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Hawk's place in Bucks LBs stirs great debate
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-- ARTICLE BODYTEXT --><!--ARTICLE TEXT-->Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk is completing a fabulous collegiate career. The Buckeye senior has won a national championship, shared two Big Ten titles, and earlier this week tacked on a Lombardi Award to his All-America status. Barring injury he'll certainly be a first-round NFL draft pick. Now for the real question: Where does the Centerville graduate rank among Ohio State's litany of superstar linebackers?
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No doubt Hawk is a great one. He's developed every season, and added tremendous hitter to his resume this fall. At other schools he'd be considered the best ever. At Ohio State, he's a second-team all-time pick. That's no snub, no shot. It's a close call, and a very debatable one to boot.
For me though, it's just hard to see Hawk among the top four Buckeye 'backers. Maybe we're just too close to his career.
After all, this discussion begins with Randy Gradishar. Were he playing today, Gradishar probably would've pocketed a pair of Butkus Awards. Woody Hayes branded this Champion native his best-ever linebacker.
Gradishar proved it by finishing sixth in the 1973 Heisman balloting behind two teammates, John Hicks (second) and Archie Griffin (fifth).
Gradishar became unquestionably the greatest defensive player in Denver Broncos history. He played in seven Pro Bowls, was All-Pro five straight seasons (1977 to 1981) and the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 1978. He is perhaps the greatest player not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Gradishar is a College Football Hall of Famer.
Next on this list would be Tom Cousineau. Athletically, Cousineau was a fleet playmaker who packed a tremendous wallop. This two-time All-American was a key factor for three Big Ten title teams in 1975, 1976 and 1977 and was the defensive MVP of the 1977 Orange Bowl. He ranks second on the all-time tackle list.
Cousineau was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1979 draft when he was selected by the Buffalo Bills. No one else in this group can make that claim.
Today Andy Katzenmoyer is vastly underappreciated, and that's a shame. The biggest and fastest of all OSU linebackers, he's rarely mentioned when this topic arises, an unfathomable blunder considering Katzenmoyer was a three-time, first-team all-Big Ten pick, a first-team All-America choice and the Butkus Award winner in 1997. He also should've been the 1997 Rose Bowl MVP, with five tackles for loss in a dominant performance - particularly for a true freshman.
Katzenmoyer, a huge hitter, doesn't have great stats - largely because the defenses he anchored were so good he wasn't on the field enough to accumulate imposing numbers. I'm not a big tackle-stat disciple when it comes to this discussion - way too many variables. However, the Westerville native started from his first snap and was so brilliant as a freshman (23 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and 4 interceptions) it was impossible to live up to the expectations he created.
Therefore, in my opinion, he suffers in this discussion. Still, Katzenmoyer spearheaded three tremendous defenses that shaped two Big Ten title squads. His teams finished No. 2, No. 12, and No. 2 nationally in his three years, better than anyone else in this group. Katzenmoyer left school a year early and was a first-round NFL draft pick.
That brings us to the last member of the first-team fraternity. Chris Spielman, the 1987 Lombardi Award winner, has long been a fan favorite. Spielman had a penchant for making big plays in big games. His two interceptions and crucial fourth-down stop against Iowa in 1985 led to an upset of the nation's No. 1-ranked team. He was also defensive MVP of the 1987 Cotton Bowl.
However, Spielman played on some of the most underachieving defenses in OSU history. As a freshman and a sophomore, he could count Pepper Johnson, Eric Kumerow and William White as teammates (all taken in the first four rounds of the NFL draft) that embodied mediocre defensive units. It's a head scratcher. A game many cite as Spielman's greatest was a 29-tackle performance in 1986 against Michigan. A reason Spielman had so many tackles is the Buckeye defense surrendered more than 200 yards to Jamie Morris, Michigan's diminutive running back. Worse, quarterback Jim Harbaugh shredded Ohio State, backing up his grating guarantee of a win in the Horseshoe, which cost OSU a Rose Bowl trip.
If Hawk were to knock anyone off that first tier, in this corner anyway, it would be Spielman. Barring injury, Hawk is a certain first-round NFL draft pick. He will play in three BCS bowl games and was an integral part of three superb defenses.
Spielman was a second-round NFL draft pick who enjoyed a strong career with the Detroit Lions. He was a four-time Pro Bowl player and a one-time All-Pro. In college, though, his best Ohio State team was 10-3 and never challenged for a national title, largely because the program was plagued by uneven defensive performances during this era.
So, I reserve the right to change my mind when time allows for more perspective.
However, at this moment, Hawk is at the top of that second group of fine OSU linebackers, including Ike Kelly, Steve Tovar (both two-time All-Americans), and take your pick among Rick Middleton, Bob Brudzinski, Marcus Marek, and Johnson.
Those trailing Hawk and Co. would include Mike Ingram, Bruce Elia, Ken Kuhn, Kumerow, Craig Powell, Lorenzo Styles, Na'il Diggs and Matt Wilhelm. There are two All-America selections (Diggs and Wilhelm) and two first-round NFL draft picks (Kumerow and Powell) in that group.
Take a look at those names. It shows just how superior the linebacker club is at Ohio State.
(Contact Phillips via e-mail at
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Originally published December 13, 2005
