View source for Bo Rein

{{Short description|American football player and coach, baseball player (1945–1980)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{more citations needed|date=August 2016}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Bo Rein
| image = Bo Rein.png
| alt = 
| caption = Rein, {{Circa|1979}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1945|7|20}}
| birth_place = [[Niles, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1980|1|10|1945|7|20}}
| death_place = [[Atlantic Ocean]]
| alma_mater = 
| player_sport1 = Football
| player_years1 = 1964–1966
| player_team1 = [[Ohio State Buckeyes football|Ohio State]]
| player_sport2 = Baseball
| player_years2 = 1965–1967
| player_team2 = [[Ohio State Buckeyes baseball|Ohio State]]
| player_positions = [[Halfback (American football)|Halfback]] (football)<br />[[Shortstop]], [[Left fielder|left field]] (baseball)
| coach_sport1 = Football
| coach_years2 = 1969–1970
| coach_team2 = [[William & Mary Tribe football|William & Mary]] (assistant)
| coach_years3 = 1971
| coach_team3 = [[Purdue Boilermakers football|Purdue]] (assistant)
| coach_years4 = 1972–1974
| coach_team4 = [[NC State Wolfpack football|NC State]] (assistant)
| coach_years5 = 1975
| coach_team5 = [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|Arkansas]] ([[Offensive coordinator|OC]])
| coach_years6 = 1976–1979
| coach_team6 = [[NC State Wolfpack football|NC State]]
| coach_years7 = 1980
| coach_team7 = [[LSU Tigers football|LSU]]{{efn|Rein was hired in November 1979 and died in January 1980, before the start of LSU's season.}}
| coach_sport8 = Baseball
| coach_years9 = 1971
| coach_team9 = [[William & Mary Tribe football|William & Mary]]
| overall_record = 27–18–1 (football)<br />14–13 (baseball)
| bowl_record = 2–0
| tournament_record = 
| championships = Football<br />1 [[Atlantic Coast Conference|ACC]] (1979)
| awards = Second-team [[List of All-Big Ten Conference football teams|All-Big Ten]] ([[1966 All-Big Ten Conference football team|1966]])
| coaching_records = 
}}

'''Robert Edward''' '''Rein''' (July 20, 1945 – January 10, 1980) was an American [[American football|football]] and [[baseball]] player and football coach.  He was a two-sport athlete at [[Ohio State University]] and served as the head football coach at [[North Carolina State University]] from 1976 to 1979, compiling a record of 27–18–1.  Following the 1979 season, Rein had assumed the role as head coach at [[Louisiana State University]], but was killed in an aircraft accident in January 1980 before he ever coached a game for the [[LSU Tigers football|Tigers]].  Rein is the namesake of football player awards at Ohio State and NC State.

==Early life==
Rein was born and raised in [[Niles, Ohio]], where he is still remembered as a legendary high school athlete for the Red Dragons of [[Niles McKinley High School]].  Rein played at Niles during their heyday, when the Red Dragons under coach Tony Mason were one of the top big school powerhouses in high school football in Ohio.

==Baseball career==
Rein played baseball at [[Ohio State University]] from 1965 through 1967, helping the [[Ohio State Buckeyes baseball|Buckeyes]] win the [[1966 College World Series]], the school's only [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] baseball title.  Rein played [[shortstop]] and [[Left fielder|left field]].  He led his team in [[stolen base]]s in 1965 and 1966, and in [[double (baseball)|double]]s and [[Run (baseball)|runs]] in 1966.  Rein had 49 career stolen bases, which stood as a team record until he was surpassed by Roy Marsh in the early 1990s.

In 1965 and 1966, Ohio State participated in the [[College World Series]], and Rein was selected in both years to the All Tournament team.  In 1965, the Buckeyes lost the championship game to [[Arizona State Sun Devils baseball|Arizona State]].  In 1966, Ohio State won the championship, defeating [[Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball|Oklahoma State]].  In the championship game, Rein contributed a double.

After he finished his college career, Rein was drafted by the [[Cleveland Indians]].  He was playing for the [[Portland Beavers]], the Indians' [[Minor league baseball|Triple-A]] [[farm team]], when [[Achilles tendon]] and [[hamstring]] problems ended his baseball career.

==Football playing career==
From 1964 to 1966, Rein was a three-year starter at left [[Halfback (American football)|halfback]] for the [[Ohio State Buckeyes football]] team.  He led his team in receptions in 1964 and 1965, and in rushing in 1966.  Rein finished at Ohio State the team career receptions leader.  Following his Ohio State career, Rein was drafted by the [[History of the Indianapolis Colts|Baltimore Colts]].

Former teammate, and later Mayor of [[Columbus, Ohio]], [[Greg Lashutka]] said of Rein, "He wasn't the biggest guy, but pound for pound he was tough as they come.  He had that inner drive and did everything to the fullest. He could play."  A continuing tradition at Ohio State is that at the end of every season, the team votes to award one teammate the "Bo Rein Most Inspirational Player Award."

==Football coaching career==
[[Lou Holtz]], a former assistant coach at Ohio State, had taken the head coaching position at [[The College of William & Mary|William & Mary]] in 1969, and Holtz offered an assistant coaching job to Rein.  When Holtz accepted an offer from [[North Carolina State University]] in 1972, Rein went with him.  In 1975, Rein was hired as [[offensive coordinator]] for the [[University of Arkansas]] under [[Frank Broyles]] and helped the [[1975 Arkansas Razorbacks football team|Razorbacks]] win the [[Southwest Conference]] and the [[1976 Cotton Bowl Classic]].<ref>{{cite web | last=Barclay | first=Leland | title=Countless words describe Broyles | website=Southwest Times Record | date=2017-08-22 | url=https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/2017/08/22/countless-words-describe-broyles/19399760007/ | access-date=2025-06-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=1975 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule and Results |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/arkansas/1975-schedule.html |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=College Football at Sports-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref>

When Holtz moved on to [[New York Jets]] of the [[National Football League|NFL]] in 1976, Rein became the youngest college football head coach upon his hiring by North Carolina State.<ref>{{cite web | title=SEC Network Announces Documentary on Bo Rein | website=And The Valley Shook|publisher=SB Nation | date=2015-07-14 | url=https://www.andthevalleyshook.com/2015/7/14/8962825/sec-network-announces-documentary-on-bo-rein | access-date=2025-06-25}}</ref>  Guiding the [[NC State Wolfpack football]] team, Rein was an advocate of the coaching philosophy of Ohio State's [[Woody Hayes]] for whom Rein played.  During Rein's four years at NC State, he led the team to two [[bowl game]]s, defeating [[Iowa State Cyclones football|Iowa State]] in the [[1977 Peach Bowl]] and defeating [[Pittsburgh Panthers football|Pittsburgh]] in the [[1978 Tangerine Bowl]].  In Rein's final year at NC State, his team won the 1979 [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] championship.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gopack.com/news/2009/11/14/PEELER_Remembering_Rein_1979_ACC_Title_Team.aspx|title = PEELER: Remembering Rein, 1979 ACC Title Team}}</ref> However, it did not play in a bowl game, having declined an invitation to the Garden State Bowl–to date, the last power conference champion to decline participation in a bowl game.

Among Rein's top players at NC State were [[Outland Trophy]] winner [[Jim Ritcher]], a [[Center (American football)|center]] for the Wolfpack who later started at [[Guard (American football)|guard]] on four [[Super Bowl]] teams with the [[Buffalo Bills]], and [[linebacker]] [[Bill Cowher]], who later coached the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]] for 15 seasons and won [[Super Bowl XL]].

Following every season, the NC State football team awards the "Bo Rein Award" to a player that makes a vital contribution in an unsung role.

==Death==
Following the 1979 season, Rein was hired away from NC State by [[Louisiana State University]]. In January 1980, Rein took a recruiting trip to [[Shreveport, Louisiana]]. On his January 10, 1980, return trip back to [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]], his private aircraft crashed, leaving no survivors.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120906024745/http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/football/stories/2008/01/05/bcs_bo_rein.ART_ART_01-05-08_C1_I28VJCT.html BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Promising start ended tragically<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Rein, who was hired at the end of November 1979, had been head coach for less than two months.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rogers | first=Phil |title=Bo Rein is Dietzel's Choice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107695260/bo-rein-is-dietzels-choice/ |newspaper=[[The Shreveport Journal]] |date=November 30, 1979 |page=17 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=August 16, 2022}}</ref>

Rein and experienced pilot Louis Benscotter left Shreveport in a [[Cessna 441]] aircraft. The flight was planned to be a 40-minute trip, but when Benscotter rerouted east to avoid a storm, air traffic control lost contact with him. The aircraft climbed to {{convert|40000|ft|abbr=on}} and kept heading due east. After being tracked on radar, the aircraft was eventually intercepted by [[U.S. Air National Guard]] [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart]] fighter aircraft over North Carolina, {{convert|1000|mi|km|spell=in|-2}} off-course and at an altitude of {{convert|41600|ft|abbr=on}}, {{convert|6600|ft|abbr=on}} feet higher than its maximum certified ceiling. The military pilots could not see anyone in the cockpit and the aircraft continued on over the Atlantic Ocean, where it crashed after running out of fuel. A US Coast Guard crew spotted some debris, but no wreckage was ever recovered.  The bodies of Rein and Benscotter have never been found.<ref>{{cite news | last=Pope | first=John | title=LSU Coach Presumed Killed | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=1980-01-12 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/01/12/lsu-coach-presumed-killed/93071bb3-ba7d-4ee6-b397-e86e56ea5dec/ | access-date=2025-06-25}}</ref>

The cause of the crash is undetermined but was most likely cabin depressurization causing [[Hypoxia (medical)|hypoxia]], a lack of oxygen,<ref>{{cite web |title=Plane Crash Info 1980|website=planecrashinfo.com| date=11 January 1980 | url=http://www.planecrashinfo.com/1980/1980-2.htm | access-date=11 May 2023}}</ref> resulting in the occupants losing consciousness as in the [[1999 South Dakota Learjet crash]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sayre |first=Alan |date=October 25, 1999 |title=PLANE CRASH THAT KILLED REIN SIMILAR TO STEWART'S |url=https://greensboro.com/plane-crash-that-killed-rein-similar-to-stewarts/article_742316c4-92e0-5f2d-861f-ac2fe3ebfc7a.html |access-date=2025-06-25 |website=Greensboro News and Record|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

In 1982, Rein's widow, Suzanne Kay, reached an out-of-court settlement for an undisclosed amount after filing a $10 million damage suit against a number of defendants, including the [[Cessna]] Aircraft Company, Cruse Aviation Inc., who serviced the aircraft, and Nichols Construction Corporation, who owned it.<ref>{{cite web | title=Settlement Made In Bo Rein Suit | website=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press | date=1982-10-26 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/26/sports/settlement-made-in-bo-rein-suit.html | access-date=2025-06-25}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==
===Football===
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach |team = | conf = | bowl= | poll = both }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name         = [[NC State Wolfpack football|NC State Wolfpack]]
 | conf         = [[Atlantic Coast Conference]]
 | startyear    = 1976
 | endyear      = 1979
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1976 NCAA Division I football season|1976]]
 | name         = [[1976 NC State Wolfpack football team|NC State]]
 | overall      = 3–7–1
 | conference   = 2–3
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1977 NCAA Division I football season|1977]]
 | name         = [[1977 NC State Wolfpack football team|NC State]]
 | overall      = 8–4
 | conference   = 4–2
 | confstanding = T–3rd
 | bowlname     = [[1977 Peach Bowl|Peach]]
 | bowloutcome  = W
 | ranking      = 19
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1978 NCAA Division I-A football season|1978]]
 | name         = [[1978 NC State Wolfpack football team|NC State]]
 | overall      = 9–3
 | conference   = 4–2
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | bowlname     = [[1978 Tangerine Bowl|Tangerine]]
 | bowloutcome  = W
 | ranking      = 19
 | ranking2     = 18
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = conference
 | year         = [[1979 NCAA Division I-A football season|1979]]
 | name         = [[1979 NC State Wolfpack football team|NC State]]
 | overall      = 7–4
 | conference   = 5–1
 | confstanding = 1st
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | ranking      = 
 | ranking2     = 
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name         = NC State
 | overall      = 27–18–1
 | confrecord   = 15–8
}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 27–18–1
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = two
 | polltype =
 | legend   =
}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Baseball stats |mlb= |espn= |br= |fangraphs= |cube= |brm=rein--001rob }}

{{William & Mary Tribe baseball coach navbox}}
{{NC State Wolfpack football coach navbox}}
{{1966 Ohio State Buckeyes baseball}}
{{Baltimore Colts 1967 draft navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rein, Bo}}
[[Category:1945 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:American football halfbacks]]
[[Category:Baseball outfielders]]
[[Category:Baseball shortstops]]
[[Category:Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches]]
[[Category:LSU Tigers football coaches]]
[[Category:NC State Wolfpack football coaches]]
[[Category:Ohio State Buckeyes baseball players]]
[[Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football players]]
[[Category:Portland Beavers players]]
[[Category:Portland Loggers players]]
[[Category:Purdue Boilermakers football coaches]]
[[Category:Reno Silver Sox players]]
[[Category:Rock Hill Indians players]]
[[Category:Waterbury Indians players]]
[[Category:William & Mary Tribe football coaches]]
[[Category:Niles McKinley High School alumni]]
[[Category:People from Niles, Ohio]]
[[Category:Coaches of American football from Ohio]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Ohio]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1980]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States]]
[[Category:Baseball players from Trumbull County, Ohio]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]