and was stationed in Norfolk, VA on the air base. There he played football and slow pitch softball for the naval base. In Norfolk he met his soon-to-be wife, Sue, who was also in the navy. After the Navy, Don became a firefighter for the City of Dayton and fought fires for 30 years. For a three to four year interval, he joined several other Stivers alumni on a slow pitch softball team formed by Harold Fryman. Members included Hall of Famers from the 1952 – 1956 era: Vern Woods, Bob Brown, Jack Harner and Bob Logan. After retiring from the fire department, Don and Sue bought and operated a local pub, The Northtown Bar, in Dayton. They escaped Dayton’s cold weather months in their home in Dunedin, Florida sunshine.
Don (now deceased) and Sue have four sons: Douglas, Devin (Denny), Daryl (Pat) and Dale. All of the boys were athletes in their own right, playing for Meadowdale High School. They all made All-City for Dayton in several sports.
From the four sons, Don and Sue have five grandchildren: Jessi, Tyler, Brock, Dane, Jordan and Angie and six great-grandchildren: Jada, Chase, Nyla, Bryson and Kinsley.