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08-30-2006, 01:47 PM
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Congrats to Tyler. He has worked his butt off to get where he is at.
         
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08-30-2006, 01:51 PM
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Congrats Tank!
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08-31-2006, 06:57 AM
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Dispatch
Athletic scholarships ease burden on four walk-ons Thursday, August 31, 2006 Ken Gordon and Tim May THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH In the summer of 2005, Tyler Whaley worked maintenance in Ohio Stadium, painting concession stands, sweeping and picking up trash. He returned for a second summer this year. As a reward, he got a raise. "A quarter raise, to $7.25 an hour," he said. He probably won’t go back for a third summer. Yesterday, Ohio State announced that it was awarding scholarships to four walk-on players, and Whaley, a sophomore center from Ironton, was one. The others were senior fullback Ryan Franzinger of Westlake, senior receiver Derek Harden of Logan and junior fullback Trever Robinson of Richmond, Va. For walk-ons, the financial relief of going on scholarship is huge. Whaley’s mother and stepfather, Tammy and David Vogelsong, had been paying for his school as best they could. "I went out to the car and called (his mom), and she went from the screaming stage to the crying stage and back to the screaming stage," Whaley said. Harden is married, and he and wife, Katie, have a 3-month-old son, Jace. Katie graduated from Ohio State in December and has been working full time at a day-care center. "She makes decent money and we make ends meet, but this is going to help out a lot," Harden said. "She’ll probably back off her hours so she can be with our son. It’s going to be a really good change, that’s for sure." Defenseless Ginn There’s a ‘D’ in his name, but apparently not in Ted Ginn Jr.’s immediate future. The junior receiver said yesterday that there has been absolutely no hint of his playing defense. "It’s not even a factor," he said. Ginn came to the Buckeyes as a cornerback out of Cleveland Glenville, where he was the national high school defensive player of the year. He began his freshman preseason camp primarily practicing on defense. He was moved to offense by the end of camp, though, and has been strictly a receiver and return man since. "I need to worry about offense, and offense only," Ginn said. "I’m fine with it." Kremblas dies Frank Kremblas, 69, a starting quarterback and defensive back on the 1957 national championship team, died last week, according to several former teammates. The family apparently adhered to his wishes that his passing remain private, for there was no obituary. That went along with the way Kremblas, an accomplished attorney, had played the game, said Dick Schafrath, who was a co-captain with him on the 1958 team. "Fred was a leader, absolutely, but a quiet leader," Schafrath said. "It was a surprise to hear of his passing. He was a wonderful teammate, and really talented." Hobbled Hall Receiver Roy Hall wore a yellow no-contact jersey at practice because of an undisclosed injury, and tight ends coach John Peterson said Hall, the team’s No. 3 receiver, was day to day. kgordon@dispatch.com tmay@dispatch.com
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08-31-2006, 10:05 AM
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Whaley says he's 5'11, 276 in this article about him getting a scholarship.
ozone (Note: I've corrected the spelling of 'Trever' in this article) Football Derek Harden Tressel Rewards Quartet of Buckeyes with Scholarships By John Porentas Four walkons on the OSU roster were awarded scholarships by OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel this week. Offensive lineman Tyler Whaley, fullback Trever Robinson, wide receiver Derek Harden and fullback Ryan Franzinger were all awarded scholarships this week.  Harden is a senior wide receiver from Logan, Ohio. For Harden, the scholarship benefit is a definite financial relief. "I'm actually married and we have a three month old boy. It's a financial burden lifted off our back. That will help us out a lot," Harden said. Harden made the travel team last season as a member of the special teams. His specialty is kick coverage, both on kickoffs and punts. "My big goal is to get on the field as much as possible on special teams," he said. "My one big goal is to cause a fumble on a kickoff or return or return one for a touchdown." Like Harden, Robinson has also earned a niche on the Buckeye squad as a special teams player. His role is actually a specialized one.  "I'm a member of the kickoff team and people know me as a wedge buster. I don't mind putting my head in there and hitting somebody," said Robinson. Robinson's role on the kick coverage team is to give himself up in a collision in the hopes of freeing up another defender or defenders to make the tackle. If that sound like a bit of a gruesome task to you, you're not alone. Robinson admits that when he first took on the job, it wasn't exactly fun. "At first I didn't like it but that's one of the reasons I got a scholarship I feel, because I worked hard and took on that role that the team needed," he said. He also said that it is the kind of job that sort of grows on you. "Its not as bad as it looks. Once you do it a few times you get used to it. I enjoy it now, I really do," he said. Earning a scholarship was a milestone achievement for Robinson who recently switched from linebacker to fullback. He now has his sights set on another goal. "My main goal over the last three years was to earn a scholarship. My next move is to hopefully play," he said. "I hope to one day earn a starting position at fullback," he said.  Offensive lineman Tyler Whaley was also awarded a scholarship this week. Unlike Harden and Robinson, Whaley's role on the team goes beyond special teams. He is currently listed in the two-deep as a backup at center. Whaley, whose nickname on the team is "Tank" is not exactly your prototype offensive lineman. He is listed on the OSU roster at 6-1, 270, but according to Whaley, that's not quite accurate. I'm 5-11, short of six feet," Whaley said. "I weigh about 276. In an era when offensive linemen are 6-3 to 6-7, Whaley is a definite anomaly. He is a successful offensive lineman that doesn't tower over anybody. He just knocks people down. "I definitely take advantage of being short," he said. "I think my leverage is a big thing. I'm short and I can get under a lot of people. I play lower even when I'm not trying to play low," he said matter of factly. It also doesn't hurt to be strong as a brahma bull in a 5-11 body. "I'm pretty strong, probably one of the stronger people on the team," he said. "We do the 225 rep max bench press and the most I've done that is 30 times. I've squatted about 650 and on bench around 465. I would really like to break 500 on bench and squat 700. Those are my goals in the weight room," he said. He also has goals on the playing field. "My next goal is to get out there on the field and play when it matters, not just in mop up duty. I loved getting game experience last year in mop up duty, this year I have the goal of getting out there against some different competition," he said. All of the new scholarship recipients were grateful for the financial aid, but for all of them there was more to it than that. They all now can participate in training table. Until now, when the team sat down to eat together, they had to go elsewhere to eat alone. It sounds like a small thing, but it was a big thing to the new scholarship players. "The team was eating and I was going to McDonalds," said Whaley. "Now I can eat with the team. That means a lot to me. I traveled last year and was able to do that, but it means that much extra to me to be able to go to training table and sit with the team and eat with them." "You feel a lot more part of the team," agreed Robinson. "Training table is kind of validation for your career, for what you put in here," said Harden. "You're rewarded for your hard work."
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10-05-2006, 06:35 AM
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Link
Tyler Whaley makes dream come true as walk-on lineman at Ohio State By BILLY BRUCE The Lawrence Herald IRONTON -- Henry Ford once said, "Think you can do it? Think you can't? Either way, you'll be right." Ironton's Tyler Whaley is the type of person who thinks he can. He could be a psychologist's case study on perseverance, determination and the power of positive thinking. Following his senior year at Ironton High School in 2003, Whaley had some major decisions to make. Although he was a formidable offensive and defensive lineman (All-Ohio his senior year) on Fighting Tiger teams that made the playoffs each of his three seasons, Whaley didn't receive the college offer he had always dreamed about. "He's wanted to play for Ohio State since he was a kid," his mother, Tammy Vogelsong recalled, "but they didn't recruit him because he was too small." As it turned out, they didn't need to. He recruited them. Shunning the advice of a few nay-sayers who claimed he was too small to play for a powerhouse of the Buckeyes' caliber, the 6'-0" Whaley followed his heart...a heart that would soon capture the attention of the OSU players and coaches...and walked on at Ohio State. "Hearing people say I couldn't make it was definitely a motivator. It didn't make me mad. It just gave me a reason," Whaley said. He had a little help along the way courtesy of Ironton head football coach Bob Lutz, Athletic Director Mike Burcham and former Ironton standout Mark Snyder, an OSU assistant coach at the time who is now the head coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd. "I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for them," Whaley said of Lutz and Burcham. "They contacted Mark Snyder and convinced him that I could play at that level. He gave me a foot in the door. The rest was up to me." Life as a walk-on was no cake walk. Whaley said that he was never treated badly, "but you sure knew you weren't a part of the team. You have your back against a wall and have to fight to get to where most of the other players start from. The mental part was tough. You have to prove yourself every day....every single day. I'm glad I had to go this route, though. It really makes me appreciate what I have that much more." The Ohio State media guide has the following excerpt in the red-shirt junior's biography: "(Whaley) is a rugged, hard-nosed football player who has impressed the coaches with his all-out approach to the game....not particularly big, but is exceptionally strong and has good quickness...doesn't know the meaning of 'quit.'" The guide also lists Whaley as one of the top six walk-on players at OSU during Head Coach Jim Tressel's tenure. This short list includes former All-American Andy Groom and current cornerback Antonio Smith. That little phrase about Whaley being exceptionally strong is no exaggeration. His maximum bench press is an astounding 465 pounds, which is 10th all-time among OSU linemen....a list that a plethora of NFL bound Buckeyes, past and present, never made. According to Tammy, the word "quit" was tossed from Tyler's vocabulary at a young age by a very special family friend, Larry Browning. "Larry took care of Tyler like he was his own grandson. He taught him the right way to lift weights and motivated him. He always told Tyler, 'it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.'" Browning said, "Tyler is a coach's dream because he listens to what you tell him. He wants to learn. I used to say that if he ever went up for adoption, I was the first in line." Whaley's real grandfather, Tommy Tipton, points out that there is much more to his grandson than a football player. "He's a person that cares about other people," Tipton beamed. "I'm privileged just to know him, let alone have him as a grandson." Tipton spoke of Tyler volunteering to visit cancer-stricken children in Columbus hospitals along with some of his teammates. "He does things for other people that he never talks about. But that is the kind of person he is. He's very genuine. Every once in a while, I'll cry when I think about him, because I am so proud of him." Whaley's step-father, Dave Vogelsong, proudly showed the Big Ten Championship ring Tyler was given earlier this year. "He's over-achieved everybody's expectations," Vogelsong said. "At first everyone said he didn't have the size to play at Ohio State. He just keeps proving everybody wrong." Tammy remembered a time just after high school when Tyler was a bit down and needed encouragement. "The whole family was behind him, but sometimes you need an outsider to say something to move you." Jeff Linn, owner of Bob Linn's Sporting Goods in Ironton, had a conversation with Tyler that Tammy said was a motivator for her son. "I asked him where he wanted to play," Linn said, "and he said, 'Ohio State.' I told him to go for it....to walk on. The worst thing they could say was 'No.'" They never said "No." Whaley, the Buckeyes' second team center, was recently given a scholarship by OSU. All of his dedication and hard work finally paid off. "But he didn't celebrate when it was announced at the team meeting," Tipton said, "because there were other walk-ons present who didn't get a scholarship. He said he couldn't celebrate in front of them." He has celebrated in his own way through reflection. The humble 22-year-old summed up his experiences with wisdom well beyond his years. "I play football for one of the most successful teams in history. I have stories to tell my grandkids about Troy Smith, Ted Ginn, Jr., Anthony Gonzalez, and all of the other great players here. I get to walk into that locker room, see a jersey with my name on it, and run out onto that field thinking about all of the great players who have been here in the past. It's all I thought it would be and a million times more. God's been very good to me." On Sept. 9, No. 1 ranked Ohio State traveled to No. 2 Texas in a nationally televised game that the Buckeyes won handily, 24-7. Whaley was in at center for the first touchdown of the game. OSU wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez, who scored that first touchdown, was quoted later by John Porentas on www.the-ozone.net recalling the moment. "I just think of guys like Tyler Whaley who I came in with and has worked so hard and done more than his fair share when it comes to things necessary to be a successful player and just to be out there with a guy like that and see him in the end zone with you after a touchdown is scored. It's a lot of fun, it really is." Asked if he had any wisdom to pass on to younger players, Whaley immediately responded, "If you have a dream don't let anyone tell you it's not possible. Don't ever not do what you want to do because of what someone else thinks." Standing on the field among the other linemen, Whaley is at least a head shorter than his teammates. But if you could measure his heart in terms of inches, he would stand taller than almost anyone he meets. Whaley gives all credit for his success to those who have loved and cared for him throughout his life: Larry Browning; his grandmother Dotty and grandfather Tommy; his father Rich Whaley; the entire Whaley family, whose passion for Ohio State football, "makes me feel proud to be on the team they love and follow so close;" his step-father Dave Vogelsong; Coaches Lutz and Burcham. He also praised his aunts, Kimmy Tipton, Angie Tipton, and Missy Tipton Leonard, saying, "They have all been awesome cheerleaders of me my whole life." But the one he owes the most to, he said, is his mom. "I hope I'm the type of person she is when I'm older," he said with absolute sincerity. "She's my idol, role model, and influence."
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05-04-2007, 06:49 AM
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Ex-center Whaley fits right in at fullback
Friday, May 4, 2007 3:28 AM By Tim May THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH http://www.columbusdispatch.com/disp...1_606J86P.html
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05-04-2007, 10:24 AM
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BAM!
There ya go, there's the big lead blocker we need. Dionte and Stan White have been good, but this dude could be a real Jamar Martin kinda guy. Wow!
And for pass protection, what quarterback wouldn't like to have a former center, 475-pound bench pressing maniac back there to help protect. Very cool. Now that's the kind of versatility that can even get a guy into the NFL. Backup center, fullback. You go Tank!
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05-04-2007, 11:29 AM
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Ok, this has been bugging me for awhile. There've been numerous stories that say Tank walked on in 2003, and he's on the roster for that year's OSU/UM game, wearing #79. That would make 2007 his fifth and final year, yet he's listed as a RS junior. What gives?
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05-04-2007, 12:24 PM
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I love the move to Fullback. In short yardage situations the combo of Tank and Beanie is going to be fun to watch. Pity to poor LB who has to take him on.
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05-04-2007, 12:57 PM
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Per the official bio:
Quote:
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05-04-2007, 01:39 PM
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You have 5 years to play 4 seasons. So according to the bio, he'll be a RS Senior in the fall.
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05-04-2007, 06:22 PM
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Says a lot about his athleticism.
But really, the guy above had it right: Who WOULDNT want to run behind an ex-offensive linemen who was once slated to be the starting center? And as a QB, you have to be comfortable knowing that the guy blocking for you excels at pass blocking. Sweet.
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05-04-2007, 07:45 PM
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I'm not aware of any differences in the rules for walk-ons versus scholarship athletes. So, if he was part of the team and a full time student in 2003 this should be his last year.
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05-05-2007, 02:53 AM
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I gotta say I really like our chances in goal line and short yardage situations. Our first team Oline-excellent, "Tank" Whaley-juggernaut, and Beanie Wells-unstoppa-bull!
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05-07-2007, 11:49 AM
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Quote:
Of course, rules may change depending on divisions.
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