Reese was an assistant coach at UCLA from 1971 to 1973 and with Georgia Tech in 1974. He was in charge of the Detroit Lions' strength and conditioning with head coaches Rick Forzano and Tommy Hudspeth from 1975 until the latter's dismissal with his entire staff on January 9, 1978."Lions Oust Hudspeth, All Of His Aides," United Press International (UPI), Monday, January 9, 1978. Retrieved November 24, 2020 He moved to the San Francisco 49ers as strength and conditioning coach in 1978. Reese became the Minnesota Vikings' linebacker coach and special teams from 1979 though 1983 and was the Vikings' defensive coordinator in 1984. He returned to the post of linebacker coach in 1985. The next season, Reese began a four-year stint as linebacker coach for the Houston Oilers.
