Radakovich headed to Happy Valley
Big Red graduate to play football for coach Joe PaternoBy MIKE MATHISON, Sports editor
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STEUBENVILLE - Andrew Radakovich's road to a full-ride scholarship to play football at Penn State for coach Joe Paterno came thanks to Dan Radakovich, who is no relation, but is the assistant head football coach at Robert Morris University - a place that Andrew Radakovich turned down.
Radakovich, who is retiring after 48 years of coaching, passed tapes of the Steubenville High School graduate onto to Bill Kenney, who is the offensive tackles and tight ends coach at Penn State, where Radakovich played, graduated from in 1957 and coached from 1957-1969.
Radakovich later was the offensive line coach for the Steelers from 1974-77, where he was a member of two winning Super Bowl teams.
"I've never met the man," said Bob Radakovich, Andrew's father and former offensive coordinator at Big Red since Reno Saccoccia was named head coach 25 years ago. "I remember him when he coached the Steelers. He was called 'Bad Rad.'
"He pronounces his name differently and coach Paterno told me he had to learn how to say Radakovich the way we pronounce it. I just appreciate what he did for Andrew.
"He sent Andrew's tape to Bill Kenney and told him, 'this kid can play.' That was a class act."
That journey was almost as meandering as what the youngest Radakovich traveled to get where he is today.
"He was the worst offensive lineman we had in the seventh grade," said Saccoccia. "I'm serious. But, when he ended through hard work, self motivation and pride, he became one of our top linemen since I've been here. And, I love him.
"I've known Andrew since he was born. From a seventh- and eighth-grader from where he was, to where he ended up as a senior is just amazing. The improvement that can take place in a person if he really believes and has the drive and motivation to improve as he did is phenomenal.
"He is, by far, one of the hardest working big man we've had in a long time. It's hard to have a great work ethic when you're 6-foot-5 and 290 pounds.
"He's a poster child of a hard-working kid who had no expectations of where he ended up.
"He's gone from a back-up tackle as a freshman on the freshman team to a scholarship tackle at Penn State. Think about that journey."
All this is pretty good for someone who turned 18 two weeks ago.
"He should be preparing for the 2008 Big Red football season," said Saccoccia. "His mom and dad were real frugal and they wanted to save the $10 a month they were paying his babysitter. So, they sent him to school."
"Coaches told me if he were going into his senior year, everybody would be recruiting him," said the elder Radakovich. "I made a mistake starting him early in school. It would have helped him having another year."
Both Radakoviches fell in love with Penn State when they visited the campus.
"When I went up there and visited the campus and see what the campus was like and how the coaches acted, that became my No. 1 choice - I loved it up there," said Radakovich. "You would walk into the football facility and all the coaches were wearing suits. They are one of the most respectful staffs I ever met in my life.
"All of the players are dedicated to the program. Just being around coach Paterno makes you feel like a player. He's such a stupendous man."
Radakovich's journey traversed national signing day without any action. It then became a waiting game where the young man had to show some patience.
"I would never have expected this," he admitted. "I am thankful this happened to me and thankful I am being given the opportunity to play for coach Paterno and Penn State."
"He improved every year," Saccoccia said. "The greatest amount of improvement came from opening day his senior year to the closing day his senior year. A light switch turned on and all the hard work paid off. You never know when that period is, but once that switch comes on, the hard work begins to pay off."
"The work here (at Big Red) - there is no way it's going to be any more intense at Penn State," said Radakovich. "You don't get much more intense than this program. I'm just going to have to work harder because those guys are already that much more ahead of me.
"I'm just going to have to push it tenfold and keep doing more than everyone else. If you work the same as everybody else, you're just as good as they are and aren't going to get better than they are.
"Growing up around here helped me work hard, but, also stinking helped me work harder. I had to work hard or else I wasn't going to play.
"My brothers (Brian and Adam) pushed me and they were there to tell me how they went through it and what they had to do to get where they were.
"My dad wasn't too intense on me that first year. He just wanted me to get used to working out. Once I would get used to working out, he becamse somewhat of a Nazi about my workouts.
"He put into me that I was able to push through any pain I had - it didn't affect me anymore because I was mentally strong because of my dad."
Radakovich spent his sophomore season, Big Red's first of its back-to-back state titles, in a mop-up role. He started the last two seasons and went 27-1.
"The Big Red program has instilled in me winning," he said. "I want to win. There's nothing but winning. It's given me a competitive attitude to do that and it helps you learn to win with character, instead of acting like an idiot once you do win."
Radakovich will major in business with a minor in computer science.
"I'd like to thank my parents for always being there for me, even when I had my episodes and my moments," said Radakovich. "I'd like to thank Bun Bun for cooking for me and making me as big as I am. I want to thank my family for always being there for me and being a great support group.
"I'd like to thank my coaches for giving me the mindset and skills to push me to become a great football player to my limit and my fellow players for helping us win games and get some rings."
Radakovich is the son of Bob and Marjorie Radakovich of Steubenville.
(Mathison can be contacted at mmathison@heraldstaronline.com)
