Tom Skladany – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Tom Skladany
Kicker 1973-76
OSU’s most recent three-time All-American, Tom Skladany, was a punter and kicker between 1973 and 1976 and he was the first kicking specialist ever to receive a football scholarship at Ohio State. He proved his worth immediately, landing the job as the Buckeyes’ No. 1 punter as a freshman. He also kicked off as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior and senior, he added PATs and field goals to his list of responsibilities. Skladany averaged 45.6 yards per punt as a sophomore and was named to the Football Writers All-America Team. He was a consensus All-America choice the next two years, again leading the country in 1975 with a 46.7 average. As a senior, he averaged 42.3 yards per kick and finished his career with a 42.7 average on 160 punts. That’s good for second on the all-time list, as is his yardage figure of 6,838. Skladany was co-captain of the 1976 squad, the only specialist ever chosen as a captain.
