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WR Anthony Gonzalez (2005 All B1G, US Congressman)

Buckskin86

Moderator
http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/sports/stories/2004/12/29/HJN1229osufb_tc.html

Freshman WR bursts onto OSU scene
Gonzalez's TD catch against Michigan one to remember

By Doug Harris
Cox News Service

SAN ANTONIO Eduardo Gonzalez was a scholarship football player at the University of Michigan and cherished his time in Ann Arbor. But he found himself standing on a patch of concrete in Ohio Stadium last month cheering unashamedly against the Wolverines.

Gonzalez's son, Anthony, a redshirt freshman for Ohio State, had gone from being a seldom-used reserve at the start of the season to one of the team's primary receivers. And slipping behind the Michigan secondary on the opening series, he hauled in a 68-yard touchdown pass just 73 seconds into the game.

As his son crossed the goal line with his arms outstretched in sheer delight, Eduardo Gonzalez became more delirious than the other 105,000 patrons.

"I'm telling you, that's about the closest I've ever come in my life to passing out," he said. "It was so emotional, so intense. My wife did (lose consciousness). I was weak-kneed.

"The whole reason is that kid has been going to the Ohio State-Michigan game since he was 5 years old. I knew how important that was for him. He'd been dreaming about it his whole life. To have your first career touchdown come that way, as a parent, it was just overwhelming."

Eduardo Gonzalez will have to deal with divided loyalties once more tonight when the Buckeyes (7-4) face Oklahoma State (7-4) in the Alamo Bowl.

While Anthony Gonzalez again figures to get plenty of playing time, another son, Joe, a former Indiana defensive back, will be serving as a graduate assistant for the Cowboys.

What's more, Oklahoma State head coach Les Miles and the elder Gonzalez are close friends, having roomed together while playing for the Wolverines in the 1970s.

"I was in his wedding, and he was in mine," said Eduardo Gonzalez, the son of Cuban immigrants. "We just went on a fishing trip together last year."

Asked to describe the coach, Eduardo Gonzalez replied: "He's intense, a very intense competitor."

The same could be said for Anthony Gonzalez.

The 6-foot, 200-pound former Cleveland St. Ignatius High star was a highly touted recruit. But the Buckeyes always have an abundance of gifted receivers, and he had trouble getting noticed.

While the team was going through a mid-season funk, an aggravated Anthony Gonzalez asked for a closed-door meeting with OSU head coach Jim Tressel.

"I said, 'What do you need to see from me so I can get on the field?'" Anthony Gonzalez recalled. "He said, "Step it up in practice. It all starts with practice. We need to see full-speed reps from you all the time."

"So, I made a conscious effort - the best effort I could muster every day - and I guess that paid off."

To his surprise, Anthony Gonzalez was thrown into the fray the next week against Iowa in the opening quarter and made his first career reception. And his role has escalated since then.

He had a 38-yard catch to set up a tying TD in the fourth quarter against Purdue and picked up another 11-yard grab against Michigan.

Although he has just seven receptions, he's averaging a robust 22.3 yards each catch. And his breakaway speed consistently catches opponents by surprise.

He might be as fast as any player on the team, Ted Ginn Jr. included.

Tressel said Anthony Gonzalez "really showed he could add a lot in the big-play (area) and showed he could stretch the field. I'm not sure who's faster than him in the 40. I'm sure there will be arguments about who's faster than whom. But Tony can really put some pressure on a defense."

Anthony Gonzalez admits he doesn't look like much of a burner. With his stocky build and receding hairline, he easily could pass for a coach.

"I'm bald. I'm kind of fat. I don't look very fast at all. But for some reason, I am," he said. "My grandma claims when she was little, they called her The Rabbit. Maybe that's where it comes from."

But Anthony Gonzalez has been forced to go to extreme lengths to maintain his passing gear. Cursed with hamstrings that snap frequently, he has had to hire a massage therapist at his own expense to keep them in working order.

"It hurts really bad," he said of the treatments. "It's one of the most painful things you could ever go through. But it helps - a lot."

Although their sons will be on competing sides, Eduardo and Jenna Gonzalez were thrilled over the Alamo Bowl pairing of the Buckeyes and Cowboys. The family was able to spend Christmas together, attending Mass here and sharing a meal.
 
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<<“I’m bald. I’m kind of fat. I don’t look very fast at all. But for some reason, I am,” he said. “My grandma claims when she was little, they called her The Rabbit. Maybe that’s where it comes from.”>>


That quote cracks me up.
 
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I've been rooting for this kid since day 1. Just something about his speed and unassuming attitude.

Now, I still want to see The Tibor play. You know, the old pass from 7 (Ginn) to 11 (Gonzo).
 
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“I said, ‘What do you need to see from me so I can get on the field?’ ” Anthony Gonzalez recalled. “He said, ‘Step it up in practice. It all starts with practice. We need to see full-speed reps from you all the time.’

“So, I made a conscious effort — the best effort I could muster every day — and I guess that paid off.”
Man I love this quote...instead of pitching a fit or pouting, he asks how and adjusts. My respect for Gonzo just doubled.
 
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You know Zwick has to be licking his chops at the way Ginn and Gonzo have come on since he got hurt. JZ was already on the same page as Holmes and seemed to be there with Gonzo in the spring game. If he can just get Ginn the ball with room to move 5+ times we are looking at a good night on O. I bet everyone on offense is going to be primed to show that the improvement wasn't just Smith.
 
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Gonzalez Expects To Get Even Better This Spring

BUCKNUTS (FREE)

4/13/05

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Tony Gonzalez

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>Gonzalez Expects To Get Even Better This Spring
By Gary Housteau
Date: Apr 13, 2005

Although he only caught eight passes last season, Tony Gonzalez is maturing into a quality reciever and he hopes to hone his skills even further during the course of the team's spring drills. His touchdown catch against Michigan last season went a long way toward raising his confidence level and his expectations for himself this spring.
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If the last three games of his redshirt freshman season are any indication of things to come, then Tony Gonzalez could be the next best thing to happen to Ohio State’s offensive fortunes since, well, Ted Ginn Jr.

In game 10 at Purdue, Gonzalez helped jumpstart the Buckeye offense with a 38-yard reception from Troy Smith. A week later against Michigan at home in the ‘Shoe, Gonzalez got the fireworks started on offense when he scored the game’s first points on a 68-yard catch and run from Smith on the very first drive of the contest. And in the Alamo Bowl victory against Oklahoma State, Gonzalez scored the game’s first points when he hauled in a first-quarter touchdown pass covering 23 yards from Justin Zwick.

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On the season however, Gonzalez, one of the fastest guys on the team, caught just eight passes but he scored two touchdowns and averaged 22.4 yards per reception.

But the electrifying touchdown catch against Michigan in Ohio Stadium is something that careers are made of at Ohio State and it’s something that Gonzalez will forever be remembered for in the hallowed annals of OSU football.

“It is a little crazy because I only caught the ball eight times last year,” he said. “But it’s amazing. You don’t really realize how much that game means to people until it’s over and you’ve gone through it. And I think that’s a great thing.”

But even up to that point when he became an instant hero to all Buckeye fans, Gonzalez steadfastly believed that he was making significant progress in his brief career as a Buckeye and he was poised to take advantage an opportunity like he did in the Michigan game.

“Definitely, besides the very first week of my true-freshman year, there never really was too much doubt in my mind that I could contribute,” Gonzalez said. “And that was always my goal, to contribute to the team and not necessarily individually, just however I could. And it was nice to get on the field and yeah I definitely felt like I was moving forward a little bit and got to where I was going.”

And success breeds confidence.

“I’m very confident. And we’ve got great players all around me so it’s not like I feel burned (to have to make big plays) or anything like that,” Gonzalez said. “But confidence is certainly where it needs to be and that’s key for me personally. Whenever I struggle it’s usually with confidence but right now I feel very confident.”

As the third receiver in OSU’s offense this year, Gonzalez is likely to give every secondary match-up problems with the kind of speed he can motor around with in the secondary. Santonio Holmes and Ginn will command the most attention from opposing defensive coordinators.

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“I just have to show up and wait for everybody to pay attention to them,” he said. “I think our receivers are going to be one of the better units in the country, hopefully, and that benefits everybody. It’s going to be really exciting. I personally have never been this excited for a football season in my life.”

Gonzalez is starting to get use to his new-found “celebrity” status that’s only bound to intensify over the next few seasons with the rabid fans at Ohio State.

“(The fans are) great. They’re nuts. In a good way,” he said. “Yeah it’s crazy. Like I said, I caught eight balls and it seems like more people know who I am than ever before. I don’t know if ‘celebrity’ is the right term but it’s not bad.”

But Gonzalez is not about to let himself or the team for that matter rest on their laurels now, even though it’s only spring drills.

“You work out hard all winter long and then you get the chance to come out here and practice with your buddies. It’s great,” he said. “We want to start where we finished last year and build day by day.”

On an individual basis, Gonzalez is looking at spring practice as a opportunity to become an even better receiver by the start of the next campaign.

“Personally I would like to just stay healthy. Last spring I did not stay healthy and it cost me. I didn’t progress nearly as far as I wanted to,” said Gonzalez, who certainly knows that he won’t be able to sneak up on anybody next season. “So this year it’s all about staying healthy and just learning and keep building on what I’m doing. And I have my own personal goals; don’t drop any balls and never be late to anything, that sort of thing, and just build on those.”

Overall, Gonzalez believes that he has come a very long way in a relatively short period of time in terms of maturity as a football player at Ohio State.

“If you’d have asked me how I felt three days after I got here, I would have told you that I wanted to leave,” he said. “But I would say that I’ve matured quite a bit and I’ve had great people that have helped me with that.”

And now Gonzalez is just one of the many young but experienced players that are being counted on to take Ohio State back to the kind of season they enjoyed in 2002.

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“If we stay healthy, and even if we have a few injuries, we’re the type of team that I feel like we’re talented enough and deep enough to where the sky is really the limit for us,” he said. “I’m not worried about anything really, to be honest.”

With a veteran line and two seasoned quarterbacks returning, Gonzalez would like to see the late-season trend on offense, a more wide-opened arsenal, continue on through the spring and into next year.

“We’ve always been a balanced team. Maybe this year we will lean a little bit more toward the pass. I don’t know for sure. It would make sense,” he said. “But I’m sure we’ll work the younger backs in and they will do a good job.”

Whatever it takes to win. “We have high expectations,” Gonzalez said. “In this program, top to bottom and to a man, we want to go to that Rose Bowl. That’s the goal.”


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It seems like late in the season Gonzalez was always making the big catch, but I am amazed that he only caught 8 balls last year......​
 
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It seems like late in the season Gonzalez was always making the big catch, but I am amazed that he only caught 8 balls last year......
Same here. I was shocked by that.

I like his attitude, knowing and accepting his role with the realization that he can come up huge.....

“I just have to show up and wait for everybody to pay attention to [Ted and Santonio]”
And then he can explode.....
 
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Think back to those 8 catches, they were amazing: the 30+ yarder against Purdue. The 80 yard strike against scUM. The ball he scooped up off the grass as he fell backwards against UM. The even better scoop in the Alamo Bowl. I think he had a great grab too against MSU I think where he was just out of bounds (but the catch was outstanding).

To think that Dukes might have a strong year as well, man. USC might be the first team that has enough good corners to cover all of these guys :)

It's also great to see Tressel's predictions about that recruiting class come true. Not everyone was thrilled about Youboty, Gonzalez, etc but look how some of these guys have panned out. Tressel sure knows how to find great talent.
 
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bucknut11 said:
Same here. I was shocked by that.

I like his attitude, knowing and accepting his role with the realization that he can come up huge.....


And then he can explode.....


This has been proven. I think we all pretty much know that is why Az Hakim had some really productive years in St Louis. Unlike Az, I think that after next season when most likely Holmes is gone that Gonzo will be able to step up to being the second man quite effectively.
 
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Hahaha to have that speed as a third option... OMG the mismatches on the safties have me drooling.... And if the double the deep guy the OMG Ginn/Holmes on a quick slant...... My goodness this is sick. Oh and to throw this out there Devon Lyons for a jump ball or 2 Dukes in for Holmes or having them both out there.... UNREAL....
 
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craigblitz said:
Hahaha to have that speed as a third option... OMG the mismatches on the safties have me drooling.... And if the double the deep guy the OMG Ginn/Holmes on a quick slant...... My goodness this is sick. Oh and to throw this out there Devon Lyons for a jump ball or 2 Dukes in for Holmes or having them both out there.... UNREAL....
I'd also really like to see a TE getting deep up the seams. Hopefully Hamby, Nicol, and/or Frost can add that threat.
 
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