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A true blessing
The biggest catch OSU receiver Anthony Gonzalez makes on game day is the prayer his 84-year-old grandmother phones from Miami.
BY JEFF SHAIN
[email protected]
CHRIS CUTRO / FOR THE MIAMI HERALD
FAMILY AFFAIR: Lourdes Gonzalez, 84, of Miami has been a huge influence on grandson Anthony, an Ohio State receiver.
Not long after scoring the first points in Ohio State's last No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, receiver Anthony Gonzalez encountered the red light of a TV camera on the Buckeyes' sideline at Texas.
Gonzalez gazed into the lens. ''Hi,
abuela,'' he said.
Within minutes, a steady stream of telephone calls began making their way to a home in southwest Miami.
''I was surprised,'' Lourdes Gonzalez, Anthony's 84-year-old Cuban grandmother, said with a laugh.
``I don't like to be in the spotlight, but everybody kept telling me they saw it.''
Consider it a national shout-out for a woman whose influence runs deep on a grandson now opening eyes for the top-ranked Buckeyes, who can sew up a spot in the Bowl Championship Series title game by defeating Michigan on Saturday.
HONORING LOURDES
It was
Abuela who suggested that Gonzalez go by the name of Anthony instead of the more common Tony. He wears jersey No. 11 to celebrate her favorite number. And she's the only phone call he'll take in the hours before a game.
In a ritual that goes back at least to Gonzalez's high school days in Cleveland, Lourdes pronounces a blessing upon her grandson approximately three hours before kickoff.
``God bless you.
Dios de bendiga.''
''English
and Spanish,'' Lourdes emphasizes.
It's hard to argue with the results. Though Ted Ginn Jr. garners the most attention from opponents and media, Gonzalez is a close No. 2 on the stat sheet.
In his first year as a starter, Gonzalez, a junior, has 45 receptions for 673 yards and seven touchdowns. Until last week's 54-10 rout of Northwestern, he led the Buckeyes in receiving yardage.
''You can't really double up on Ted too much,'' Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio, a former Buckeyes assistant, told reporters this season. ``[Gonzalez is] an emerging star.''
That was before Gonzalez had five catches for 85 yards in a 37-7 OSU romp. One week earlier, he made seven catches to help beat Michigan State.
And when OSU visited Texas for the first of what could be an amazing three No. 1 vs. No. 2 games this year -- a third awaits if the Buckeyes reach the title game -- Gonzalez took center stage.
While the Longhorns focused their coverage on limiting Ginn, Gonzalez caught eight passes. Three came in quick succession on OSU's first-quarter scoring drive, ending in a 14-yard touchdown from Troy Smith.
Abuela, by the way, called that one.
Just before giving Anthony his blessing that afternoon, Lourdes blurted out that he was going to catch the first touchdown pass.
''It just came out of my head,'' she exclaimed. 'I don't usually do that. It puts too much pressure [on him]. But this time I said, `You're going to catch the first touchdown.' ''
Truth be told, that statement kind of flew past Gonzalez at the time, attributing it to casual small talk. It wasn't until the story was retold that the consequence struck him.
''The thing that's odd about it is the fact that we ran that play probably 50 times in practice that week and never got it,'' he said.
Not that Gonzalez is casual about his blessings. When Lourdes used to live part-time with his family, he wouldn't leave for high school on Fridays without knocking on her bedroom door.
'He'd come to my room -- `
Abuela, I'm leaving,' '' she said. ``So I got up, blessed him and went back to bed.''
Though the practice is common in many Latin families, Gonzalez called it ``humbling in a way. It brings you back down to reality a little bit. It's something that I value and look forward to.''
Gonzalez is one of 16 grandchildren descended from Lourdes and the late Jos? Gonzalez Maribona. Both earned law degrees from the University of Havana, and then spent three years in the United States while Jos? taught at the College of Mt. St. Joseph in Cincinnati.
Returning to Cuba, they thrived until Fidel Castro's rise. They fled the island with their six children in December 1960, living six months in Miami before returning to Mt. St. Joseph.
''She's had an amazing life,'' Anthony Gonzalez said. ``Starting over from the bottom, I'm just really impressed by how well her family -- my family -- turned out, given the circumstances.''
MORE THAN A NUMBER
Over time, No. 11 became part of the family fabric. Jos? and Lourdes were engaged on Feb. 11; their first daughter was born on March 29 in Room 416 (add the digits).
When Gonzalez's older brother, Joey, wore No. 11 in high school, Anthony took No. 9. But at Ohio State, he made the switch.
''It was her lucky number,'' Gonzalez said. ``Plus, it looks good on me.''
Abuela also persuaded Gonzalez to modify his name. He had always gone by Tony in high school, but she pointed out the NFL already had a pretty good receiver in Kansas City by that name.
''She wanted me to be unique,'' he said. ``So I had to listen to her.
``And I actually like Anthony better.''
Back in Miami,
Abuela is as anxious as any Buckeyes fan counting the minutes until Saturday's kickoff.
''We're going to beat Michigan,'' she said. ``No doubt about it.''
No touchdown predictions this time, though.
''Too much pressure,'' she said.
