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NGSII: Choosing The One
May 25, 2006 | 6:20PM | report this [FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
At age six it was Kim Zmeskel. That adoration and desire to be the next Bela Karolyi darling earned me a broken arm. By 12 it was Kirk Herbstreit. Besides being my first crush, he was the single reason I begged my dad to take me to football games. This past January it was Matt Leinart, but thanks to Paris Hilton, he’s been tarnished in my mind forever. (Okay, maybe I’m just jealous.) Clearly I’ve had a life long adoration of athletes, but with a question so nebulous and so many athletes to choose from, how am I to pick just one?[/FONT]
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The word “athlete” comes from the Greek word, “athlos” which means “contestant.” In ancient Greece, athletes were held in the highest esteem and worshiped, even treated as gods. It seems little has changed through the years in that respect. On the other hand, when a victor was announced in the Greek games, they were expected to be perfect examples of men who would be imitated and live a life that youth could follow and emulate. Hence, athletes were role models, pillars of both bodily strength and societal supremacy.[/FONT]
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When I thought about the word “athlete” and looked at the history behind these modern day “gods”, I wanted to come up with someone who not only embodies strength and agility, but like the ancient Greeks is someone who is a role model for the sport, the players, and the fans. Going back to my roots, I chose an Ohio State player. No, it’s not Archie Griffin, or Eddie George, or classics like Jack Tatum or Hopalong Cassidy. I chose number 36, Chris Spielman. [/FONT]
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Born in Canton, Ohio, home to the Football Hall of Fame, Chris Spielman was destined to play. Although he was an all-American coming out of high school and graced the front of a Wheaties box by age 18, at 6’, 247 lbs., Chris was small for a linebacker. Maybe it was his size or perhaps his personality that fueled his competitive focus and drive. While under the tutelage of Earle Bruce at Ohio State from 1984-1987, Spielman set records and standards that raised the bar for linebackers. His sixth sense in reading plays made him one of the top collegiate players of his generation. His impressive numbers have rarely been rivaled, and several records remain unbroken:[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]-Most total tackles in a single game, 29 (OSU-Michigan, 1986)[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]-Most solo tackles in a single season, 105 (1986)[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]-Most solo tackles in a collegiate career, 283 (1984-1987)[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]-3 time all-Big Ten at OSU/ 2 time All-American at OSU[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]-Lombardi Award Winner, 1987[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]-Total Career Tackles at OSU: 546[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] Clearly Spielman was a prize worthy player, and the Detroit Lions were quick to snatch him as the 29th pick in the 1988 NFL Draft. Over his eight years in Detroit, he led the Lions in tackles for seven consecutive seasons (the only player to ever do so) and earned Pro-Bowl honors four times. Although these were all worthy accomplishments, the one that stood out the most was that in eight years with Detroit, he played all but four games, ending his 114 consecutive games streak in 1997. Chris’s devotion to his craft and the game were so devout, had he not been under anesthesia for an A-C joint injury, he never would have conceded to be placed on the injured reserve list.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] Chris was a prototype for linebackers to come; tough as nails and focused like a hawk. In the eight years he was with Detroit, the A-C joint injury was the only time he missed games. Even when he tore his right pectoral from his rib cage in a season opener, it wasn’t enough to put him down. He used to joke with the media saying “If I ever lay down on the football field, one of you guys get your hunting rifle out and put me out of my misery.” He was the guy who’d be studying film at 6:30 a.m., the last guy out of the weight room, and the player who practiced as if he were facing elimination. He was your overachiever; the one players tend to resent because his work ethic made the rest of the team look lazy.[/FONT]
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For a guy who excelled in a league where pain and sacrifice were second nature, it must have come as quite a shock when Chris abruptly left the NFL in 1998. Upon discovering that his wife, Stefanie, had breast cancer, Chris suspended all play and spent the year to be with his family. To show support and solidarity for Stefanie, Chris shaved his head while she underwent chemotherapy. A year after her diagnosis, the Spielmans helped establish the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at The James Cancer Institute. Since the fund’s conception in 1999, the Spielmans have helped to raise over $3 million for breast cancer research.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] Not only does Chris Spielman embody all the traits of an accomplished athlete, he also lives up to the quote by George Will: Sports serve society by providing vivid examples of excellence. While Chris dominated his sport, ultimately he managed to use his talents to champion the game of life. That is a display of excellence. When the time came for Chris to make a decision to play ball or be a husband and father, there was no hesitation in his mind. He knew when it was time to set the cleats aside and focus on the bigger picture. The strides he made as a football player are considerable, but the leaps and bounds he and his wife have made in cancer research and funding are limitless. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] The hardest thing for any professional athlete to face is knowing when to leave the field and move on. Chris was a player who refused to quit, to let up, or disappoint his fans and teammates. He had his priorities in check and walked a fine line between football player and family man. He did return to the NFL after his wife had recovered, but only managed one more year before he was forced in to early retirement in 1999, due to a career ending spinal injury.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] The legacy Chris left behind at Ohio State and the NFL has gone on to inspire some of the top linebackers in the game. At Ohio State alone, the legacy of linebackers started with Tom Cousineau (who made his name prior to Spielman’s freshman season), and continued on with players like Steve Tovar, Andy Katzenmoyer, and A.J. Hawk. Hawk was taken as the fifth pick in the 2006 NFL draft and many have drawn comparisons about A.J’s style of play to that of Spielman’s. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif] Being an athlete is not only about conditioning, performing, and winning; it’s what you chose to do when you leave the field. The Greeks had it right, athletes are role models—models we respect and our children aspire to be. Chris Spielman fits that mold to a tee. He’s earned his laurel wreath. Perhaps we don’t have a marble statue erected in his honor, but visit any establishment in Columbus, Ohio and it is a safe bet that children and adults speak of Chris Spielman and his family with the reverence and adoration of a modern day Greek victor. [/FONT]
(if we win it's because of the kids, lord knows he's forgotten more about football than I've ever known:) )
