Schmitt's transformation
http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/ind...e#20060814
posted: Monday, August 14, 2006
I was back on the East Coast last week for the ESPN college football meetings in Connecticut and then in Manhattan for the close of our preview issue. The feature I was working on is the first one I can recall which really originated here in the blog. It grew out of the Freaks list from last February and morphed into something that became the backbone of our preview package.
It focuses on the story of Owen Schmitt, West Virginia's powerhouse fullback. Owen's path to becoming one of the nation's top fullbacks is truly amazing. I became intrigued with him after speaking to Mountaineers strength coach Mike Barwis about the 255-pound fullback, and then the story kept getting better at every turn. Often times, potentially great stories unravel or lose steam. Not this one. Turns out, Schmitt was a lot more than just the Strongest Man in College Football.
I met with Schmitt in Morgantown toward the end of spring ball. It was almost comical to hear how humble he was. Teammates had dubbed him The Punisher for his eye-popping strength in the weight-room, the big tattoo he got across his broad back and for his penchant for running over defenders. (He bent three face masks in the past year.) He also has become a genuine folk hero around West Virginia with fans, who have snatched up his No. 35 jersey and T-shirts that scream "How Do You Like That Schmitt!" Truth is, no one better epitomizes the rugged image of this blue-collar program that literally pounded its way to respect.
But there was a sweetness to his story, too. It struck me as one of those old-fashioned tales in which the hero emerges from such meek beginnings. Owen was born with a cleft pallet and said he had been teased some when he was a little kid. He had to undergo three surgeries -- the last in the fourth grade, when they took part of his hip and implanted it into his face. He also was chubby and wore Coke-bottle thick glasses, he explained. His grandparents had raised him to work hard and be very goal-oriented, and so even when doubt crept in, he always found a way to battle past it. Something bigger always seemed to fuel him.
John O'Grady, the coach at D-III Wisconsin-River Falls, where Owen started out his college career, has known Schmitt since he was in grade school and spoke about just how far he has come -- not just on the field, but as a man, too. O'Grady marvelled about how his entire self-image has blossomed. Those hard times clearly shaped the will he has now. I had remembered seeing Owen's picture on the wall in the football complex in Morgantown, along with the other WVU honor roll athletes, so I asked whether he always had been a great student. He snickered and said he never had been, that this was the best he'd ever done in school. It became obvious that his life has really come together. I could see why someone I know inside the program says he's the most likeable guy on the team. Always cracking jokes. Always smiling.
The prism I felt told this story best wasn't a traditional feature but something very different. My editors were open to the idea and that is what is in the upcoming issue.
