Reynolds wears #75 as an Atlanta Falcon. It's the same number he wore as in high school
Reynolds gives a young fan his autograph at Carter High School Friday night
Carter High School honored an alumni and former football standout Friday night by retiring his jersey. Garrett Reynolds graduated from Carter in 2005 and is now an offensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons.
"I don't think that I would be where I am today if it wasn't for everybody that influenced my life," Reynolds said of his East Tennessee community.
"It's a lot of fun coming back here, everything is the same. The people are the same, and it's great to know that."
Reynolds wore #75 in high school, and still wears the number as a Falcon.
Carter head coach Heath Woods remembers Reynolds as a hard worker, who often showed up to practice before his coaches.
"He only lived about a mile and a half from the school so I'd pull
into the parking lot and he'd be sitting on the step waiting for me to
come in at 7 o'clock. He'd work out with us then jog home," Woods said.
"I thought that, if anybody went far, it would him because of his work ethics," said Clyde Moore, another Carter coach who worked with Reynolds.
"He knows where he comes from, he's planted on the ground, his feet are firm on the ground."
According to a release from Carter High School, Reynolds was a three-year starter on both the offensive and defensive line at Carter. He had four sacks and 76 tackles on defense as a senior.
After graduation, Reynolds attended college and played football for the University of North Carolina. There, he was named a second-team all-ACC selection by the Associated Press and a first-team All-ACC pick by the ACC Sports Journal.
He was also named to the 2008 Lombardi Award Watch List.
Reynolds comes from a football family. His father Art Reynolds, and his uncle Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds both played football at the University of Tennessee.
Art played in the World Football League and Jack played in the NFL, for both the Rams and the 49ers.
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