Stories of 1980s Alumni
 Mark Reed (1980) |
Scott M. Green (1984) |
Mark Reed
Mark Reed saw football's “big show” before he ended
his career as a quarterback.
A native of Moorhead, Reed grew up in the 1960s, when to
town was smaller in both size and population. His dad, David Reed, was the
manager of O’Day Equipment, his mother a licensed nurse.
Mark was a natural athlete, quick and agile, and so went
into sports early. At Moorhead High, he lettered in both track and football, and
football was what led Ross Fortier to recruit him to MSU in 1977,
Reed’s college years were exciting ones.
As the backup quarterback he
saw on limited in his first two seasons, but thereafter
he quickly moved into the record books.
He set school records for career pass
completions (332), yards (4056), and touchdowns (28).
Five of those touchdowns came in a whipping administered
to Bemidji State in 1980, still celebrated as one of MSU’s best-ever game.
At 6’ 3”, he was also one of the fastest sprinters on
the team.
His talents helped make MSU’s football team (8 and 2 in 1980) the 10th
ranked team in NCAA Division II.
Reed himself won All-American status.
Which was why the National Football League decided to
scout him.
As MMSU’s 1980 season was ending, Tony Dungy, then an assistant
coach for the champion Pittsburgh Steelers, came to Moorhead to take a look at
Reed.
“Even among the top guys we’re seeing this year, there isn’t a consensus
on who might develop into a pro quarterback,” Dungy told the local press.
“That’s why I think Mark could get drafted.
He’s physical strong and can take a pounding.” And
drafted Reed was, taken in the eighth round by the New York Giants.
Reed’s future looked bright.
But pro football is a capricious life, and Reed had the
misfortune to be starting behind the Giant’s #1 pick of the previous year – Phil
Simms (who, as irony would have it, had played his college ball at Morehead
State in Kentucky).
Alongside Simms was another quarterback, Scott Brunner,
drafted two rounds before Reed.
The rest of the football story was predictable – acting
as a third string backup to Simms and Brunner, Reed spent most of his time on
the sidelines.
All too soon the Giants released him.
Reed’s remaining life story could have become one of
those sad “might have been” tales that abound in sports.
But Mark proved too resilient for that to happen; an
electrical engineering major at MSU, he had developed his mind on an equal
footing with his physique.
After getting additional training in engineering, Reed
entered into a prosperous design and construction career, from which he still
earns a very good living.
“The trick is not to just let life do things to you,” he
told another Moorhead State alumnus a few years ago.
“The trick is to take the opportunities that life offers
and make them work for you.”
Scott M. Green
A native of Fargo, Scott Green worked his way through college by working as a part time clerk at First Bank. "Tuition was lower then, but it was costly enough in those days, so I worked to help pay the bills. Those costs were one reason I was interested in banking while I took my classes." So Green majored in Finance. "MSU had a terrific set of classes in business and finance, and the professors were exceptional." Graduating in 1984, he moved up in the ranks at First Bank and stayed on until 1993. "In 1993, I got a chance to take a bigger job, at Community First National. They hired me as an assistant vice-president in their commercial lending department. Fargo was growing fast then and there were a lot of applications or building loans and new business loans. So we got pretty busy."
In 1998, Scott completed a course of studies he took at the University of Wisconsin Graduate School of Banking. "They had a really good program there as well, and I used that degree to take on more responsibility. In 2001, the bank made me their senior lender. So then I was dealing with the biggest business ventures and handling really large sums of money." Three years later, in 2004, Community First merged with Bank of the West. "Then we were part of over 150 branches for Bank of the West, so I began to oversee more than one branch. As an area manager I now supervise operations for eight branches in eastern manager and western Minnesota. That means I spend some time on the road to check the branches, but thanks to the new electronics we have, I can take care of a lot of the communications and reports from here in Fargo. That's good, because my wife, Judy, and I love Fargo-Moorhead, it's been a nice place to raise our two kids." The love of Fargo has kept him busy with community activities ranging from the Vocational Training Center and Bethany Homes to the Fargo Public Schools Foundation and the United Way.
In 2010, Green received the MSUM Distinguished Alumni Award. "I was very pleased to be recognized like that; it sort of brings things full circle. MSU was where I found my passion for the banking industry. They gave me the tools I needed to pursue a career that has spanned 30 years. Without the tremendous opportunities afforded me through MSUM, my passion and goals might never have been realized."