The Disregarded Batch: Andy Katzenmoyer

You’re a high school senior and signing day is steadily approaching. You’re a highly ranked linebacker and want to choose an institution that is known for stockpiling their ‘backers to the professional league. The immediate choices are: Penn State, Ohio State, University of Southern California and The University of Miami.

Ray Lewis (UM), Clay Matthews Jr. (USC) and Shane Conlan (PSU) all wreaked havoc on their opponents but for OSU, one linebacker was amongst the most feared to ever play college football.

Andy Katzenmoyer, known to the Buckeye faithful as “The Big Cat,” was a spitting image of the all-time greats, the likes of Dick Butkus and Chuck Bednarik had an influence on the 6’3, 255-pound linebacker.

Katzenmoyer, whose position on the field was tabbed as “linemonster” had the brute strength to run through concrete walls but the agility mimicking a predator hunting down innocent prey.

The native son, Katzenmoyer became the first true freshman to start at linebacker for the Buckeyes. The decision to start a freshman paid off as The Big Cat notched 85 tackles, 23 for loss, and 12 sacks. He was the lynchpin of a defense that averaged under 11 points a game while helping the Buckeyes defeat Jake Plummer and Arizona State in the 1997 Rose Bowl.

Katzenmoyer’s responsibilities were simple, find the ball carrier and kill the ball carrier. Many of his tackles were eye-openers. He had the tendency to appear on the screen in a flash, as if he was shot out of a cannon. It was frequent that the ball carrier would get up gingerly, or not at all. His 450-pound bench press was helpful when stepped on the field every Saturday.

Following his sensational season, Sports Illustrated placed the menacing linebacker on their college football preview edition for the 1998 season. Katzenmoyer embodied the persona of a linebacker. He had a neck that could double as a projection screen and arms that could crush boulders. He also didn’t care about what the critics thought.

Before attending Ohio State, Katzenmoyer’s long-time number was 45. When he arrived at OSU he didn’t blink when asked which number he wanted to sport. Despite its availability, no. 45 was unofficially retired in honor of two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin. He was ignorant to the critics that were outraged that a freshman would show such bravado. The unpleasant feelings of Katzenmoyer faded quickly when he stepped on the field, he allowed for his play to do the talking.

Katzenmoyer’s sophomore season was another special year as he was named a consensus All-American first-team selection, Butkus Award winner and finalist for the Lombardi, Nagurski and Maxwell Awards. The Buckeyes were handed two defeats by fellow BIG 10 members Penn State and Michigan during the regular season and fell to Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.
Katzenmoyer briefly flirted with the thought of challenging the NFL’s minimum age requirement, which states a player must be three years removed from high school to qualify. The thoughts were dashed and his preparation for his junior year began.

The Big Kat was a celebrity around campus and nationally. Every step was followed by intrigued fans and even in the classroom he couldn’t escape the attention. Katzenmoyer stated that during an exam a fellow student approached him for an autograph. Even on the golf course he found himself shooing fans. Despite his larger-than-life size and reputation, the kid from Westerville, Ohio just wanted to go unnoticed.

His first two seasons in Columbus was anything but unnoticeable. He became the linebacker that scouts were groveling for; they were counting down the days until he was NFL-eligible. It’s obvious that unlike most athletes, Katzenmoyer wasn’t in it for the fame or recognition. He loved the game and enjoyed playing every Saturday; it didn’t matter to him if there was more than 100,000 rabid fans or an empty stadium.

His junior season though fell short of the yearly, high expectations. The scouts that were previously groveling have rolled up their tongues and believed that Katzenmoyer grew lazy and didn’t work hard enough. The Big Kat may have grown complacent after proving in his first two seasons that he’s the best linebacker in the land but front offices in the NFL placed a warning tag on the Butkus winner.

The 1998 season, which would be his final with OSU, was another successful year for the program as the Buckeyes finished 11-1 including a win over Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes were ranked as the no. 1 team in the land for most of the season but a late loss against Michigan State shattered their chances of playing in the National Championship.

Despite the “complacency” from Katzenmoyer, the Ohio State defense was suffocating. Led by their middle linebacker, the Buckeyes pitched two shutouts and allowed 12-points per contest. Only Katzenmoyer can detest if he grew complacent in his final campaign but his overall presence in itself was threatening for opposing offenses. Katzenmoyer was named a consensus First Team All-American as well as winning the Butkus and Jack Lambert Trophy.

Courtesy: CBS Sports

Mel Kiper Jr. had The Big Kat as a top-five pick after his sophomore year, but what a difference a year can make. In the 1999 draft, David Boston and Antoine Winfield, fellow Buckeyes, shook hands with the NFL commissioner before Katzenmoyer. Despite the early pick reports, Katzenmoyer dropped to the 28th spot to the New England Patriots. Chris Claiborne, a linebacker out of USC, went ninth overall to the Detroit Lions and was the only linebacker to be selected until Katzenmoyer’s name was called.

Placed in the perfect situation in New England, Katzenmoyer was second on the depth chart to Ted Johnson who was going into his fifth season in the NFL. Before the start of the season, Johnson suffered a freak accident to his arm and had to miss the entire season. The lost season for Johnson became Katzenmoyer’s chance to display his talent.
Katzenmoyer starred in his rookie season playing for Pete Carroll. He registered 77 tackles, 3.5 sacks and a defensive touchdown that came from an interception off of Dan Marino. He showed promise and a knack for finding the ball carrier.

The following season for Katzenmoyer was spent behind Ted Johnson who was recovered from the arm injury he suffered the season before. Learning behind a veteran savvy linebacker was a change of scenery for the guy who was handed the keys to the OSU defense as a naïve freshman. The change though was positive as the NFL is a tough game to grasp, let alone playing the middle linebacker position where you are responsible for being the defensive quarterback.

Filled with hard-collisions, the NFL is a grown man’s game. Katzenmoyer, usually on the giving end of a bone-crushing ‘de-cleater’ was injured at the mid-point of the season. He suffered a neck injury and was placed on injured-reserve for the remainder of the season. As a 260-pound linebacker who perfected the art of hitting, a neck injury was not the type of scare that a football player needs. One wrong hit, or one wrong landing and his life could end.

These thoughts ran through his mind and mentally he became unfit. A disc injury and two surgeries spelled the end of a short and bright career. In the 2001 season Katzenmoyer walked out of the Patriots training camp and never returned to football again. Despite the “gladiator” mentality that the public has of football players, Katzenmoyer, at the age of 23 decided his NFL career wasn’t worth his life.

He returned home to Ohio and began to enjoy a lifestyle void of reporters and frantic fans. He was able to live the lifestyle he so desperately sought for. Now 35, Katzenmoyer remains hidden from the media and has kept relatively quiet.

The Big Kat was arguably the best college linebacker ever. He anchored the Ohio State defense for three seasons and to this day his former college opponents still hear his footsteps and feel the effects from his helmet-crackling blowups. He was a gift from the football gods and before the masses were truly able to appreciate his gift, he was gone