Randy Gradishar ’74, a legend on and off the field
The former Ohio State linebacker and Denver Broncos player is now the 11th Buckeye in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Randy Gradishar was the honoree at his friend and teammate Archie Griffin’s 34th Annual Scholarship Fund Golf Outing in Westerville, Ohio. (Photo by Jodi Miller)
Randy Gradishar ’74 has remained true to his Buckeye roots while spending the past 50 years living in Colorado, where his NFL career with the Denver Broncos and life after football bloomed.
“Ohio is where I learned and developed core principles of inner character,” says Gradishar, a native of Champion Township, near Warren, Ohio. “For that I’m grateful.”
Gradishar returned to northeast Ohio for an Aug. 3 ceremony in Canton that enshrined him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on only 10 other former Ohio State players.
It has been 41 years since Gradishar retired after his 10th and final season in Denver, and he remains the Broncos’ all-time leading tackler (2,049). His NFL exploits, including seven Pro Bowl selections, were an outgrowth of his stellar career with the Buckeyes.
Woody Hayes called Gradishar the best linebacker he ever coached at Ohio State. In his senior season of 1973, he finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting—rare for a defensive player. The same year, he was named All-America for a second time and All-Big Ten first team for a third time, and he helped the Buckeyes to a 10-0-1 season and Rose Bowl win over USC.
Football, however, doesn’t completely define who Gradishar is. While at Ohio State, he served two years in ROTC, and his grades were good enough while earning his degree in education that he was inducted into the GTE Academic Hall of Fame in 1992.
“Woody always valued our academic success over football,” Gradishar says. “Behind the scenes, he got you focused on why you were at Ohio State: to get your degree.”
Gradishar also credits Hayes for teaching him to pay forward. He’s the founding president of the Denver Broncos Youth Foundation, led the local Phil Long Community Fund, and serves the Colorado nonprofits Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Centers and the Mt. Carmel Wellness and Community Center.
“Woody would be very proud of that,” says Gradishar, who visited U.S. military troops on goodwill tours in the Middle East from 2004 to 2007 and remains actively involved with veterans and their families.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis proclaimed May 3 as “Randy Gradishar Day,” and during an accompanying public ceremony, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston summed up the former Bronco—and forever Buckeye—this way: “The amazing thing about Randy is he’s not just a legend on the field; he’s been a legend off the field. He has given back.”
