Jim Walker

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

 

COAL GROVE — There will be two celebrations this July in Coal Grove.

Not only will it be Family Fun Days to celebrate the Fourth of July, but the Coal Grove Betterment Club will also honor Jerry Fields on Tuesday, July 2.

Fields, 75, was a standout football player at Coal Grove who went on to a stellar career for the Ohio State Buckeyes as a quarterback and linebacker.

Fields played in an era when college football did not platoon.

Fields — who once held the Ohio State record with a 70-yard punt — was one of the stars in Ohio State’s 20-14 win over Michigan in 1958.

The Buckeyes were down 14-6 when Fields hit Jim Herbstreit — father of former OSU quarterback and ESPN analyst Kirk — with a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-12 with 1:47 left in the first half.

Ohio State took the lead at the 11:52 mark of the third quarter on an 80-yard, 11-play scoring drive.

Fields — a sophomore — hit Don Clark with a 25-yard pass to the Michigan 34 that proved to be the key play in the drive. Dick LeBeau, Bob White and Fields took turns on six rushing plays with White going the final 6 yards for the touchdown.

Fields faked a pass on the conversion and ran for the extra points.

On the next to last play of the game, Michigan’s Brad Myers got to the Ohio State 2-yard line but fumbled when he was hit by Dick Schafrath and Fields recovered.

Fields was drafted by the New York Giants of the NFL but was cut due to a preseason knee injury. He signed with the New York Titans — forerunners to the New York Jets — and played two years in the American Football League that later merged with the NFL.

After playing with the Titans, Fields spent two seasons playing with Montreal in the Canadian Football League.

In connection with the Family Fun Days celebration will be a benefit golf shamble that will begin at 9 a.m. on Thursday, July 4, at the Ironton Country Club.

Entry fee for each 4-man team is $160. The tournament is open to the public but it is limited to the first 13 teams who pre-register to reserve a spot. For further details, contact the Ironton Country Club at (740) 532-2511.