Warfield back in hometown to support WGC

August 11, 2016 at 12:09a.m.

By GARY HOUSTEAU

WARREN

In addition to being in Canton for the Hall of Fame ceremonies on Saturday and speaking to the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday, Paul Warfield had a full itinerary in his hometown of Warren on Wednesday.

“It always feels good to come back to the area,” Warfield said. “This is, of course, where I was born, this is where I went to school and this is where everything started for me.”

Warfield spoke to the Warren Rotary Club in a noon luncheon after an appearance with Trumbull 100 earlier in the morning and before he would speak at the high school press conference later in the afternoon, all in an effort to promote the Warren Girdiron Club’s inaugural “NFL Legends of Warren, Ohio Reunion & Celebrity Golf Outing” at Trumbull Country Club on Sept. 25-26.

“This is unique here for this area in which we have [athletes] transitioning from collegiate play to the National Football League,” Warfield said. “Over 27 individuals have played for either Warren Harding High School or Warren Reserve, who have played in the National Football League. That number is greater than any other county in the state of Ohio.

“I think it’s something that the Steel Valley can be proud of. It’s a great tradition that is here, I was a part of this tradition I’m happy to say, and we’d like to continue it. And this hometown, homecoming event of which Warren Gridiron Club is going to be a part of, the boosters club for Warren Harding High School, I’m happy to help them in any way I possibly can.”

Warfield, who helped kick off the luncheon by leading the Rotarians in the room with his fist pumping in the air to a musical tune of “Across the Field” — the Ohio State fight song — noted that former members of those high school football programs, from many different decades who have gone on to have success, are going to come back in great numbers.

Guys like Aaron Brown, Vaness Decree and Maurice Clarett from Ohio State, Mario Manningham and Carl Diggs from Michigan, Deryck Toles from Penn State and a couple of the Browner brothers are just some of the former players expected to attend the two-day event.

Warfield is in town now trying to drum up some financial assistance for the event and is urging both corporations and individuals to support the Warren Gridiron Club. He encouraged members of the Rotary to get involved in the project perhaps as participants at the golf event or just making an individual contribution.

“The Warren Gridiron Club has been there and have supported the program and they have taken on even a greater role in that the tax base has dwindled to a certain extent and resources are not as great,” Warfield said. “That, in a large part, is why we are coming to some of the businesses in the business community to ask their support in maintaining this program.”

Warfield put up his own money and issued a challenge to businesses and individuals in Warren.

“I issued a challenge to the members of the 100 Club and they accepted that challenge of which I have made a monetary commitment of a set amount, which is $1,000,” Warfield said. “I’m not necessarily asking you to do that but whatever you can commit to that, if you can be a part of that challenge, it’s going to help us immensely to make this project successful in the first annual of hopefully which will be a continued thing year after year. So whatever you can do we greatly appreciate it and hopefully you’ll be able to help us out.”

Warfield talked a bit about his football days that started with the Harding Panthers before moving on to a decorated career at both Ohio State under Woody Hayes and then the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins.

A first-round draft pick of the Browns in 1964, Warfield won an NFL championship in Cleveland in his rookie season before winning two Super Bowls with the Dolphins.

“I was very fortunate to play in the best-organized system at the time in pro football with the Cleveland Browns,” Warfield said. “But then even got luckier moving down to the Miami Dolphins. Although I will agree that’s a move I didn’t necessarily want to make because being an Ohioan and being from northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Browns were my favorite team even before I ever dreamed of joining them.”

Warfield, now 73 and living in Rancho Mirage, Calif., certainly thinks the Browns of today can be like his Dolphins of old and he told them as much when he spoke to the team.

“What I tried to tell the young men in the short 5-7 minutes of which I had their attention on the field,” he said, “that when I left the organization, much to my dislike of being traded but I had no control over that to Miami, the Miami Dolphins were an expansion team out of the old American Football League. They had won exactly four games in roughly about four years of playing in that then AFL to what was converted to the NFL.

“However with the right man coming in, in Don Shula, and a few necessary adjustments with personnel such as players who came from old established NFL teams and contenders like myself and belief in Shula and what he had to say about hard work, sacrifice and dedication — three very practical and simple things that one can do, that the events for the Dolphins could change. And it changed overnight from losers to winners and to champions. So that can happen in Cleveland, too.”

More information on the Legends Reunion Celebration and the Legends Celebrity Golf Outing and Luncheon can be found at www.wghsports.com.