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A Summons To Greatness
Fifth-year senior Tim Schafer answered when Ohio State called
Tim Schafer
Oct. 21, 2006 By Emily Meyer
Each year, Ohio State President Karen A. Holbrook charges OSU students to "Do Something Great." With a 2006 enrollment touting 51,818 students on the main campus alone, the university takes pride in the diverse opportunities it offers its young scholars. Each year the university celebrates greatness in academics, research, the arts and athletics, and asserts the essence of Ohio State is "people working together to investigate, discover and share."
Such high standards may seem insurmountable to undergraduates still trying to figure out how to survive on their own, but OSU offense lineman
Tim Schafer can testify to the fact he did do something great at Ohio State. When the criminology major graduates in 2007, he will leave the university with more than just a certificate for his academic degree. This member of the Buckeye football team has earned one national and two Big Ten championship rings and three pair of gold pants to prove he did do something great. In 2006, the fifth-year senior hopes round out his career on the field with a strong finish and, in turn, inspire the next generation of Buckeyes.
Since joining the Scarlet and Gray in 2002, Schafer has examined his character as an individual and as a teammate, uncovered what it means to be a Buckeye and shared his journey in front of 105,000 fans-plus at Ohio Stadium.
For this hometown boy, playing for the Buckeyes meant the world. There was no other university lingering in the Upper Arlington native's mind. Schafer had set his heart on making the Ohio State squad and no other school could convince him otherwise. When the offer finally came to join the ranks under coach
Jim Tressel, the senior in high school wholly accepted and committed early to the challenge to maintain the integrity of both the university and the football program.
"As a senior in high school I was recruited by most of the Big Ten universities, but growing up in Columbus I knew I wanted to play for Ohio State," Schafer said. "Being a Buckeye is huge to me because this is the biggest thing I have ever been a part of and I know nothing will ever come close to this experience. The relationships I have developed with my teammates and coaches are priceless."
Few college athletes encounter the chance to be part of a 14-0 season. Not to mention the dramatic 31-24 win to claim the 2002 national championship title at the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Yet that was exactly the course laid in front of Schafer, then a redshirt freshman. From the beginning, Schafer understood it would take discipline and dedication to make an impact on the talented team.
Schafer knows when the last seconds of the game clock wind down and the 2006 season comes to an end, the feeling will be bittersweet. Since the third grade, football has reigned supreme in Schafer's life. As a youth, his parents always told their brawny son to play any sport he wanted and that is just what he did. Schafer dabbled with other sports like baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey and lacrosse, but his mother, Charlotte Schafer, remembers her son's ardent passion for football made all the others just a diversion until the next football season.
As the quiet, disciplined, 23-year-old finishes this chapter of his life, he walks away from the sport he has sacrificed his time and body to for more than a decade. Schafer's dedication to football exemplifies his stalwart confidence in his talent.
Schafer's road to Ohio State football began when his natural athletic ability and physical command over his peers put him ahead of the competition. That began on July 10, 1983, to be exact, when Charlotte Schafer gave birth to her second son, weighing in at 12 pounds, 10 ounces. Throughout his youth, Schafer grew well above his contemporaries.
"A lot of people thought I had twins," Charlotte Schafer said. "Although Tim's brother, Brian, is two years older, they were almost always the same size. Because of the age difference they never played on the same teams, but they were always competitive with each other in pick-up games."
Schafer joined the neighborhood football team as soon as he was old enough to participate, but his towering stature, now viewed as an advantage, was a hindrance at first. Charlotte Schafer remembers her young son's first attempt to play the sport he shrunk to play and grew to love.
"Tim was always large for his age group in both height and weight," she said. "I remember at the first game he weighed 10 pounds over the limit, so he had to sit out. Tim was so upset he didn't talk the whole way home. The following week he barely ate, but he did meet the weight limit and played the following Saturday."
From the first helmet-to-helmet action, Schafer knew he found something in which he could really excel.
"I work hard in the classroom, but school has never been easy for me," Schafer said. "It's weird because both of my sisters do really well in the classroom. Playing football was what I could do."
By the time he entered high school, his large physique was no longer an obstacle. Instead, it gave him the upper-hand. His determination to play only continued to propel Schafer among the elite athletes in the Columbus area. As a high school junior, Schafer experienced his first great success.
Fulfilling his role as a defensive lineman, he held off Upper Arlington High School's opponents as the team garnered an undefeated 15-0 season and state championship title. At the time, the title was Schafer's greatest sports thrill. Little did the lineman know that it was only the start of championship titles in his football career.
When Schafer committed early and joined the list of star athletes at Ohio State, he quickly realized the challenges he faced as a student-athlete would greatly affect his college experience. Yet, he made the transition from high school to college look effortless as he subscribed to Tressel's theory on time management.
"Being timely is an important thing to coach Tressel," Schafer said. "He likes everyone to be five minutes early and ready to go at all times. Time management has definitely been an important part of my life as a student-athlete. Balancing the life of a full-time student with two-hour long film study sessions and two-hour long practices is hard and the days are long. Some people think being a football player is easy and we have things handed to us, but it's not true. We work hard."
Yet walking through the tunnel onto the turf at Ohio Stadium and sharing the undying passion of Buckeye football with sold out crowds remind him of why he continues to work so hard. Achieving success on the gridiron with Ohio State has been the pinnacle of Schafer's career.
"The emotions and feelings running through me at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl during the double overtime are indescribable," Schafer said. "Just being at the game is one of my best memories and one that will definitely stick with me. This year we have our eyes set on the national championship. It's something we always aim for but it seems like this year, more so than last year, we have the capability to be champions again."
Schafer, now a senior leader, has combined the lessons and experiences of the last four years donning the scarlet and gray and discovered how to be an effective, but quiet leader, friend and individual.
"Every senior has a leadership role on the team," Schafer said. "I stress to the younger guys the importance of doing things right and starting off right because once you go off on the wrong track it's hard to get back in line. I remind them to always be on time and fulfill their assignments."
While Schafer may not be the guy vocally pushing his teammates to give their all, he fulfills his leadership role by quietly accepting and excelling at the tasks handed to him by the coaching staff. With self-confidence devoid of egoism, Schafer has filled the role of a utility lineman for the Buckeyes, bouncing back and forth between the offensive and defensive lines to add depth to the unit's strength without missing a beat.
"Coming out of high school I was recruited as a defensive end," Schafer said. "When I arrived at Ohio State I was moved to defensive tackle and then moved again to offensive tackle. Each time I was moving around to add depth in positions where the team needed me. Like in 2005, I started on the defense until
Kirk Barton got injured and
Steve Rehring was lost for the season. The coaches then had me fill in on the offensive side. That is where I am staying, and I'm happy in the position where I finally ended up."
Ohio State offensive coordinator
Jim Bollman could not be happier to have Schafer under his direction either.
"Tim brings the offensive line a lot of experience," Bollman said. "He was a starter for almost half of a year at right tackle on offense before switching over to defense. Learning to play on both sides of the ball has made him a more knowledgeable and better teammate. Schafer has been great for the offensive line over the years as he bounced between guard and tackle to help us add more depth."
Like the hero in an epic story, things are coming full circle for the 6-foot-5-inch, 290 pound senior. On his path to maturity he has made mistakes, learned to look to himself for the answers and shared his wisdom with the next generation of Buckeye greats. Nearing the end of his football days, Schafer credits his career successes to the support from his parents and coaches.
"I could not have asked for a better set of parents," Schafer said. "They have supported me through the challenges in my life and haven given and done so much for me. The same goes for coach Tressel. He teaches more than just football and I've learned a lot from him. He taught me how to do things right and how to be a better person, a better family member and a better teammate."
In the end, Schafer will walk away from Ohio State with the heart of the football program and university's message. He walks away a confident man. Schafer walks away from the university with fundamental skills to help him achieve great success in all future endeavors. The essence of Ohio State is simply a blueprint for developing one's character and Schafer followed the course. He looked to his environment to mold him, he discovered and utilized his strengths and finally he shared his insight by taking the lead as a senior.
Schafer did something great. He became a Buckeye.
