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Paying it forward
— curbstone coaches —
By STEVE WILAJ
BOARDMAN
Early on in his days at Ohio State beginning in 1970, Champion High School graduate Randy Gradishar would often receive this demand from legendary Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes.
“He would say ‘Randy, you have to pay forward!’” said Gradishar, a former linebacker and the guest speaker at Sunday’s 49th annual Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame Recognition Banquet. “I would say, ‘What’s that mean, Coach?’
“He said, “Come to the bus and I’ll show you.’ And when you’re 18, 19, 20-years-old, you just do what the coach says.”
The former 10-year Denver Broncos great — a six-time Pro Bowler from 1974-1984 — delivered the story to a packed Mr. Anthony’s hall prior to the induction of 12 members into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame.
“The team would all get on the bus and go to different non-profit organizations — from children hospitals to hospices — to visit people and take pictures with them,” Gradishar said. “That opportunity to do that and learn that — Woody Hayes was a legendary coach, but he was a teacher of character.
“He instilled that character into thousands of young men and coaches in his time at Ohio State.”
That lesson from Hayes was the main message from Gradishaw, who — after his retirement from the NFL — was the president of the Broncos Youth Foundation, served on the NFL Players Special Advisory Council and has made several trips to the Middle East to visit troops, among other ventures.
It was followed by speeches from inductees Don Feren (contributor to sports), Rick Havrilla (bowling), John Hritz (coaching), Herb Williams (football), Craig Kitka (boxing), Jim Tressel (football), Bill Triplett (football), Chet Cooper (contributor to sports), Tamron Smith (football), Rose Smith (bowling) and Jamie Palumbo (baseball). Bruce Zoldan (hockey) couldn’t attend because of personal reasons.
“These people here have certainly been paying forward — being involved with the community, helping out, all that,” Gradishaw said.
Tressel, another Ohio State football-great (2001 national-champion as the Buckeyes’ head coach), called the event “one of those great memories.
“I’ve been blessed — both here at Youngstown State and at Ohio State,” said Tressel, YSU’s president who led the Penguins to national championship titles in 1991, ‘93, ‘94 and ‘97. “But really, nights like this are about the fans.
“You think back to all those teams and the excitement that was generated in the Valley and the state of Ohio, it’s special,” Tressel said. “And lets face it, I wouldn’t be here without Tam and Herbie. So it’s pretty neat.”
Smith, a 1989 South High graduate, played running back under Tressel at YSU from 1990-93. He graduated as the Penguins’ all-time leading rusher.
“Let’s not make it a case for being the greatest [YSU] running back,” Smith said after being introduced as “arguably the greatest” halfback. “Somebody gotta be it. And it might as well be me.
He later added: “I’m not much on speaking in situations like this, but sometimes you just need to love somebody. You don’t know who you might be affecting — who you might be helping. Because I came here on love. That’s all it was.”
Williams was a receiver for YSU from 1989-92, which followed a spectacular Boardman High school career in which he helped the Spartans to the 1987 Division I title game.
“My friends — those are my heroes,” Williams said. “They taught a young man that was selfish to be selfless. And that opened up opportunities for me at Youngstown State.”
Triplett — a 1958 Girard High grad who played running back for Miami (OH), followed by 10 years in the NFL — gave the most emotional speech of the night, stirring a couple loud cheers from the crowd.
“All of you seated here this evening,” Triplett said, “there is enough of us in this room to bring upon a change in this Valley and this community if each of us would dig down deep within and find our purpose and go forward.”
Gradishaw has lived in Denver for the past 40 years and rarely makes his was back to Northeast Ohio.
Considered the centerpiece to the Broncos’ famous “Orange Crush Defense” of the 1970s, he’s still waiting on his call to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He narrowly missed on the modern-day candidate ballot for many years, and is now a yearly member of the senior candidate ballot.
“I don’t know if it’s a matter of time, but I don’t spend too much time worrying about that at this point,” Gradishaw said. “But being part of that elite group would be special if that ever happens.”