Coach Tressel with the National Champion Buckeyes

Champions Inspire Future Champions

By Jeff Wallner, NFLHS.com

Two champions -- one NFL and one college -- teamed up recently to help honor and inspire Cincinnati-area student-athletes.

Former Bengals offensive tackle and NFL Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz and Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel, who led his Buckeyes to the 2002 National Championship, were special guests at the 36th annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet hosted by the Cincinnati Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.

The mission of the National Football Foundation is to promote the game of football as a tool to train boys in courage, competition, and sportsmanship. Tressel, whose Buckeyes rolled to a 14-0 record including a stunning 31-24 victory over the Miami Hurricanes in the Fiesta Bowl, has not forgotten the lessons he learned as a high school athlete.

"One obvious thing that I recall from high school is how much our coaches cared for us," Tressel said. "They knew that most us weren't going to the NFL, in fact none of us did. They believed in what football taught you and allowed us to carry those things through our lives. For me they have."

The awards banquet was created to honor scholar-athletes who have excelled on the playing field, in the classroom, and in their communities. The mission is consistent with that of the Anthony Munoz Foundation, which was established to support children of all races and socio-economic backgrounds through the planning and executing of impact programs and the funding of youth related charities. The AMF is expected to directly impact thousands of Greater Cincinnati youth mentally, physically, and spiritually on an annual basis.

"The Anthony Munoz Foundation kicked off in April," Munoz said. "It's exciting the team we've put together. I can't do it alone. We've put a tremendous staff together, and that's all part of the community message in our mission statement. The foundation is all about fundraising, but not just raising dollars to give to various charitable groups. We also have impact programs. We kicked this off last April when we had 400 high school students at Xavier University (to discuss diversity issues in the community)."

During his NFL career, Munoz was named to the Pro Bowl 11 consecutive seasons. He earned NFL Offensive Lineman of the Year honors in 1981, 1987 and 1988. He was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994. Munoz was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio in 1998. He appeared in two Super Bowls with the Bengals in 1981 and 1989.

While a three-sport star at Chaffey High School in Ontario, Calif., Munoz was nicknamed "Moon" because when he hit a baseball it appeared as if the ball was headed to the moon. After a stellar career at USC, Munoz was selected by the Bengals with the third overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft.

Munoz was on hand at the banquet to present the inaugural Anthony Munoz Foundation Offensive and Defensive Lineman of the Year Awards. "I wanted to recognize the real athletes," Munoz said, laughing. "Really, we wanted to give recognition to the guys that are down there every single play taking care of business. When I was playing with the Bengals we had our weight training schedule up and it would say "Little Skills" and "Big Guys." One of my teammates changed it to read "Little Skills" and "Big Skills."

Munoz was serious, however, when discussing the overall meaning of the awards. "This (award) is not only about athletics, this is also about community service," Munoz said.

Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz

The Offensive Lineman of the Year was awarded to Jake Lay of Cincinnati Colerain High School. In addition to not allowing a quarterback sack in 39 starts, Lay also maintained a 3.73 GPA. The Defensive lineman of the Year was Tony Carvitti of the Division I state champion Elder. In all, 18 scholar-athletes were honored for their accomplishments.

Although he was the featured speaker, Tressel took a moment to show his appreciation of Munoz and his efforts in the community and throughout the state of Ohio.

"Anthony does so much for our communities in Ohio," Tressel said. "If any of us could do a fraction of what Anthony has done in Cincinnati and Ohio we'll be very successful."

Tressel, of course, is still riding high in the aftermath of the Buckeyes' magical season that concluded with a national title. "I think we all want to have our moment standing on top of the mountain," he said. "But, we needed to understand that this championship that we did enjoy is bigger than just our enjoyment. The lessons we learned and the people we touched were just as big."

Tressel and Munoz each spoke about the responsibility of leadership and stressed the importance of understanding that the team comes first. "The group is more important than the individual," Tressel said. "Sometimes that's a difficult thing to understand. I think the message is that athletics are a part of who you are, but it shouldn't give you your total self worth. There are a lot of things that make up who you are. But, you hope your participation in athletics helps you grow as a person."

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc.