OL Dick Schafrath (7-time Pro Bowler, R.I.P)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/12/06

Missing peace

Ex-Buckeye Schafrath fills void as he closes in on degree

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Dick Schafrath works with Mary Clare McPherson, 5, to develop her motor skills at the OSU Child Care Center.

Dick Schafrath was an offensive lineman on Ohio State’s 1957 national championship team.


The sense of incompletion gnawed at Dick Schafrath. Even as he played 13 years for the Cleveland Browns, clearing paths for Hall of Famers Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly; even as he beat intestinal cancer and paddled a canoe across Lake Erie in celebration; even as he ran 62 miles from Cleveland Stadium to Wooster on a bet; and especially as he spent 13 years as a senator in the Ohio state legislature, something was missing.

"I didn’t have my college degree," Schafrath said. "When I was here at Ohio State before, I blew it. I’ve lived almost 70 years now, and I can honestly say that was the biggest regret I ever had, even though I kept it in the background."

No more. Schafrath is just a month from that diploma. He has completed all but one requirement, an independent studies course, toward a degree in sport and exercise sciences in the College of Education.

"I saw it as a challenge I wanted to finish, and now, boy, am I close," he said.

Schafrath looks like a high-energy grandpa (he has seven children and 11 grandchildren) at a family reunion as he and several other students, including current OSU player Albert Dukes, led a class of youngsters in a motordevelopment class at the OSU Child Care Center.

"We’re going to be sad to see him go," Dr. Jackie Goodway-Shiebler said as she watched.

Schafrath became her pet project, in a way. Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and Schafrath’s longtime friends, Bruce Zoldan and Jim Ward, urged him to finish his degree, but it wasn’t as simple as signing up.

The athletics department has an outreach program that pays tuition for former scholarship athletes, Tressel told him. To qualify, though, there are two criteria: be within 45 credits of the degree, and have a gradepoint average of 2.00 or better.

Schafrath was 46 credits short, with a 1.99.

He didn’t achieve that stunt in the canoe until the third attempt, but that was done in a couple of days. The 62-mile run egged on by a car dealer in his native Wooster, that wasn’t such a good idea going into his final year with the Browns in 1971. But it was over in less than 18 hours, and he won a station wagon for his effort.

"This going back to school, it was totally different," Schafrath said. "It wasn’t going to be done with just one class or just one quarter. It’s taken six quarters. At first I was intimidated pretty bad."

Goodway-Shiebler determined his proficiency level — "He’d had very little experience using computers, for example," she said. "And if you held him accountable for only those courses that were on the books from 50 years ago, he’d have to start over again" — then mapped out his path. The classes included sports law, adaptive physical education, coaching, "and some history courses I never took back then," Schafrath said.

Schafrath was eligible for the outreach program by the end of his first quarter.

"What an experience for all of us," Goodway-Shiebler said. "For example, the richness he brought to that coaching class because of all of his experiences was extraordinary."

Anna Long, a village manager at the Child Care Center, enjoyed not only getting to know Schafrath but watching him interact with his teachers, fellow students and the youngsters.

"Being a loyal Buckeye fan, Browns fan and a person who follows politics, I recognized who he was right away, and I was quite impressed," Long said.

"He said he just wanted to show his children and grandchildren that, hey, anybody can accomplish anything they want to. And boy, he is living proof of that."

If only he’d been so dedicated his first time through, Schafrath said.

"When I was here before, I was a poor student," Schafrath said. "I didn’t want a degree. I didn’t care about it."

His father, a dairy farmer in Wayne County, dropped out of school after eighth grade. Schafrath had no intention of going much beyond that; he wanted to be a pro baseball player.

Woody Hayes convinced him that his future should include playing football for the Buckeyes, and Schafrath excelled as an offensive lineman, part of the 1957 national championship team and a captain as a senior in ’58.

The Browns drafted him in ’59, and he was their starting left tackle for 12 years, making two Pro Bowl trips.

"It became obvious to me a few years later I truly did not understand the value of that degree, because you would have gotten so many other, better possibilities than I pursued after my playing days were over," said Schafrath, who made $30,000 his last season with the Browns. "Now, I did get lucky and become a state senator. But with that degree, you can get into some other really good, meaningful occupations."
Schafrath has already added author to his list of careers. His autobiography, The Heart of a Mule: Bred to Compete, will be released this summer.

Dispatch

7/12/06

Program helps returning athletes pursue degrees

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH




Dick Schafrath, 69, might take the award for graduation procrastination among former Ohio State student-athletes involved in the school’s degree completion program, but he won’t be the only one taking home a diploma at the end of summer quarter.

Roger Harper (football, early 1990s), Chris Jent (basketball, early ’90s) and Sheri Burkholder (volleyball, mid ‘90s) are expected to join Schafrath (football, late ’50s), Darin Meeker said.

Meeker is associate director of the student-athlete supportservices office, and for a year has been director of the degree completion program, started by Bill Myles in the mid-1990s.

"We have counselors that work with each team and closely monitor the student-athletes’ progress toward a degree while they’re here," Meeker said. "Then those that leave or move on for some reason without completing their requirements, we encourage them to come back and finish."

More than 100 former scholarship student-athletes have taken advantage thus far, Meeker said. To qualify, they must be within 45 credits of degree completion and have a 2.00 or better grade-point average. The athletics department pays the tuition for the rest of the course work.

"It was a lifeline for me, absolutely, because I am a divorcee, a mother of a 5-year-old who is working and going to school," said Burkholder, whose degree will be in child and family studies. "I couldn’t have done it without them."

In return, the former studentathlete works 10 hours a week for the university. Schafrath worked for the support-services office as a study table proctor and computer lab proctor.

One of the program’s first beneficiaries was Clark Kellogg. He played basketball at OSU from 1979 to 1982 and earned his degree in 1996.

Seven former student-athletes are currently at different stages in the program.

"Obtaining a college degree is very important to these individuals," Meeker said. "As athletes, they are naturally competitive and used to hard work, which is what made them successful in the first place. Now they can channel that toward obtaining their degree."

[email protected]

 

[ScriptOhio]

re: "Roger Harper (football, early 1990s), Chris Jent (basketball, early ’90s) and Sheri Burkholder (volleyball, mid ‘90s) are expected to join Schafrath (football, late ’50s), Darin Meeker said."

Congratulations to all four!!!

Unfortunately they probably won't count on Ohio State's APR scores.

 

[BB73]

When Schafrath gets that degree next month, somewhere Woody will be smiling.

 

[OSUsushichic]

When Schafrath gets that degree next month, somewhere Woody will be smiling.

So will my father. They were good friends.

 

[Dryden]

Goodway-Shiebler determined his proficiency level — "He’d had very little experience using computers, for example," she said. "And if you held him accountable for only those courses that were on the books from 50 years ago, he’d have to start over again" — then mapped out his path. The classes included sports law, adaptive physical education, coaching, "and some history courses I never took back then," Schafrath said.

Of course he didn't take some history courses back then, they would have been current events!

 

[JCOSU86]

Dick worked with us here at the Ohio Dept of Health. Good speaker, friendly guy.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Telegraph-Forum

8/29/06

Schafrath finally gets degree from OSU
By Jon Spencer
T-F staff

COLUMBUS -- Even in the afterlife, Woody Hayes is producing victories. It's safe to say none of his five national titles would've given him more satisfaction than seeing former pet project Dick Schafrath receive his diploma during graduation ceremonies Sunday in the Schottenstein Center.
A half century after Hayes took Schafrath into his football program -- and into his home, so he could keep a closer eye on his reluctant student -- the prodigal son and former state senator from Mansfield returned to campus to finish work on his degree. In between, he became a fixture on the offensive line for the Buckeyes, went on to a long Pro Bowl career with the Cleveland Browns, served four terms in the Ohio senate and performed superhuman feats -- wrestling a bear, canoeing across Lake Erie and running 62 miles in one day -- that made tackling schoolwork, belatedly, just the latest expression of his quirky personality.

Schafrath, affectionately called "mule" by teammates and friends, knows his bullheaded coach with the terrible temper and soft spot for graduates would have been proud of this amazing comeback.
"I was a horrible student the first time around," said Schafrath, who turns 70 in March. "I lived with Woody off and on for two years. I was eligible as long as I lived with Woody. But the next quarter I wouldn't go to class because all I wanted to do was play baseball."
The Wooster native and son of a dairy farmer had no intention of going to college. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school.
"But I never got there," Schafrath said, "because Woody recruited my parents."
Living with regret
Schafrath left Ohio State with three letters, two wins over Michigan, a Rose Bowl victory and the everlasting glory that comes with being a national champion (1957) and senior captain (1958). He also left with a subterranean 1.99 grade point average and some gnawing unfinished business.
"When he gave speeches, he always said how he regretted not having his degree," said Heidi Hoffmann of Mansfield, Schafrath's daughter. "He always talked about how Woody and his mom were always on his case. I think it ate at him."
With encouragement from Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and longtime friends Bruce Zoldan and Jim Ward, Schafrath decided last year to plunge back into academ-
ia. He dug out the metal Roy Rogers lunchbox he used as a gradeschooler, carried his books around in a kitty litter bucket and even slung a whistle around his neck -- "just in case," he joked, "one of the (co-eds) chased me."
Schafrath knew there was nowhere else to go but up in the classroom. That's why he began wearing a T-shirt bearing this message: "1.99 and still rising."
Taking advantage of an outreach program that pays tuition for former OSU scholarship athletes, Schafrath says he maintained a "B and above" average while earning 46 credits toward his degree in sport and exercise sciences in the College of Education.
His classes included sports law and adaptive physical education. Part of his schooling also involved leading a class of youngsters in a motordevelopment class at the OSU Child Care Center.
That was probably one of the few times the sports legend with seven children and 11 grandchildren felt truly comfortable in school.
For years he said nothing made him feel more uneasy than watching game film under the critical eye of icon Paul Brown, his first coach with the Browns. But true fear was walking back into a classroom for the first time in nearly 50 years.
"I started out with one five-hour class and was scared to death," Schafrath said. "I can't see too well out of one eye and have memory problems and anxiety problems. I felt intimidated. I'm probably the only one of 53,000 students who didn't know anything about computers. In return for tuition, I had to work as a proctor in one of the computer rooms, and I didn't even know how to turn the computer on."
Heidi Hoffmann jokes that she and her siblings should also have their names on their dad's diploma.
"I'm the only one of the children still in Ohio and he was always crying to me how hard it was," Hoffman said, teasingly. "I feel like I typed some of those papers he had to turn in. The whole family helped earn that degree."
A tough climb
As a Browns rookie trying to convince Paul Brown he was big enough to play offensive tackle in the pros, Schafrath once hid suspenders holding up a 25-pound iron jockstrap under his shirt before stepping on the scale for his coach.
There were no shortcuts this time around.
"This was nothing like doing something in one day," Schafrath said.
Becoming a college graduate took even more energy than his wrestling matches with Victor the Bear at sports shows. It was more taxing than paddling across Lake Erie after he beat intestinal cancer, or running 62 miles from Cleveland Stadium to Wooster before his final season with the Browns in 1971. It took Schafrath less than 18 hours to complete his ultra-marathon and he won a station wagon as part of a bet with a Wooster car dealer.
"This lasted two years and was like going up and down the mountain every day," Schafrath said. "You've got to write essays and constantly do something every day. It was a challenge. I told myself to keep my head down and finish this baby."
Rooting him on the entire way was Tressel.
"Think about all the awesome things he did as a college football player, then went on to a professional career and then his career of serving our government," Tressel said. "Now to come full circle, it makes you proud.
"I told him one time, 'You know, Schaf, you can make my job a lot easier.' I can point to a guy who played 58 minutes a game when he was here, became a world champion and All-Pro, and it was important for him to finish his degree. No question, I'll use him as an example ... and the Eddie Georges and Mike Vrabels and the other guys who didn't need their degrees, per se, but to them it was important."
In agreeing to return to school, Schafrath tried to strike a deal with Tressel.
"I told Jim I never played as a freshman, so I still have a year of eligibility remaining and I would appreciate it if he extended that privilege," Schafrath said. "Jim said, 'We'll make you our secret weapon ... but we're going to keep it a secret.' "
White-haired wonder
It's no secret what this latest achievement means to the rest of Schafrath's family and friends. His kids, sharing their dad's sense of humor, decorated his graduation cap with mule ears and a light on top. After the ceremony, a party was held in his honor at the Ohio State golf course.
"We wanted to make sure we could see him among all the graduates and that everybody else knows the weirdo with the white hair," Heidi Hoffmann said of the custom-made cap. "Everybody in the family is like, 'Wow, it's really great that he's done this after all this time.' But when he puts his mind on something, he usually does it."
Overlooked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite being a six-time Pro Bowler and blocking for enshrinees Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, Schafrath said it's satisfaction enough being a college graduate.
"The line I played with in Cleveland was great and we could have all been in the Hall of Fame," he said. "It would be great to see one of them in there. But that's not my goal. My goal was to honor my commitment (to finish school). My dad always taught me to follow through with my commitment. I never did. So I told myself I'm just going to go on and do it.
"Look at the options a college degree gives you. Without one, your opportunities are limited. I just happened to be fortunate to play 13 years in the NFL."
Even with the sheepskin, Schafrath's options appear limited at his age. Or are they?
"Now I want everyone to know me as Dr. Schafrath," he joked. "What will I do with this degree? Nothing. Find another challenge and do that. I always have to be doing something."
[email protected] 419-521-7239

 

[BB73]

Well done.

 

[Best Buckeye]

Great job

Great Post.
Great Buckeye, Great Buckeye player. He probably made Woody prouder today than when he played.
I did take note of the graduation cap his freinds made for him. His nickname is "mule"

:osu:

 

[JCOSU86]

I worked with Mr. Schafrath for a couple of years. Great guy.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Former Cleveland Brown gets degree

Created: 9/2/2006 11:28:45 PM
Updated:9/3/2006 7:17:38 AM

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- A 69-year-old former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns player who went on to become a state senator has finally earned his college degree.
Dick Schafrath received his degree from Ohio State, where he played football a half century ago.

The sport and exercise science major decided to go back to school last year.

Lacking a degree always bothered Schafrath, but it hardly hindered his success.

He had a long Pro Bowl career with the Cleveland Browns and served four terms in the Ohio Senate.

At Ohio State, he was Woody Hayes' pet project.

The legendary coach even had Schafrath live with him.

He was on the 1957 national championship team.

 

[Steve19]

Somewhere, Woody is smiling.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Woody's 'project' earns degree
By Jon Spencer
Mansfield News Journal COLUMBUS, Ohio - Even in the afterlife, Woody Hayes is producing victories.
It's safe to say none of his national titles would've given him more satisfaction than seeing former pet project Dick Schafrath receive his diploma from Ohio State during graduation ceremonies last weekend in the Schottenstein Center.
A half century after Hayes took Schafrath into his football program - and into his home, so he could keep a closer eye on the reluctant student - the prodigal son and former state senator from Mansfield returned to campus to finish work on his degree.
In between, he became a fixture on the offensive line for the Buckeyes, went on to a long Pro Bowl career with the Cleveland Browns, served four terms in the Ohio senate and performed superhuman feats - wrestling a bear, canoeing across Lake Erie and running 62 miles in one day - that made tackling schoolwork, belatedly, just the latest expression of his quirky personality.
Schafrath, affectionately called "mule" by teammates and friends, knows his bullheaded coach with the terrible temper and soft spot for graduates would have been proud of this amazing comeback.
"I was a horrible student the first time around," said Schafrath, who turns 70 in March. "I lived with Woody off and on for two years. I was eligible as long as I lived with Woody. But the next quarter I wouldn't go to class because all I wanted to do was play baseball."
The Wooster native and son of a dairy farmer had no intention of going to college. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds out of high school.
"But I never got there," Schafrath said, "because Woody recruited my parents." Schafrath left Ohio State with three letters, two wins over Michigan, a Rose Bowl victory and the everlasting glory that comes with being a national champion (1957) and senior captain (1958). He also left with a subterranean 1.99 grade point average and some gnawing unfinished business.
"When he gave speeches, he always said how he regretted not having his degree," said Heidi Hoffmann of Mansfield, Schafrath's daughter. "He always talked about how Woody and his mom were always on his case. I think it ate at him."
With encouragement from Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and longtime friends Bruce Zoldan and Jim Ward, Schafrath decided last year to plunge back into academia. He dug out the metal Roy Rogers lunch box he used as a gradeschooler, carried his books around in a kitty litter bucket and even slung a whistle around his neck - "just in case," he joked, "one of the (coeds) chased me."
Schafrath knew there was nowhere else to go but up in the classroom. That's why he began wearing a T-shirt bearing the message "1.99 and still rising."
Taking advantage of an outreach program that pays tuition for former Ohio State scholarship athletes, Schafrath says he maintained a "B and above" average while earning 46 credits toward his degree in sport and exercise sciences in the College of Education.
His classes included sports law and adaptive physical education. Part of his schooling also involved leading a class of youngsters in a motor development class at the Ohio State Child Care Center.
That was probably one of the few times the sports legend with seven children and 11 grandchildren felt truly comfortable in school.
For years he said nothing made him feel more uneasy than watching game film under the critical eye of icon Paul Brown, his first coach with the Browns. But true fear was walking back into a classroom for the first time in nearly 50 years.
"I started out with one five-hour class and was scared to death," Schafrath said. "I can't see too well out of one eye and have memory problems and anxiety problems. I felt intimidated. I'm probably the only one of 53,000 students who didn't know anything about computers."
As a Browns rookie trying to convince Paul Brown he was big enough to play offensive tackle in the pros, Schafrath once hid suspenders holding up a 25-pound iron jockstrap under his shirt before stepping on the scale for his coach.
There were no shortcuts this time around. "This was nothing like doing something in one day," Schafrath said.
Becoming a college graduate took even more energy than his wrestling matches with Victor the Bear at sports shows. It was more taxing than paddling across Lake Erie after he beat intestinal cancer, or running 62 miles from Cleveland Stadium to Wooster before his final season with the Browns in 1971. It took Schafrath less than 18 hours to complete his ultra-marathon and he won a station wagon as part of a bet with a Wooster car dealer.
"This lasted two years and was like going up and down the mountain every day," Schafrath said. "You've got to write essays and constantly do something every day. It was a challenge. I told myself to keep my head down and finish this baby."
Rooting him on the entire way was Tressel.
"Think about all the awesome things he did as a college football player, then went on to a professional career and then his career of serving our government," Tressel said. "Now to come full circle, it makes you proud.
"I told him one time, 'You know, Schaf, you can make my job a lot easier.' I can point to a guy who played 58 minutes a game when he was here, became a world champion and All-Pro, and it was important for him to finish his degree."

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Book traces lively life of Dick Schafrath
Monday, October 16, 2006 [FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BY Gary Brown REPOSITORY LIVING SECTION EDITOR[/FONT]

Dick Schafrath​

Former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns football star Dick Schafrath has 70 years of stories to tell.
That?s why the title of his new autobiography, ?Heart of a Mule: The Dick Schafrath Stories,? playfully has the word ?Story? crossed out and replaced by the plural.
Schafrath hasn?t had merely a single life. His careers and accomplishments have been many.
He won national football championships in 1957 with Ohio State University and in 1964 with the Cleveland Browns. Then he served four terms in the Ohio Senate. Along the way, he fit in such exploits as canoeing across Lake Erie, running nonstop from Wooster to Cleveland, and wrestling bears.
?Schafrath?s new book, ?Heart of a Mule,? tells the most entertaining and inspiring stories from his first 70 years,? writes the publisher, Gray & Co. of Cleveland. ?He writes about growing up on an Ohio farm with no plumbing, plowing behind a pair of mules; of playing alongside famous teammates and coaches (Jim Brown, Paul Brown, Gary Collins, and Woody Hays); of political campaigns and publicity stunts; and of a life dedicated to hard work and ruled by stubborn determination.?
He earned his nickname, ?The Mule.?
?A difference-maker. That?s the best description I could possibly give the Mule, Dick Schafrath,? writes Ohio State head coach Jim Tressell in a foreword to the book. ?Wherever he is, whoever he is with, his goal is to make a positive difference. Every person and every situation improves when Dick Schafrath is near.?
Former Browns players praise their teammate. The legendary Jim Brown calls him ?my friend,? and writes in a second foreword to the book that Schafrath is ?one of the most extraordinary human beings I have ever met ... a great teammate, a great American, and a great human being.?
?He didn?t want his picture in the paper, he was a team guy ? a mule, who thought that honoring your teammate was part of the job,? recalled Gary Collins. ?Dick worked hard in anything he undertook ? football, state senator, coach, teammate.?
Even in writing his book, Schafrath wasn?t attempting to draw attention to himself. He was treating his family to the retelling of his life.
?I have seven children and 11 grandchildren and they all enjoy listening to my stories,? Schafrath explained. ?I?ve done a lot of things, and as I was telling them about them, I started thinking, ?Why don?t I write them down, and give them a book.??
The writing of the stories took five or six years, Schafrath estimated. Recollecting was a labor of love.
?I got more laughs out of it than anybody,? said Schafrath, who will be appearing at a book signing at Borders Books & Music from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday. ?You go about life sometimes and you don?t have time to enjoy it. I had so much fun remembering. Nobody would believe it if you didn?t write it down.?
Indeed, Schafrath has had a life full of experiences. He excelled at a major college and in professional football. He served for several years as a senator in the state legislature. He playfully participated in ?publicity stunts,? such as entering eating contests.
But the stories in a pair of final chapters, perhaps, portray Schafrath most appropriately. ?Adventures With Family and Friends,? for example, speaks to his enjoyment of the family times that have been his favorite activities his entire life.
?Even with all those other things, the most fun I had were the things I did with my family,? he said. ?To this day, I enjoy challenging my kids (in competitions). I cheat like hell; I never let them beat me.?
The book?s final chapter, ?The Heart of This Mule,? subtitled ?Back to School,? addresses Schafrath?s successful effort to go back to Ohio State University to earn his degree. Coach Tressel provided the inspiration for Schafrath?s studies.
?He said ?You should go, you deserve it,? and he said that by doing it, it would say something to football players now, that I would be setting a good example,? Schafrath said.
As further encouragement, acquaintance Bruce Zoldin in Youngstown paid Schafrath?s room and board. Ohio State took care of tuition and fees under a scholarship program open to ex-athletes. ?I was the oldest to do it,? Schafrath said.
His degree was bestowed upon him only a few weeks ago at the age of 70.
?I had all my kids and grandkids there,? said Schafrath. ?It was a great day. It dotted the ?i? in my life.?

Reach Repository Living section editor Gary Brown at (330) 580-8303 or e-mail [email protected]


ABOUT THE BOOK
TITLE: ?Heart of a Mule?
AUTHOR: Dick Schafrath
PUBLISHER: Gray & Co. of Cleveland
PRICE: $24.95, hardcover
ISBN: 1-59851-024-X
WHERE TO BUY: Bookstores and online booksellers.

BOOK SIGNING
Dick Schafrath, former Cleveland Browns and Ohio State University star, will appear from 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Borders Books & Music at The Strip Plaza.
Schafrath will sign copies of his new book, ?Heart of a Mule: The Dick Schafrath Stories.? In the book Schafrath talks about growing up on a farm in Wayne County, playing football for the Buckeyes and Browns, serving in the Ohio Senate and accomplishing such unique feats as canoeing across Lake Erie and graduating from college at the age of 70.

FROM THE BOOK
-- ?Dad was born in 1909 in Canton, Ohio, of German lineage (Rohr-Schafrath). As the oldest child, Dad was raised to support his family. He finished school after eighth grade, worked daily at two full-time jobs, and helped on the dairy farm during his spare time. He turned his paychecks over to his parents until he was 21.? -- ?I was born on the first day of spring in 1937, in the middle of the Depression years and just before W.W.II, on our first farmhouse east of Wooster. Mom and I had to be taken by ambulance 30 miles to Mercy Hospital in Canton because of some birth complications. We were released some weeks later. By that time, I was king of the nursery, weighing nearly 20 pounds.?

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

A heart full of tales gives 'Mule' its kick

Schafrath writes on a storied life in memoir
Wednesday, October 25, 2006Bill Lubinger
Plain Dealer Reporter
The lives of today's sports figures and politicians are so whacked that Dick Schafrath's wild ride from the 1960s through '80s wouldn't cause a ripple.
But in his day, running 62 miles on a car-dealer's bet, canoeing across Lake Erie and wrestling bears made big headlines.
Such odd pursuits also made for an offbeat life that the former Ohio State and Cleveland Browns' standout tackle and four-term Republican state senator chronicles in a new book, "Heart of a Mule: The Dick Schafrath Stories" ($24.95, Gray & Co.).
His reason for writing it was as simple as his upbringing as the oldest of seven on a Wooster farm, where the family relied on outhouses and shared bathwater. (His first real shower wasn't until high school sports - at least partly why he signed up for so many.)
"Nobody believes every thing I did," Schafrath said recently by phone, "so I had to start documenting it."
On a friend's urging, handwritten notes and a loose diary were typed for him and converted to a huge manuscript that was sliced in half for publica tion.
"I've got enough left over to do another book, just on stories of Woody Hayes and Paul Brown," he said.
Pages that made the cut present quite a range of experiences.
Schafrath won a Rose Bowl and national championship with the Buckeyes. He signed with the Browns for $600 a month, plus a $750 bonus as a rookie in 1959. In 1964, the team won an NFL title - its last. After he retired from the Browns in 1971, he bought and ran a canoe livery in Loudonville for 25 years.
Fittingly in its strangeness, he was recruited to run for the Ohio Senate in 1985 while in Wyoming, about to accept a job managing a 10,000-acre cattle ranch for Jess Bell, late head of the Bonne Bell cosmetics firm.

Schafrath, who once managed a Chardon fitness club and had a son who played football at Newbury High School, joined former teammates Jim Brown and Mike McCormack as partners in the late real estate developer Bart Wolstein's failed bid to own the new Browns.
And last year, after almost 50 years, he returned to the OSU campus to complete the degree he had promised his parents and Hayes that he would earn. He graduated in August with a bachelor's degree in sport and leisure studies.
Schafrath, who has divorced three times, has seven children and 11 grandkids. He does some motivational speaking and is touring to promote the book.
But at 69, age has caught up with the man nicknamed "Mule" for his brute strength and stubborn determination. He's battled two types of cancer, struggles with vision problems and keeps his heart pumping with what he calls a "pacemaker fibulator" - a heart that still burns for a quirky challenge.
"I'm getting itchy to do another feat of some kind," he said.
Now the Mule is thinking of hopping a horse from Cincinnati to Cleveland. But not just for the ride. He wants to mail a letter and see if he can beat it here, Pony Express-style.
With Schafrath, it's always a competition.