Best ND Safety ever from Ohio

Best ND Safety ever from Ohio
by olson (2022-08-06 10:16:48)
Edited on 2022-08-06 20:42:53

In honor of ND's newest football commitment :

Ben Minich S West Chester, Ohio Lakota West
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The best ND Safety EVER from Ohio?

***IMO it was TOM SCHOEN Cleveland, Oh St Joseph's
2 time All American & member of the 1966 ND National Champs
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of course it's worth mentioning a couple other ND safeties from Ohio:

** Mike Townsend Hamilton Oh Garfield
AA & member of the 1973 ND National Champs
albeit Townsend only played safety 1 year ('73)
and was a CB when he led the Nation in interceptions with 10 in '72

or

** Jim Browner Warren Oh Western Reserve
3 year Safety starter(one year at fullback)
& a member of the 1977 ND National Champs

if nothing else, it's worth noting that having an Safety from Ohio enhances ND's chances of a National Championship ('66/'73/'77)
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TOM SCHOEN QB/S

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1964 Freshmen year (Frosh were not eligible for the varsity)
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One of 6 HS QBs recruited by new HC Ara Parseghian in his first ND class.
Ara loved recruiting HS QB (reasoning they were usually the best athlete on their team); and then moving these QBs to new positions with the Irish.

Schoen had been the Cleveland Touchdown Club HS POY after leading St Joe's to a 9-0-1 record.

Schoen quickly moved to the front of the Frosh QB list due to his superior footwork (Ara was a stickler for good footwork in his QBs)....beating out a couple HS QB stars in the process =

*Bill 'Buster' O'Brien Virginia Beach, Va Princess Anne's

no relation to Coley O'Brien-also from Va who came to ND a year later.

Buster made every HS AA team except the Inaugural Parade Magazine HS AA squad. But Ara didn't like O'Brien's footwork & he fell behind Schoen & would transfer to Richmond

* John Pergine Norristown Pa Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS

actually also beat out the more heralded O'Brien at QB as a Frosh -but although Pergine wasn't a bad QB, he was a great linebacker...and played defense his entire varsity career

Schoen a great all round athlete, was also voted the 'top newcomer' that year in the Bengal Bouts
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1965
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Sophomore Schoen remained at QB on the varsity & was 2nd string behind senior Bill Zloch.

Schoen started one game -the Army game at Shea Stadium in NY....ND won 17-0 & Schoen threw the only td pass of his Irish career (to Don Gmitter).

Zloch also played QB in that contest & one of the 2 QBs(don't remember which) handed off to fullback Larry Conjar on 9 straight carries -leading to an ND FG

Schoen was 13-24 for the season 229 yds /1 td /1 int...Tom also rushed 35 times for 81 yds
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1966
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Junior Tom Schoen was moved from QB to Safety - the Irish had a trio of sophomore QBs= Terry Hanratty, Coley O'Brien and Bob Belden up from the '65 Frosh squad...and DC Johnny Ray thought the 'displaced' speedy Schoen would make a great safety....Coach Ray was right.

Schoen intercepted 7 passes on the year (4th in the Nation) -returning 2 for tds....his 2 interceptions in the Michigan State game almost gave MSU Coach Duffy Daughtery a heart attack & he refused to put the ball in the air late in the contest with Schoen roaming the field...the 2nd Schoen interception & great return set ND up for the win...but the Irish missed what could have been the game winning FG

Schoen also returned 29 punts for 252 yds & 1 td

and made a few All American teams for the Irish National Champs

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1967
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Schoen was a unanimous All American (1st team on 7 AA squads)

Schoen ranked 6th in the Nation in Punt returns =42 ret. for 447 yds 1td & set an ND single game record for punt returns with 167 yds on 9 returns (1 td) vs PITT (those were the days :)

Schoen was credited with 52 tackles/ 11 passes broken up/ 4 INTs-108 yds/ + a fumble recovery.
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Selected by the Browns in the NFL draft, Schoen had to fulfill his military obligation first.

Schoen would play QB on his 7th Infantry Division football squad & lead them to an undefeated season and the 8th Army Championship.
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A brief career with the NFL Browns followed...though the time lost to the Army may have stymied his progress...

Later Schoen would go into coaching & be the HC and AD at his Alma Mater St Joe's

But Schoen continued playing football -touch football

Tom apparently joined somewhat as a joke but once he got knocked down 5 times his first game, got the competitive spirit...

Schoen would led his team to 4 Ohio touch football State Championships -the teams QB + star DB(naturally and WR)

After one State Championship the team went home from the game together on a bus -celebrating the victory.

The next morning Schoen woke up & found the bus driver sleeping in his living room and the bus parked halfway up his front lawn.

Tom Schoen was inducted into the Touch and Flag Football HOF (see link below)

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Click here for link at http://usftl.com/cleveland-hall-of-fame/cleveland-flag-footb

Schoen and Pergine were my first college football autographs

They came to our annual father-son communion breakfast in grade school the spring of ‘67. I was in awe of those guys.

What did your son think of them? *

Ooh !! *

I loved watching Tom Schoen in 1966.

Just like when I saw Ted Burgmeier on the field in 1977, I always felt that when the opposing QB put the ball in the air, that it was anybody’s to catch.

Little known fact

Tommy Schoen starred at QB for the 7th infantry Div. in Korea. They were 8th Army/USARPAC Champs in 1969.

When Ara arrived in 1964 it was Doc Urich or Paul Shoults

who coached the defensive backfield who said, “when they put the ball in the air it’s as much ours as it is theirs”.

Schoen had two picks in the '66 Michigan State game.

More modern shoutout to David Bruton. *

No love for Chinedum Ndukwe?

Who remembers this hit:

Jeff Burris was excellent as well *

best ND safety EVER from South Carolina *

+1 *

I lived one door away from Buster in Farley Hall

He came to ND with all sorts of hype, but he was always humble. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Also, one of the slowest which turned out to be a problem. I am happy for the success Buster achieved at Richmond, as well his very successful career in business/law.

I had forgotten Pergine played qb. There have been a lot of tough guys who played football at ND, and Pergine is one of them. He was terrifying. I had a really good friend on the team, a halfback, who often said Pergine was the toughest guy on a team of tough guys and the guy he most hated to see opposite during tackling drills. Page? No. Duranko? No. Pergine. Yes.

I believe the player from Kansas you are thinking of is Dave Martin. Dave was from Kansas City, went to a Catholic h.s. in the KC suburbs (Bishop Miege?).