Reiff, a 6'3 (1.91 m) center from Crane Technical High School in Chicago, chose to attend nearby Northwestern University and play for Hall of Fame coach Dutch Lonborg.
Reiff led the Wildcats to a Western Conference championship in his sophomore year.
In his junior year, Reiff finished second in the conference in scoring to Purdue senior John Wooden.
[2] Joe Reiff was a charter inductee into the Northwestern athletics Hall of Fame, elected in 1984.
[3] This biographical article relating to a United States basketball player, coach, or other figure born in the 1910s is a stub.