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LB Chris Spielman (2x All-American, 4x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, CFB HOF)

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Former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns linebacker Chris Spielman named to College Football Hall of Fame
by From staff reports
Thursday April 30, 2009

Former Ohio State and Browns linebacker Chris Spielman is one of 16 players named to the 2009 College Football Hall of Fame Induction Class, the National Football Foundation announced today.

Spielman played for Ohio State from 1984 to 1987.

The 1987 Lombardi Award winner, he earned back-to-back First Team All-America honors (unanimous in 1987 and consensus in 1986) en route to leading Ohio State to three consecutive bowl games and establishing himself as one of the all-time greats in a storied Buckeye program.

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OSU file photo
Ohio State All-American Chris SpielmanA three-time first Team All-Big Ten selection, Spielman was named the top defensive player in the 1987 Cotton Bowl. He was also a member of two Big Ten championship teams (1984, '86). He twice led the Buckeyes in tackles and graduated as the school's all-time leader in solo tackles (283). Spielman finished his prolific defensive career at OSU with 546 tackles, eight sacks and 11 interceptions.

After graduating in 1988, Spielman was drafted by Detroit in the second round of the NFL Draft, playing with the franchise for eight seasons and becoming the first Lion ever to register 1,000 career tackles. He spent two seasons with the Buffalo Bills and was named to the Pro Bowl six times.

Spielman currently works as an ESPN college football color commentator and with several local sports talk radio shows in Columbus. He also is a visible participant for increasing resources for breast cancer research.
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Former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns linebacker Chris Spielman named to College Football Hall of Fame - Ohio State Buckeyes Football & Basketball News - cleveland.com

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9aSFIMbUmY]YouTube - Buckeye Classics: Chris Spielman excerpt[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Nlz1WR3bk]YouTube - Detroit Lions tribute to Chris Spielman[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDBFR-UjjxU]YouTube - Final minutes (Spielman's INT, celebration) - Iowa 1985[/ame]
 
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Spielman turns emotional over spot in hall of fame
Friday, May 1, 2009
By Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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FILE PHOTO
Chris Spielman was a two-time All-American and winner of the 1987 Lombardi Award.

Of all the people who flashed through his mind Wednesday night, in the moments after learning that he was named to the College Football Hall of Fame, one stood out to former Ohio State linebacker Chris Spielman:

His father, Sonny, who died of cancer in October 2008.

"He would have his face painted in Buckeye colors today, with his Spielman jersey on," said Chris, his voice quiet and clearly emotional.

Before that, he said he thought of teammates, roommates, and coaches "and then I thought, 'Oh my gosh, I hope all my family can come (to the induction ceremony).'

"Then I said a prayer of thanksgiving, and thought of how humbling this is, and how cool. And all of that was in about the first 15 seconds."

Spielman became the 28th Ohio State player or coach to be elected to the Hall, which announced its 2009 class yesterday.

Spielman was a high school legend at Massillon Washington, with his picture on a box of Wheaties, before playing at OSU from 1984 to '87. He was a two-time All-American, winner of the 1987 Lombardi Award and is the school's third-leading tackler (546) and is first in solo tackles (283).

All of that, though, he said, paled in comparison to this latest honor.

"I never have gotten caught up or worried about these things (honors)," he said, "but I told my kids the other night that this probably is the only individual award I ever wanted."

He learned he was elected Wednesday evening, and the night got even more emotional when he told his wife, Stefanie.

"She never ever shows any emotion about any awards," Spielman said. "But when I told her, she cried. That's why it means so much for me, because she wanted it for me."

Earle Bruce, Spielman's coach at Ohio State, said Spielman "epitomizes a football player. He loves the game of football, no doubt about that. He was dedicated to playing hard, he was tough and he liked the game. He displayed it every Friday night or Saturday afternoon."
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BuckeyeXtra - The Columbus Dispatch : Spielman turns emotional over spot in hall of fame

Chris Spielman elected to College Football Hall of Fame
By Todd Porter
CantonRep.com staff report
May 01, 2009

SOUTH BEND, Ind. ? From the cover of the Wheaties box to college football?s legend?s club, Chris Spielman came full circle Thursday. Spielman, arguably the best linebacker to ever wear an Ohio State uniform, is now a college football hall of famer.

Spielman will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame with 15 other players and two coaches, the National Football Foundation announced Thursday. The two-time Buckeye All-American and 1987 Lombardi Award winner has been eligible the last 12 years.

?I never put much emphasis on individual awards,? said Spielman, a Massillon Washington High graduate. ?When I first thought about it, I thought first about my teammates, my coaches ... and I thought about my dad. He would be proud today. He would be beside himself.?

Sonny Spielman died last fall. He was a high school coaching legend in Stark County.

?I really didn?t know how much it meant to me until I called my wife and she got emotional. ... From the proper perspective, it?s the coolest thing,? Spielman said.

Spielman will be inducted in December during a ceremony in New York. The College Football Hall of Fame is in South Bend, Ind.

Former OSU Head Coach Earle Bruce, for whom Spielman played, never doubted his former linebacker was a hall of famer. It was a question of when.

?He epitomized a pro football player, a college player and a high school player,? Bruce said. ?He was physical. He was tough. He hit you. ... My God, the first time I saw him was his senior year at Massillon and he kicked off, he returned kicks, he was the punter and punt returner. He carried the ball 25 times and he made most of the tackles. Damn, that?s pretty good. Then I saw him the second week and he was better.?

Trying to define OSU football in the mid-to-late 1980s without Spielman isn?t possible. The Buckeyes won two Big Ten titles. In the 1986 Michigan game, Spielman had 29 tackles.

When Spielman accepted Bruce?s scholarship offer, it came with a bit of hesitation. Not because Spielman had second thoughts about being a Buckeye. He phoned Bruce in the middle of the night just before signing day.

?I?m dead asleep and answer the phone,? Bruce said. ?He said, ?This is Chris Spielman and I made my decision.? Then there must?ve been three minutes of silence. I?m thinking, what the hell? Where is he going? He might be going to Michigan and he?s afraid to tell me.?
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Chris Spielman elected to College Football Hall of Fame - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com
 
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Todd Porter: With Chris Spielman, family always comes first
By Todd Porter
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted May 02, 2009

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Spielman family
Stefanie and Chris Spielman

COLUMBUS ? By the time Chris Spielman arrived at his kid?s lacrosse practice Thursday, word of his election into the College Football Hall of Fame had spread. All of Columbus is Spielman?s neighborhood.

A man congratulated Spielman, whose daughter Macy wondered why the stranger complimented her father.

?Daddy received a nice award today,? Spielman recalled.

Macy?s response?

?OK. Is ?American Idol? on tonight??

?That?s how I raised them to be,? Spielman said. ?They know I played and did all right. But I?ve always downplayed individual awards.?

Spielman reached the pinnacle of a college football career with his inclusion in the Hall.

Yet there he was, still teaching his kids a life lesson about values.

Most around here know Spielman as a ferocious linebacker who broke helmets ? true story ? when he played middle school football. We know him for his honesty on ESPN and Columbus radio.

We also know him better than most because we would have put him in the husband and father hall of fame a long time ago.
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Todd Porter: With Chris Spielman, family always comes first - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com
 
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Todd Porter: What's next for Spielman?
By Todd Porter
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted May 02, 2009

The College Football Hall of Fame isn?t the first hall of fame for Chris Spielman. He was part of the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame?s inaugural class in 2002.

?Yeah, you guys got it right the first time,? Spielman said, joking.

But is the College Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., the last hall for Spielman?

Spielman has been among the top 70 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in past years. His NFL credentials have merit and are worthy of consideration.

Absolutely the former Detroit Lion, Buffalo Bill and Cleveland Brown has allowed himself to dream about being elected in his hometown of Canton.

?I sure do. ... I grew up there,? Spielman said. ?Do I obsess about or do I want to campaign for it? No. I could understand if I did go in, and I could understand if I didn?t go in.

?The College Hall of Fame was more important to me because it was Ohio State. Anybody who knows me knows how important that is to me to hear Chris Spielman from Ohio State. That was the cool thing about it.

?This was something I knew was attainable and was a good chance to happen.?

Spielman was a four-time Pro Bowler and made various media All Pro teams during his 10-year career.
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Todd Porter: What's next for Spielman? - Canton, OH - CantonRep.com
 
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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Chris Spielman tells Kyle-coached Team USA that this is about American pride
Posted by Norm Weber June 23, 2009

NORTH CANTON -- Chris Spielman, for one, is adamant when he says that American pride is at stake when the Chuck Kyle-coached TEAM USA takes the field for the international championship tournament of American football in Saturday's first round against France.

The former Massillon High star spoke in the Olympic Village tonight here at Walsh University to the American players. Some might have been expecting a brief pep talk. That was hardly what they got.

"They are coming on our turf and coming here to play our game," said Spielman, a two-time All-American at Ohio State. "You guys have to win this tournament for everyone here who has ever played this game before you, who are playing it right now and who will play this game in coming years. This is about American Patriotism. You have a chance to prove something to the world that we haven't had a chance to do since the 1980 Olympic hockey team."

Spielman's seriousness and intensity came out loud and clear when he admonished one US player sitting in the third row.

"Stop that text messaging right now," Spielman said to him. "I didn't drive up here from Columbus for two hours to talk to you to have you text messaging when I am trying to explain how important it is four our country for us to win this game. We are going to need more discipline than that if we are going to win this tournament."

Spielman, a four-time pro bowl selection with the Lions and Bills, spoke with the intensity he inherited from his father, the late Sonny Spielman, who was a head coach at nearby Canton Timken and who passed in December.

"Faith, family and football," Spielman said. "Those are the three most important things to me. You should be playing this game for God, your community, your family and the team, in that order. This is not about yourselves. Only if you pull together are you going to accomplish this mission."
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HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Chris Spielman tells Kyle-coached Team USA that this is about American pride - West Side Sun - Cleveland.com
 
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"Stop that text messaging right now," Spielman said to him. "I didn't drive up here from Columbus for two hours to talk to you to have you text messaging when I am trying to explain how important it is for our country for us to win this game. We are going to need more discipline than that if we are going to win this tournament."
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I would have loved to have heard Spiels say this, and to have seen the look on the kid's face afterwards. :lol:
 
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