Jaworski back for visit with Penguins

Ron Jaworski

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Former YSU standout, Philidelphia Eagles player, and now ESPN sport analysts talks about his time at YSU.

By Pete Mollica

The former YSU standout, now an ESPN analyst, spent the day with the Penguins.

WEST MIDDLE-SEX, Pa. — Ron Jaworski has been to cities all over the world, but nothing excites him more than returning to Youngstown and Youngstown State University where he really got his start in football.

Jaworski was in town this weekend for the YSU annual Alumni Golf Outing and the Penguins’ annual Red and White Spring game which was held Friday night at Stambaugh Stadium.

Jaworski, who was a standout quarterback for the Penguins from 1969-72 before going on to a 17-year career in the National Football League, is now one of the top television analysts for ESPN.

“It is just fantastic every time I come back here,” Jaworski said. “Every time I get to meet new people as well as my old friends and teammates.”

Jaworski was a second round draft selection out of YSU by the Los Angeles Rams back in 1973. He spent four seasons with the Rams before being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles where he enjoyed most of his professional success.

Asked how often he keeps up with what the Penguins are doing these days, Jaworski smiled. “Well, just about every week I get a call from Mr. Penguin himself, Paul McFadden, and he keeps me right up to date.”

Jaworski and McFadden were teammates with the Eagles.

“He was the kicker and I was his holder,” he said. “He’s such a great person.”

Jaworski said that in season the first thing he does on Sunday morning is pick up a paper to see how the Penguins did the night before.

After a successful NFL career which included leading the Eagles to a 12-4 record and the NFC Championship in 1980, he took the team to the Super Bowl against the Oakland Raiders. Jaworski was named NFL MVP that year and was the UPI NFL Player of the Year.

After his playing days were over, “Jaws” went into sports broadcasting and quickly landed a job with ESPN and just last year was named to the ESPN Monday Night Football broadcast team.

“It’s just been unbelievable what has happened with my career,” he said. “Even while I was playing I always wanted to be in broadcasting. They kid me a lot because of how much film I watch each and every day before games, but it is something that I really enjoy and have been doing for most of my life.”

“When I was playing I wasn’t all that fast or quick so I had to find other ways to get the advantage and mostly I did that through watching film of every opponent,” he added.

“Heck, even this morning when I stopped in to visit YSU head coach Jon Heacock and his staff and they were watching film, I just pulled up a chair and was right at home,” he added.

Now with his job at ESPN and the Monday Night team, Jaworski says that he watches even more film.

“It’s going to be exciting since we come to Cleveland this year when they play the Giants,” he said.

Jaworski said the Browns are a much-improved team.

“You don’t win 10 games in this league without being pretty good,” he said.

As for the Steelers, he said as long as they have a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger, they are always going to be a team to contend with.

“I know, being a quarterback, just how important it is to have someone like him,” he said. “They have some concerns on the offensive line, though.”

Jaworski said he has a lot of great memories at YSU.

“But the greatest is when we beat Akron,” he added. “It was always a big rivalry and we could never win, but when we did it was the greatest night of my life.”

And about the Side-Saddle T Offense?

“You know it was really great for us and Dike [Beede] just made it work,” he said. “We could do so many things from it.”

“Cole Pentz was my center and there were times when we just went direct snap back to the fullback; nobody really knew where the ball was going,” he added.