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TE Jake Ballard (Super Bowl Champion)

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Ohio State?s Ballard puts hometown in national spotlight
By Pamela Dillon, Contributing writer
Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Ohio State University senior Jake Ballard put Springboro on the minds of millions of television viewers during the Rose Bowl game on New Year?s Day.

ABC color commentator and Centerville native Kirk Herbstreit noted the OSU tight end?s hometown after Ballard?s gravity-defying, 24-yard catch from quarterback Terrelle Pryor midway through the fourth quarter.

The 2006 Springboro High graduate impressed a lot of people that day when Ohio State desperately needed another first down on a third-and-13. That shot in the arm propelled them to a 26-17 win over the Oregon Ducks. One of the amazed onlookers was sportswriter Lenn Robbins of the New York Post.

For the Post?s Jan. 2 edition, Robbins wrote, ?And the Jake Ballards of the world, the hard-working guys who have trouble explaining even to themselves why they don?t get their moment to be a star until the fourth quarter of the last game of their college careers ... well, they get to walk off the Rose Bowl field with a grin as big as the San Gabriel Mountains.

There are quite a few more accolades within the article, all under this title in bold print ? ?Ballard, Buckeyes take Rose Bowl.?

?Ben and I have been so fortunate in many ways,? said Jake?s mother, Debby Ballard. ?We have had the privilege to be the parents of an Ohio State University football player. To play in a postseason BCS game is an honor earned through many hours of hard work, play and season victories. To watch our son play in the Rose Bowl tournament was special and full of exciting moments.?

The day before the game, Debby and Ben Ballard were treated to a parents? brunch at the stadium in Pasadena sponsored by The Rose Bowl committee. The meal included entertaining speakers, a tour of the football stadium and Rose Bowl floats in various stages of completion. But of course the biggest adrenaline rush for Jake?s relatives and friends came the next day.

?It?s thrilling to watch your child on any stage. It?s priceless to watch him run out of The Rose Bowl tunnel, walk out to the center of the field as captain for the coin toss, and play almost every offensive series,? Debby Ballard said. ?He does his job every game, blocking and hoping for a pass or two. But in the biggest game of the Buckeye season, Jake gets the chance to keep the momentum going and show his talent.?

During the postgame celebration, head coach Jim Tressel holds the Rose Bowl trophy and concludes his speech. And with one word, ?Jake,? he turns around and hands it to Ballard.

?The team worked hard and reached a much coveted goal,? Debby said. ?We couldn?t be more pleased as parents to watch this group of young men come together for a common goal.

?Ben and I realize how lucky we have been to be part of the OSU football family. We appreciate the support of the Springboro community and all the warmth and adulation towards Jake when he is home for visits.?
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Ohio State’s Ballard puts hometown in national spotlight
 
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The pic of him making THAT catch in the Rose Bowl (I think), is one we are all going to remember for a very long time. How "clutch" was that?!

This 45 year old alumn was jumping up and down in his living room after that catch frightening his kids and household pet !
 
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grnvllbuck;1643179; said:
The pic of him making THAT catch in the Rose Bowl (I think), is one we are all going to remember for a very long time. How "clutch" was that?!

This 45 year old alumn was jumping up and down in his living room after that catch frightening his kids and household pet !
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On the other side of this, #11 for Oregon will forever be "posterized" for his attempt to get too familiar with Jake on this play...
 
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grnvllbuck;1643179; said:
The pic of him making THAT catch in the Rose Bowl (I think), is one we are all going to remember for a very long time. How "clutch" was that?!

This 45 year old alumn was jumping up and down in his living room after that catch frightening his kids and household pet !
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With you, G'ville. Possibly (ok, definitely) my best ever vertical was off of the couch for that play.
 
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diehardbuckeye;1637125; said:
As a Springboro alum I can say that I was over come with Boro Pride when he made that catch. Even more importantly though it over shadows the former achievement of a past alum of fumbling the opening kickoff for the Bills in the Super Bowl.
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Dang straight... and I even played college ball with that other guy.
 
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Ballard, a tight end from Springboro, said he?s hearing the fifth, sixth or seventh rounds, or possibly not at all.

Ballard, meanwhile, said teams looking for a blocking tight end are showing the most interest.

?(My agent is) saying the teams looking for blocking tight ends are the Jets, Vikings, Bengals, teams like that,? Ballard said. ?I have a weird feeling I might be playing football in Ohio next year. We?ll see. I?ll play for anybody who gives me a chance.?

Ballard thinks he can be more than just a blocking tight end at the NFL level. He knows he needs to show off those receiving and route-running skills at his pro day workout.

?It just depends on my pro day and how fast I can be,? Ballard said. ?They don?t know how fast I am or what routes I run because at Ohio State we ran the ball a lot. That?s OK because we won a lot of games. ... I think I?m a good blocking tight end. At the same time I think I can be a great receiving tight end and be one of those guys who can do both.?
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Area Buckeyes await NFL call
 
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Ballard: an unknown quantity to NFL
Departing tight end had few chances to show his catching skills
Thursday, March 11, 2010
By Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Jake Ballard can jump and he can catch, and he has the photo to prove it.

Many Ohio State fans have copies of that photo. It shows the 6-foot-6, 270-pound Ballard leaping above an Oregon defender in the Rose Bowl to pull in a 24-yard alley-oop pass from Terrelle Pryor. The fourth-quarter catch, on third-and-13, set up Pryor's clinching touchdown pass to DeVier Posey moments later.

Perhaps it would help Ballard's NFL aspirations if he passed out copies of the photo to the pro coaches and scouts who will descend on the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Friday for the Buckeyes' pro day drills. For Ballard and a handful of other OSU seniors who weren't invited to the NFL combine last month, it will be the best chance to drum up interest before the April draft.

"I'm not nervous. I'm more excited than anything about the chance," Ballard said. "What I want to show people is my speed and my routes.

"From what the scouts have been telling me, I am categorized as a blocking tight end right now, a sixth- or seventh-round guy, or free agent. They are not going to waste a high draft pick on a blocking tight end, and I totally understand that. I just want to prove I am much more than that."

Ballard has the photo. If only he had the stats. Or as an analysis on NFLdraftscout.com puts it:

"Ballard has great athleticism but rarely got to show it in Ohio State's offense, which never features the tight end. Ballard caught just 34 passes in his career, but 14 of them came as a senior. An above-average blocker, which is what is mostly required of the tight ends at Ohio State."

NFLdraftscout.com has Ballard ranked 23rd among tight ends. He's a mere sixth among tight end prospects from the Big Ten, a list led by Garrett Graham (ninth) of Wisconsin. Two tight ends from Illinois are mentioned, including Brookhaven High School product Jeff Cumberland (20th). Neither Cumberland nor Ballard is projected to be drafted, according to NFLdraftscout.com.

Ballard wants to change that.

"Every once in a while I will run into fans who will say, 'They should have thrown it to you a lot more,' and I'll say, 'Hey, you're preaching to the choir,'"Ballard said. "But I'll also add, 'We won a lot of games, so I'm not worried about it.'"
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Ballard: an unknown quantity to NFL | BuckeyeXtra
 
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Jake Ballard also had a hamstring issue, so he didn't run the forty-yard dash because he wanted to be able to do all of the other drills. He was disappointed that he couldn't showcase all of his skills because he knows he's seen as a blocking tight end and he wanted to show the scouts he could run.

?It?s very frustrating,? he said. ?I was hoping to come out here and surprise a lot of people and get my name on the map. I?m labeled as a blocking tight end and all of the scouts and teams think I?m just a slow blocking tight end. So I really wanted to surprise them.?

He is hopeful, however, that one of the teams will come back around in a couple of weeks so that he can run his forty and there will be a legit time for him being passed around the league.
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The-Ozone, Ohio State Football, Wrestling, Softball, Basketball, Hockey, Baseball and More

Two players had to deal with hamstring issues. Defensive tackle Todd Denlinger pulled up not long into his 40 attempt, not wanting to risk popping an already tender hamstring.

And tight end Jake Ballard said he's been nursing a hamstring injury for several weeks. He did not run a 40 or run any of the shuttle or cone drills, although he did manage some blocking drills.

"It's very frustrating," Ballard said. "I was hoping to come out here and surprise a lot of people and get my name on the map, because all the scouts think I'm just a slow, blocking tight end.

"Hopefully, I can just get into a camp somewhere."
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Small, Rose try to raise draft stock | BuckeyeXtra

Ballard holds back

Ballard did not run the 40 or in the shuttle drills on Friday because of a pulled hamstring. He took part in position drills, including blocking technique, but lamented not being able to post a good 40 time.

Ballard said he hoped to shed his image of a blocking tight end at pro day, but admitted he is likely to enter the draft with that label.
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Ohio State pro day notes: Whalen leaves disappointed - The News-Herald Sports : Breaking news coverage for Northern Ohio
 
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Springboro, OSU star Ballard signs free-agent deal with Giants
By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer
Monday, April 26, 2010

Jake Ballard had just finished working out at the Ohio State football facilities on Monday night, April 26, when he talked about his professional opportunity.

?As soon as the draft was over, the calls started coming,? said Ballard, the former Springboro High School and Ohio State tight end. ?There were five or six teams who wanted to sign me.?

After consulting with his agent, the undrafted Ballard decided on Monday to sign a free-agent contract with the New York Giants. He is scheduled to leave Thursday for a rookie minicamp in East Rutherford, N.J., where he hopes to begin his work on earning a roster spot.

Ballard said his draft stock suffered after he couldn?t run for scouts at Ohio State?s pro day because of a pulled hamstring.

?If I would?ve run the 40 (yard dash), I think it would?ve really helped,? Ballard said. ?But that?s the business, and I felt a lot better once I started getting calls.?

Ballard said he received interest from the Bengals, Browns, Patriots, Redskins and Giants, but he chose the Giants because his agent mentioned coach Tom Coughlin and tight ends coach Mike Pope were both personally interested in Ballard, the 6-foot-7 senior who averaged 11.5 yards on 14 catches last season.
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Springboro, OSU star Ballard signs free-agent deal with Giants
 
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Giants signee Ballard thrills fans in Springboro
By Alex Butler, Contributing Writer
Sunday, May 9, 2010

ddn051010spballardp_684099c.jpg

Former Ohio State football player Jake Ballard, a Springboro High School product, signed autographs Sunday, May 9, in the Bruce Smith Training Facility at CareFlight Field in Springboro. Ballard was signed by the New York Giants.

SPRINGBORO ? Men, women and children of all ages spilled out the door of the Bruce Smith Training Facility at CareFlight Field on Sunday, May 9, at Springboro High School.

They lined up to get an autograph or a picture with one of their own ? former Panthers and Ohio State Buckeyes? star tight end Jake Ballard.

Ballard, who signed a free-agent contract with the New York Giants after not getting selected in April?s NFL draft, took a break to pay back some of his faithful followers from Springboro.

About 200 fans and well-wishers came out to see Ballard, who signed a variety of items and memorabilia that included mini football helmets of both Ohio State and the Giants.

?It was really special to know that Springboro is behind me,? Ballard said, ?and that they came out to support me and definitely support the football program out here and trying to raise some money for them as well. It was really neat to see that everybody turned out, especially on Mother?s Day.?
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Giants signee Ballard thrills fans in Springboro
 
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