Stranko Montana appears to be a "
real tressel fan" (i e. Ohio State coach Cheatypants McSweatervest):
CASTLE TO FORTIFY OSU’S ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY
Doug Castle was hired by Ohio State coach Cheatypants McSweatervest this spring to work as an “
academic encourager” for the football players. In that role, Castle goes from class to class three days per week, taking attendance and no doubt providing some first rate Youcandoits and Attaboys to the student athletes. No doubt
Katzenmoyer could have used a few more of those back in his days as a scholar.
Beast on the field, needed more encouragement off the field.
Filed under:
Big 10 Conference by Stranko Montana
http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/?p=2044
Castle keeping eye on Buckeyes as 'academic encourager'
By Jon Spencer
News Journal
May 11, 2006
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MANSFIELD -- Thanks to his new knees, Doug Castle has a new job. And thanks to that new job, he has a new appreciation for the Ohio State football program. Back in college for the first time in 41 years, Castle was hired by OSU head coach Jim Tressel this spring to work with the Buckeyes as an "academic encourager." In that role, Castle goes from class to class three days a week, taking attendance, offering guidance and acting as a sounding board for the players.
"Outside the locker room it looks like a big football machine," Castle, 64, said. "But when you observe it from the inside, they really do a good job of preparing kids for the future. "It's a treat. The idea of getting back on campus and associating with football players as students is refreshing."
Castle was recommended for the job by director of player development Stan Jefferson. Their friendship spans three decades. Castle spent 35 years in Mansfield schools, including 21 as the principal at John Simpson Middle School. Jefferson was principal at Mansfield Senior before Tressel brought him to Columbus two years ago.
"Doug brings a wealth of experience in terms of working with young men at all levels," Jefferson said. "When it came time to look for someone to work with the kids, someone who has done everything in terms of education, Doug fills that role."
On an average day, Castle may check on 20 to 30 players. Bobby Mansfield, a former elementary principal in Youngstown, serves the same function, with both men assisted at times in the field by Jefferson.
NCAA rules prohibit members of the football staff from having contact with OSU faculty. Tressel and his staff receive attendance reports through SASSO (Student Athletes Support Service Organization), but having the academic encouragers taking head counts expedites the process.
They report to Jefferson at the end of each day.
"We know right then if the players have been in class," Jefferson said. "We stress to our student-athletes that the most important thing they're recruited here for is to get a degree.
"As much as we talk about what a great player A.J. Hawk is, he's going to walk out of here with a degree. So are guys like Anthony Schlegel and Rob Sims. They know that somewhere down the line, they're going to have to use that education."
Castle might make the commute from Mansfield to Columbus on his Honda Gold Wing, but once he's on campus his rebuilt legs become his wheels. The former head track and cross country coach at Mansfield Senior had both knees replaced two years ago. Without the surgery, the job would not be possible.
Castle, a 1965 graduate of Marietta College, walks between four and six miles a day as a member of the Buckeyes' support staff.
"It's great exercise ... and I'm losing some weight," he joked. "It's very much a family atmosphere. What amazes me is the support the coaches give the kids, and not just in football. Tressel focuses on the whole athlete. Most of the players think they're going to the NFL, but most don't make it. The trump card is education."
At first, Castle had to carry an OSU football guide with him to identify faces. But he's gotten to know the players just as they've gotten to know him.
"When you play a high-profile game, where you're elevated in status, it's nice to have someone there to help keep you grounded," Castle said. "If someone wants to talk to me about something frustrating them, I don't have to be a judge. I just listen. I'm starting to have feelings for the kids and understand where they're coming from."
That doesn't mean he's going to be taking any of them for a spin on his bike.
"I went through a two-hour NCAA compliance program and know that I can't even buy them a cup of coffee," Castle said. "I'm basically mentoring athletes and trying to establish relationships."
Ohio State has led the Academic All-Big Ten football squad the last four years. To be eligible, a player must carry a 3.0 GPA and earn a letter. This past academic quarter, 51 players posted a 3.0 or higher, raising the team GPA to 2.84.
Three Buckeyes -- wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez and linebackers James Laurinatis and Austin Spitler -- recorded a perfect 4.0 during winter quarter. It was the fourth 4.0 for Gonzalez, a philosophy major and Rhodes Scholar candidate. The Buckeyes also had seven players graduate at the end of winter quarter, including offensive lineman Doug Datish, who returns in the fall for his final season of eligibility. The others included Schlegel, Sims and fellow 2005 starter Ryan Hamby. "The thing I like about our system is three-fold," Jefferson said. "One, the people we've employed (as encouragers) have been in the education business. Two, these people will identify with the incoming freshmen and help ease the transition, and three, the academic counselors and encouragers give us two groups of people making sure the players are making progress toward a degree."
http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/...605110323/1006
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