Biography of Chris Spielman

Linebacker U is Penn State, right? What about Ohio State? From Randy Gradishar to Marcus Marek to Andy Katzenmoyer to Tom Cousineau to Pepper Johnson, the Buckeyes have boasted some of college football's greatest defensive players. Of all the talent that's passed through Columbus, many were more talented than Chris Spielman, but no one played with more heart and tenacity. From the time he was put on a Wheaties box as one of the nation's top high school players to the time he left Ohio State, he was a tackling machine of the highest order. 

The tackler: For intensity and production, there's no better college football linebacker than Spielman. Think about it. The position of inside linebacker requires a player whose motor is running on full bore at all times, and Spielman is universally acknowledged as the linebacker with the biggest heart. In his four year career, he made a total of 546 tackles setting the OSU record with 283 solo stops. In 1986, his junior year, he made 105 solo tackles. If he hadn't had problems with two sprained ankles in his freshman year, he surely would've been Ohio State's all-time tackling leader (Marek is #1 with 572.)

The teams: This was the post-Woody Hayes era of Buckeye football and while they weren't quite as dominant, they were still a major Big 10 factor. OSU went 34-13-1 winning two Big Ten titles. In the 1987 Cotton Bowl, Spielman was named "Top Defensive Player" making 11 tackles and returning an interception 24 yards for a touchdown in the 28-12 win. His best game was a 29 stop effort in the 1986 26-24 loss to Michigan.

The pro career: Considered slow and undersized, he made up for it with his heart and ability carving out a 12 year career with the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns. With all the great years he had, his best moment as a pro was when he took a year off from his beloved sport to take care of his wife who was battling breast cancer.