Joe Rieff  was a basketball star at Crane Technical High School in Chicago. Rieff remained in Chicago to attended Northwestern University. In his sophomore year, he led the Western Conference in scoring with 1o points per game and Northwestern to the Conference championship. At the conclusion of the season, Rieff was named a consensus All-American. In his senior year, Reiff again led Northwestern to a conference title and led the league in scoring for a second time at 14 points per game. He was once again named a consensus All-American. After graduating from Northwestern, Rieff practiced law in Chicago, but remained active as a player throughout the 1930’s with Chicago area AAU  teams and in later years, professional teams. In addition, he refereed basketball games in the Western Conference from 1937 until 1947.

Bill Reid  led his Adrian High School team to the 1912 Michigan state championship and then entered Colgate University were he became a two-sport star. Reid played varsity basketball in 1916, 1917, and 1918 and varsity baseball for four years, captaining the team in 1918. Following his graduation from Colgate in 1918, he remained at the school as the graduate manager of athletics from 1919-1935.  Reid also coached the basketball team from from 1920-1929. His teams won 133 games and lost 55. From 1920 until 1939, he  coached baseball teams that  won 216 and  lost 118 games. , He became Athletic Director in 1935 and served in that role until his death in 1955 at the age of 62.  Reid served as mayor of Hamilton, New York.  from 1933-1945.  In addition to his duties at Colgate, Reid was a president of Eastern College Athletic Conference  (ECAC) from 1944 to 1945 and vice-president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association(NCAA) from 1942 to 1946. In 1963, he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Ernie Reich began playing basketball as a teenager in New York City’s settlement house leagues. By 1908, he was good enough to join St. Gabriel’s, one of the city’s most powerful independent teams where his teammates included Johnny Beckman and Chris Leonard. Beginning in 1915, Reich spent two seasons with Jersey City of the Interstate League. During the 1917-18 season, he finished among the league leaders of the Connecticut State League in addition to playing on three independent teams. By the 1919-20 season Reich was among the game’s elite. He was fast, possessed a fine set-shot and was a clever ball handler. He played for Reading of the Eastern Basketball League where he finished among the league’s scoring leaders. The same year, he was signed to captain the Original Celtics who posted a 65-4 record. Reich played forward alongside former St. Gabriel’s teammate Johnny Beckman. Reich was the perfect complement to the fiery Beckman in personality and playing ability. Reich was a key figure with the Celtics who emerged as the most famous team of the 1920s. In early February of 1922, Reich developed pneumonia and died unexpectedly at the age of 28. Reich’s tragic death was a stunning conclusion to a golden career.