Rex Kern

NFL player


DateOfBirth=Birth date and age|1949|5|28|mf=y
Birthplace=Lancaster, Ohio, United States
DateOfDeath=
Position=Quarterback
College=Ohio State
DraftedYear=1971
DraftedRound=10 / Pick 260
DatabaseFootball=KERNREX01
PFR=
Awards=
Records=
Honors=
Retired #s=
years=1971-1973
1974
teams=Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
ProBowls=
CollegeHOF=90136

Rex William Kern (born May 28, 1949 in Lancaster, Ohio) was an American football player. He played quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1968 to 1970, and played professional football in the National Football League at defensive back for the Baltimore Colts and Buffalo Bills.

On May 9, 2007, Kern was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame, with induction to take place in December 2007 and enshrinement in 2008.

College career

Kern was the leader of the so-called Super Sophomores, guiding the Buckeyes to an undefeated season and a consensus national championship in 1968. Kern and the other Super Sophomores finished their college careers with a record of 27-2.

The son of a barber, Kern was a star three-sport athlete for Lancaster High School, graduating in 1967. He was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics, and was offered basketball scholarships to UCLA, North Carolina, and Ohio University. However Kern had long sought to play basketball for Fred Taylor of Ohio State and had fostered a relationship with Taylor that led to a scholarship offer. During the recruiting process, however, he was also recruited by Woody Hayes and committed to Ohio State to play both sports.

Kern quarterbacked the 1967 freshman team, which included 11 high school All-Americans, but suffered a back injury playing freshman basketball. Despite back surgery in June, Kern recovered in time to be named first string quarterback for the varsity football team ahead of senior Bill Long, who had quarterbacked the Buckeyes in 1967. The 1968 team, nicknamed the "Super Sophomores," shut out the nationally top-ranked Purdue Boilermakers on October 12 and went on to an undefeated season, a Big Ten championship, and a berth in the 1969 Rose Bowl. Kern was named Most Outstanding Player in the bowl as Ohio State defeated O.J. Simpson and the USC Trojans, 27-16, and were named consensus national champions.

In 1969 the Buckeyes were expected to repeat as national champions. Kern directed a high-scoring (averaging 46 points per game) junior-dominated Buckeye offense that cruised through its first eight games but were then devastated by a 24-12 loss at Michigan, a game in which Kern threw four interceptions. Despite the loss, Ohio State finished as Big Ten co-champions with Michigan and Kern was third in balloting for the 1969 Heisman Trophy. He was also named a first-team All-American.

The super sophomores, now seniors, rebounded in 1970 to again win the Big Ten, gaining revenge against Michigan and going to their second Rose Bowl, which they lost to Jim Plunkett and the Stanford Indians. Kern, captain of the 1970 team, finished fifth on the 1970 Heisman ballot.

Kern was elected to the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1978, was selected to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Professional career

Kern was drafted in the 10th Round of the 1971 NFL Draft by the NFL champion Baltimore Colts. Playing cornerback and safety, he participated in all fourteen games of his rookie season of 1971, but only five in 1972 after a recurrence of his back injury. He recovered to play a full season in 1973, making two interceptions, but was traded to Buffalo, where he played 8 games in 1974 before retiring for medical reasons.

Personal

Kern earned three degrees from Ohio State, a baccalaureate, a master's, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Education. He credited his success to his education, and his education to Woody Hayes, with whom he had a life-long friendship. In 2001 he created the Anne and Woody Hayes Endowment for the prevention of child abuse to Columbus Children's Hospital.

References

Jim Tressel and Jeff Snook, "What It Means To Be A Buckeye", "Rex Kern 1968-70", Triumph Books 2003, ISBN 1-57243-602-6

External links

* [http://ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/greats/osu-m-footbl-kern.html Ohio State Athletic Department Archive: Rex Kern]