|
CONTENTS
|
From Kent
State to the Dawg Pound
Continued
by Phil Novak
photos by Mike Nash
 Former Kent State football standout Steve Zahursky talks about playing football for the Cleveland Browns. |
It wasn't until February 1999 that he received the opportunity really wanted. The new Cleveland Browns called him and invited him to training camp.
"Actually, [the Browns] called, Philly called and Jacksonville called, but I felt like this was the best opportunity for me to play," Zahursky says. "Plus, it was my hometown, so it made it even better."
Zahursky, now a starter at right tackle for the Browns, grew up in Euclid, a Cleveland suburb. He always rooted for the Browns and players like Bernie Kosar, Ozzie Newsome and Eric Metcalf.
A tight end at Euclid High School, he played with star running back and future Ohio State standout Pepe Pearson, who is now playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During his senior year the team made it to the regional playoffs, but then lost to state powerhouse St. Ignatius High School.
"Steve was kind of a quiet kid," says Tom Banc, Zahursky's coach at Euclid. "But he had a great work ethic and a whole lot of skill."
After high school, a number of schools tried to recruit him, but they all wanted to switch him to the offensive line. He wanted to stay at tight end, and only Kent State offered him that chance.
But when he came to practice, the coaches quickly made him a lineman. He says he was a little upset at the time but took it in stride.
"It didn't work out the way I wanted it to, but you don't really have a choice after that," Zahursky says. "You've got to do what they want you to do."
Kent State's offensive coordinator Charley Molnar says Zahursky's talent was evident immediately, and so he knew it was the right move.
"When he came in,
he was 6 feet 6 inches and about 230 pounds with a huge frame," Molnar
says. "We knew he would grow into the size that an offensive lineman needs
to be to compete at this level."
Molnar adds that "Z" also had very average speed for a tight end but very good speed for an offensive lineman.
 Zahursky, former offensive lineman for Kent State, practices drills |
"We felt that within a year he would not only be able to be as big as the other [linemen], but he would definitely be as good as or better than they were.
"He quickly assimilated the position," Molnar says. "By the first game, he had only been a lineman for a little over a week. And he actually played quite a bit and graded very, very high, especially for a guy who had never played the position before."