Ted Ginn Sr. (official thread)

ysubuck · #1 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 01:09 PM

This guy is pretty remarkable!!! He is all about helping kids!

Ohio prospects adore coach Ginn Andrew Skwara
Rivals.com Staff Writer
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ask a Glenville (Cleveland, Ohio) High football player about their head coach, Ted Ginn Sr., and a line of lofty compliments will quickly follow.

"Coach Ginn is like the perfect example of a father," said rising senior receiver/cornerback Raymond Small, who is ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the state of Ohio. "He really cares about your life. Sometimes it seems like he cares about your life more than you do."

<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="208"><tbody><tr><td width="202">

</td><td rowspan="3" width="6">

</td></tr><tr><td height="3">

</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Tedd Ginn Sr., has been helping high school football players in Ohio earn scholarships for 30 years.</td></tr></tbody></table>"It's amazing all the things that coach Ginn does for the kids," cornerback Ray Fisher said. "He helps and works with everybody in the school."

Ask the players who play against Glenville and Ginn the same question, and expect a similar answer.

"Coach Ginn is like an angel on earth," said Jahmal Brown, a running back at Benedictine Prep. "It doesn't matter if you are one of his own children or players, he will try to do something to help you reach your goals."

Ginn, the father of Ohio State star receiver Ted Ginn Jr., has spent a good portion of the previous four summers driving a handful of Glenville's top prospects to camps across the Midwest in an effort to earn them more recruiting attention. But, he always felt he could be doing more, helping many other players in a similar fashion.

Ginn made dozens of phone calls this spring, inviting players from all around the state to join him on his annual trip. He ended up with a bus full of 37 prospects who represented 15 different schools in Ohio.

They left Cleveland on June 10 and visited 10 Division-I schools in 12 days, logging more than 3,000 miles on the road.

"I had a vision about the bus and wanted to try and get all the top players in Ohio on it," said Ginn, who has been a coach at Glenville since he graduated from the school in 1974. "Normally, I take six or seven players of my own, but I wanted to try something different to give others a chance and gave it a shot. I felt if it was good for my kids then others should have the same opportunities. This gave them some exposure."

It did a lot more than that for many of the prospects who made the trip.

Glenville's senior quarterback Arvell Nelson has more than twice as many scholarship offers now, including the chance to earn a full ride at Wisconsin.

<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="208"><tbody><tr><td rowspan="4" width="6">

</td><td width="202">

</td></tr><tr><td align="right">Rivals.com</td></tr><tr><td height="3">

</td></tr><tr><td align="center">Glenville's Bryant Browning is among the many players with great things to say about Ginn.</td></tr></tbody></table>Strongsville's cornerback Brandon Stevens landed his first offer from Iowa and appears to be on the verge of other offers from the Big Ten.

Brendan Mitchell, a tight end from Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, was receiving very little interest from schools three weeks ago. Now, he has an offer and is being contacted by a handful of coaches in the Big Ten.

"I go to a school with about 400 students, and it doesn't produce a lot of Division-I players like Glenville," Mitchell said. "A lot of college coaches don't come there, but because of this exposure now they know what I can do. I have an offer from Bowling Green and Iowa and Indiana are both really interested."

Stories like that are the most rewarding for Ginn.

"The kids that nobody knows about benefit the most from this," the coach said. "A lot of these guys come from schools that don't get a lot of attention are now capturing the eye of colleges and now they know them."

Ginn isn't just committed to helping players when it comes to recruiting either. Also a successful track coach, he talks to athletes about improving on and off the playing surfaces.

"Coach Ginn did a lot for me as a ninth grader," Jones said. "I wasn't that big or strong, but he just kept telling me to keep my head straight and that we would make it happen. He has always been by my side telling me I can do it. He never puts me down. He's like a father to me."

Several of Glenville players treat Ginn like a dad.

"To me, Coach Ginn is a father figure," said Glenville offensive lineman Bryant Browning, who landed a handful of big offers on the trip. "He does anything for children and spends all his time doing things for other people. Most coaches are only out to win for themselves and their own team, but coach Ginn is trying to help everyone he can."

Why is Ginn so committed to players, regardless of what uniform they wear?

"It's all about helping kids," Ginn said. "That is what it's supposed to be about for coaches."

Pheasant · #2 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 01:19 PM

I've said it before, every time I read something about this man I'm more impressed. He's amazing.

gbearbuck · #3 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 01:25 PM

I hope other coaches are taking notice... that would be great if there were more folks like him!!

ScarletInMyVeins · #4 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 01:42 PM

I wonder who paid for the kids to go to all of those camps... At around 200 bucks per camp that would get expensive.

spraguezilla · #5 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 01:59 PM

I thought I read somewhere that the Cleveland Browns donated some money for the trip, but maybe that donation had something else to do with Glenville. I can't remember now.

sandgk · #6 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spraguezilla

I thought I read somewhere that the Cleveland Browns donated some money for the trip, but maybe that donation had something else to do with Glenville. I can't remember now.

Certainly the Browns are helping out with Cleveland HS Football next year .. they ponied up big bucks to offset budget reductions at the HS level that would have had a negative impact on the future of the sport. Hope they can fill the gap in coming years, as budgetary shortfalls are likely to be routine in Cleveland.

As for underwriting of Ted Ginn's trip --- parents, ??

iambrutus · #7 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 02:25 PM

WOW! we need more coaches like that! what a guy.

ScarletInMyVeins · #8 (**permalink**) 06-23-2005, 02:37 PM

sandgk... These kids live in the inner city. Do you really think all of their parents can afford to sent them to these camps? I know there might be a few but I highly doubt that the parents paid for all of it.