Frank Reagan Francis Xavier " Frank " Reagan ( July 28 , 1919 – November 20 , 1972 ) was an outstanding two - way football player who played for the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in his seven - year National Football League career from 1941 through 1951 . Born in Philadelphia , Reagan was the star quarterback / defensive back at Northeast Catholic High School and led the team to championships in 1935 and 1936 . He was voted 1st Team All - Scholastic by the " Philadelphia Bulletin " in his senior year . Reagan then played college football at the University of Pennsylvania . Standing 5 ' 11 " and 182 lbs . , Reagan was a varsity player during George Munger ’ s first three seasons as head coach of the Quakers , 1938 , 1939 , and 1940 . His 135 points scored is still ninth all - time in UPenn history and his 103 points scored as a senior is the second most in one season in over 120 years of Pennsylvania football . Reagan had one of the great individual performances of all time against Princeton on October 19 , 1940 , rushing for 200 yards , scoring five touchdown s and 31 points in a 46 – 28 victory at Franklin Field . In a game at Michigan in 1938 , Reagan was responsible for 356 total yards , rushing for 85 , passing for 188 , returning kickoffs for 82 and punts for 21 . A captain of both the football and baseball teams , he was awarded the 1941 " Class of 1915 Award " as that member of the senior class who , “ most closely approaches the ideal University of Pennsylvania student - athlete ” . Sportswriter Grantland Rice called him " one of the two best running backs in college football " , the other being Heisman winner Tom Harmon of the University of Michigan . Reagan was drafted in the second round of the 1941 NFL Draft by the NY Giants . After an outstanding rookie season his pro career was interrupted for almost three years by his service to his country during World War II . Upon returning to the NFL he led the league in interceptions in 1947 . He was traded to the Eagles after the 1948 season and was a big factor in helping the Eagles repeat as NFL Champions in 1949 . He played starting safety and recorded seven interception s . He also punted for a 45 yard average and returned punts for 12 . 7 yards per return and 1 TD . During his pro career Reagan averaged 43 . 7 yards on 224 career punts . He also led the NFL with a 51 . 3 average in 1950 . He also finished his career with 35 interceptions . He also scored six TDs on offense and threw a TD pass as well . Following his retirement as a player and a brief tenure as an assistant coach of the Eagles , Reagan went on to become head coach at Villanova University in 1954 . He stayed in that position until 1959 when he was appointed athletic director . He remained in that position until 1961 when he went into partnership in an insurance broker age firm in Norristown , Pennsylvania . Frank Reagan died of complications of lung cancer at age 53 in 1972 . He is enshrined in both the Northeast Catholic HS Hall of Fame and the University of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame . In 2000 , " Philadelphia Daily News " sports writer Ted Silary named Frank Reagan as the best Philadelphia area born punter of the 20th century .