Under Woody Hayes, Schumacher played left tackle and set the stage for Archie Griffin to win the Heisman Trophy for the first time in 1974. Later, he played in the NFL for four seasons.
Southport, North Carolina — Kurt Schumacher, who excelled on the Greater Cleveland high school football field as well as the Horseshoe turf, passed away at the age of 70.
Schumacher’s family announced his passing in North Carolina last Friday in an online obituary. No reason for the death was stated.
Originally from Cleveland, Schumacher excelled at Lorain under longstanding head coach Doug Thompson. In 1971, he committed to play at Ohio State under Woody Hayes. As a sophomore and senior, he started all two seasons as left tackle as the Buckeyes went 20-2-1, won two Big Ten crowns, and advanced to the Rose Bowl.
First-team All-America recognition was given to Schumacher in 1974 by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, UPI, coaches, and writers. In addition, he led an offensive line that helped Archie Griffin win the first of his two consecutive Heisman Trophies.
Following graduation, Schumacher was selected by New Orleans in the first round of the NFL draft. He would go on to start 20 games in four seasons with the Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After that, he turned to a four-decade career in business, which included six years spent operating his own company.
