January 10, 1980. The day the Mahoning Valley lost one of the true icons of not only local sports but on the national level, as well, in Niles' Bo Rein. The multi sport standout went onto play his collegiate ball at Ohio State. He was drafted by two professional sports teams in baseball's Cleveland Indians and the NFL's Baltimore Colts.
After a short stint in the Indians' minor league system, Rein accepted an assistant coaching position with William & Mary's football team under new head coach Lou Holtz. Rein would follow Holtz from Williamsburg to North Carolina State before taking over as the offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 1975. The Razorbacks (10-2) averaged 28-points per game en route to a 31-10 victory in the Cotton Bowl over Georgia.
Lou Holtz left NC State after the 1975 season to take on the head coaching position with the New York Jets. Rein was offered his mentor's position with the Wolfpack. Coach Rein took North Carolina State to back-to-back post season victories in the 1977 Peach Bowl (24-14 over Iowa State) and the 1978 Tangerine Bowl over Pittsburgh (30-17). Rein compiled a 27-18-1 mark in his four years in Raleigh. Ted Brown and Jim Ritcher were both selected in the first round of the NFL Draft after completing their degrees at NC State under Rein. Brown was taken by the Minnesota Vikings (16th pick) in 1979, following a brilliant collegiate career which saw Ted set the Atlantic Coast Conference career rushing mark at that time of 4,602 stripes. Ritcher, a Medina Highland graduate, was selected the following year by Buffalo with the same pick that Brown was taken at (16th). The former Outland Trophy winner (1979) started in all four Super Bowl appearances for the Bills in the early 2000s.
Following the 1979 season, Rein was hired at Louisiana State to take over for Charles McClendon, who had retired after 18-years of service on the sidelines of the Tiger program. On January 10, the Niles native along with his pilot died in a plane crash returning from a recruiting visit from Shreveport. Robert Edward Rein was 34.
Following his passing, Niles renamed their football field 'Bo Rein Memorial Stadium' in his honor.
