Saturday, July 15, 2006
About two years ago, when Dick Schafrath walked into an Ohio State classroom for the first time in nearly 50 years, he carried a whistle around his neck.
"It's dangerous for me to be on campus," said Schafrath, a former standout football player for the Buckeyes and Cleveland Browns. "I'm an athlete and there are 52,000 students here. Half of them are girls. I thought maybe I'd get attacked."
And?
"Nothing ever happened," he said, laughing.
For all that Schafrath has accomplished -- a 13-year stint as a state senator, beating intestinal cancer, winning a national title with the Buckeyes -- he'd always regretted not getting his college degree.
After longtime OSU coach Woody Hayes died in 1987, Schafrath would sometimes run into Hayes' widow, Anne, who would remind him of a promise he made a long time ago.
"She'd say, 'Richard, how about getting that degree?'" he said. "'You promised your mom and dad. You promised Woody and me.' Then I met [OSU coach Jim] Tressel and it was the same thing.
"I couldn't get away from it."
Then Schafrath met Jim Ward, a longtime track enthusiast from Columbiana. Ward was shocked Schafrath didn't have his degree. Together, the two scoured Ohio State's archives for his records.
They found his name. Problem was, if Schafrath was going to go back to school, he needed a little financial help. Tressel agreed to put him back on scholarship. But to get the scholarship, he needed a 2.0 grade point average and he had to be within 45 hours of his degree.
He had a 1.99 and he was 46 hours away.
"I was down on two counts," Schafrath said. "I tried to get a T-shirt that said '1.9999 and still rising.'"
Schafrath took a class, got a B and got the scholarship. A lot of people told him he could easily get an honorary degree, but he refused.
"I wanted to earn this," he said.
A little helpfrom his friends
Meanwhile, his good friend from Youngstown, Bruce Zoldan, the owner of Phantom Fireworks, agreed to help Schafrath with room and board.
"I wanted to play a part in it," said Zoldan. "You couldn't find a nicer guy than Dick and for me to play a role in him getting his degree, that's something I'll always value and cherish."
Zoldan's son, Alex, was also an Ohio State student. Alex helped keep Schafrath in line.
"Alex would call and make sure I made bed-check," said Schafrath, 69. "I had to be in at 10. You know, so I didn't go out and party."
In the six quarters since he's enrolled, Schafrath has earned As and Bs in every class. He's battled health problems and he has no idea how to type. But he's managed.
He even offered to rejoin the football team.
"I got on Tressel a little bit," said Schafrath. "I said, 'Jim, I came here on scholarship. I want to play.' He said, 'You'll be our secret weapon. And we'll be keeping it secret.'"
Has degreein his sights
He's completed all but one requirement, an independent studies course, toward a degree in sport and exercise sciences in the College of Education. He's set to graduate in late August.
"I get so nervous thinking about it," he said. "All I do is cry. I can't help it. I'm an emotional guy. I don't know if I can do it. I'm going to try and walk up there [to get my diploma], but I don't know if I'll make it or not."
His autobiography ("The Heart of a Mule: Bred to Compete") also comes out next month and a lot of his friends are hoping the NFL's Hall of Fame committee will take another look at Schafrath, who made two Pro Bowls in 12 years as a guard in Cleveland.
"It's never too late," said Zoldan.
He's right. And not just about football.
"I've got seven children," said Schafrath. "All I do is talk about making a commitment and following through. But here I was, I never honored my commitment.
"I wanted to be an example for everybody else. I always regretted not having my degree and that the message I wanted to get across. Make sure you get your degree."
Joe Scalzo is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.