Ohio State, 1974
• 1973 Academic All-America® First Team
Randy Gradishar was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 1992.
Ohio native Randy Gradishar has been making a name for himself on the football field since his high school days. He was an All-League and All-County linebacker at Champion High School in Champion, Ohio, in addition to being the leading scorer on the basketball team.
Gradishar continued to make a scene on the gridiron when he arrived at Ohio State University in 1971. He was a three-year starter for a Buckeyes team that won two Big Ten Conference Championships and the 1974 Rose Bowl. The Rose Bowl victory came in Gradishar’s last college game during a season in which he led the team in tackles with 134 (60 solo, 74 assisted).
Gradishar, a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, graduated from Ohio State in 1974 with a degree in distributive education. He was named a consensus first team All-American in 1972 and a unanimous first team All-American and Academic All-American in 1973. He also finished sixth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy that season.
After graduation, Gradishar was the 14th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft and spent his ten professional seasons with the Denver Broncos. He helped lead the Broncos to a berth in Super Bowl XII and was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. Heralded as one of the best linebackers in Broncos history, Gradishar was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978. He retired in 1983, totaling over 2,000 tackles and 20 interceptions throughout his pro career.
After hanging up his jersey, Gradishar became involved in charity and non-profit work. He was president of the Denver Broncos Youth Foundation from 1982-1992 and currently works as the president of the Phil Long Community Fund, a non-profit organization that works to develop leadership skills and self-esteem in young people through education, sports, and recreation. He is also the Director of Communications at Phil Long Dealerships in Colorado.
Gradishar was the recipient of many awards throughout his long and illustrious career. He was inducted into the Champion High School Hall of Fame, Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame, and the College Football Hall of Fame. In the year 2000, Gradishar was picked for Ohio State’s All-Century team and ABC Sports’ All-Century Team. He is known as the 8th best Ohio State player of all time; the outstanding linebacker award at the university, the Randy Gradishar Award, was named in honor of his football achievements.