The X-Man Factor – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 24, 2005
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So is the life of senior linebacker Bobby Carpenter. By day he is crushing opponents on the football field as a part of what many consider the best linebacking corps in the nation. By night he is still subtly competing against himself and others who attempt to outdo him.
“I have always been accused of competing at things by my girlfriend,” Carpenter said. “I hate losing at anything. I always compete with my girlfriend or my teammates in whatever we do.”
Carpenter’s promise as a defender of Ohio State terrain can be traced back to a time when he was a smaller avenger, romping about his family’s 30-acre territory in Lancaster, Ohio. Living on a modest farm that consisted of 10 to 11 cattle, with a creek and pond in the backyard, the 2005 Butkus Award contender immediately used the wide open space as a backdrop to elevate his skills and develop a tackling proficiency that would prove significant years later.
The Carpenter family often rounded up calves and it was not an easy task grouping the small, yet quick animals. With the help of neighborhood friends, Carpenter used the chore as his own personal challenge. Trying to catch calves with the size, strength and speed of full-grown dogs, Carpenter was not to be alluded. The roundups just became another winning scenario for him.
The oldest of four boys, Carpenter cannot fully explain his ambitious attitude. But growing up in a household where his father, Rob, played in the National Football League for nearly 10 years, and his mother, Susie, continues to coach swimming, adding to her 25-year experience, Bobby credits both with his competitive nature.
“I remember my kindergarten teacher telling my mom there were certain games I wouldn’t play because I wasn’t the best at it,” Carpenter said. “If I wasn’t the best, I wouldn’t play because I hate to lose. But I guess that is just my family. Both of my parents are athletes and they are extremely competitive and they ground that into us. Everyone in our family wants to win at everything.”
Susie, who was her sons’ swimming coach during their childhood, always noticed Bobby was the more aggressive of the Carpenter boys and always gave 110 percent no matter the sport or contest. The 6-foot-3-inch, 255-pounder’s spirited disposition was evident when she pitted the future Buckeye linebacker against his brother Jonathan, a future Cincinnati Bearcat linebacker in a swim meet and watched the encounter play out.
As an experiment, Susie decided to allow Jonathan to swim against Bobby because the former wanted to test his skills opposite his older brother’s. To the surprise of the future OSU two-year starter, his younger sibling outperformed him in the pool and taught Bobby a humbling lesson.
“I remember when he beat me,” Carpenter said. “I was so upset. But my brother is a heck of a swimmer and I have to give him credit. He beat me and he deserved to win. That was probably one of the most humbling experiences I ever had in my life. Knowing that my brothers can beat me is pretty frustrating, but as I got older I learned it is a natural part of competing. I never really accept it, because as soon as I accept losing, I will never get any better. But I understand that I will not be the best all the time, so I have to take what I can get sometimes.”
Despite the discovery he was not invincible in the swimming pool, Carpenter went on to produce what was ultimately a fine swimming career that included a junior high relay team championship with Jonathan. Nearly a decade later, he continues to use the pool as a mechanism for improvement in his athletic ability and after 14 years of competitive swimming, Bobby knew it was not an activity he could let fall by the wayside. Although somewhat limited with his time, Carpenter still finds time to lifeguard and swim laps on occasion back home in Lancaster.
It appeared Carpenter was destined for a career in the pool and early in his childhood football nearly became an afterthought. He engaged in other sporting activities, including soccer and basketball, so the opportunity to play a game of first downs and pass rushes did not present itself until he was in the seventh grade.
“We didn’t let the boys play football until they got older because we were worried about injures,” Rob, who was Bobby’s junior high and high school football mentor at Lancaster, said. “But I knew Bobby would be successful at whatever he did because he has a lot of ability in several sports. He turned himself into a football player by hitting the weight room and outworking both his opponents and teammates.”
When Carpenter received the nod to play quarterback in junior high school during the 1997 season, he showcased his speed and work ethic by leading the squad to the league championship. Rob remembers his son’s knack for keeping the team motivated and his ability to rally those playing alongside him. Not worrying about how his son would lead the team, Rob’s greater concern was finding a position that would allow his son to evolve. Although the eldest Carpenter child was a hit at quarterback and would have preferred to be the star running back, Rob wanted to guide his son toward one of the most forceful roles on the football field at linebacker. How fitting.
Like most who are predestined to guard the OSU endzones, Bobby endured several trying moments in his prep career and turned them into occasions that would forever place him in the lore of Lancaster football. The three-year Buckeye letterwinner first encountered adversity his freshman year at Lancaster High School when he had to cope with the town whispers that was imminent of being the coach’s son.
After the Golden Gales registered a 0-3 record, Rob was at a crossroads. He decided to put his son in the starting line-up, changing the usual routine to the dismay of others in the community. Although a tough period in his career, Bobby played every down with extreme intensity and never has regretted his passion for the game.
“It was tough because my dad always tried to be fair to everyone,” Bobby said. “He never showed favoritism toward any of us. Playing as a freshman, taking seniors’ jobs, when my dad was the coach was hard because a lot of people didn’t like that. Many people didn’t think I deserved to play, even into my sophomore year. So I felt like I had to play to prove to everybody that I belonged out there on the field and I wasn’t just playing because of my father.”
Fast forward three years and Carpenter left little doubt about his capacity as a player or a leader. Lancaster was playing longtime rival Newark on their home turf. The Golden Gales were winning the game, but the Wildcats made an offensive surge, scoring two touchdowns and gaining the lead. Carpenter, who was playing his final season, immediately seized control of the situation. Witnessing his teammates sitting on the bench and hanging their heads after relinquishing the second score, the senior captain grabbed two water bottles and proceeded to walk up and down the bench squirting each player in the face with water, demanding they maintain their confidence and composure. Carpenter not only set an example by rallying the team in an unconventional manner, he also united the Golden Gales on the field by intercepting a potential touchdown pass. In a contest where the Lancaster defense was able to shut down its opponent late in the game, the Golden Gales prevailed with a 35-28 victory.
“We were able to beat Newark every year since I was a sophomore,” Carpenter said. “Because it was my senior year, I definitely did not want to lose that game. When we played them the year before, I ended up breaking my leg, so it definitely was a game I was looking forward to all season. I had a lot of close friends on the team and I wanted to win for them and I wanted to win for myself. I was just trying to get the team fired up. When guys start hanging their heads, you have to get them fired up and get them going.”
Not only is Carpenter equipped with a physique and personality fit to help the Buckeye defense smother its adversaries, he also is prepared with a level of knowledge that will help him outsmart even the most cunning of opponents, Rob said. But like a modern day Samson, it may be Carpenter’s golden tresses that prove to be the source of his strength, as well as his OSU teammates’, at the linebacking position. Comparable to Carpenter’s style, A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel wear longer hair, but No. 42 attributes the tenacity of the group to their resembling temperament.
“I would say the biggest thing that makes us successful as a linebacking unit is we all are seniors and we have very similar type personalities,” Carpenter said. “We are very close and that is something that can make a huge difference, not just in football, but in all sports. We already know what each other is thinking. When our actions are subconscious on the field, it really helps.”
Acquiring a near sixth sense of the game is what Carpenter tries to pass down to Jonathan. Admittingly, not very close growing up, Bobby and Jonathan have developed a tighter bond since the eldest came to Ohio State. Now, as Jonathan becomes familiar with his new role at linebacker, after playing backup fullback his first year with the Bearcats, Bobby does not hesitate to help the next Carpenter in line snag his own headlines.
“My brother became this bona fide star in high school and as we got closer, I became his No. 1 supporter,” Carpenter said. “My parents can say what they want, but I definitely am his biggest fan. Anytime we see each other I try to help him out as much as I can. I don’t have all the answers by any means, but I try to give him a lot of pointers and share my experiences with him.”
In his four years as a Buckeye, Carpenter has compiled his fair share of memories and experiences and by the end of his final year at Ohio State he hopes to have collected a few more. But Carpenter never gets ahead of himself. He cannot afford to because the man behind the masterful smile wants to exit Columbus the way he entered – as a national champion. Helping Ohio State become the best team in the nation is his final mission and he is determined to fulfill his duty before he possibly moves on to another city, safeguarding other sacred traditions.
“I think Bobby has learned to take every game one play at a time,” Rob said. “He is not thinking about anything else except a national championship. Bobby is a polite and generous person, but I don’t want to be around him if they are not able to win it all.”
So is the life of Bobby Carpenter. By day he is still crushing opponents on the football field and protecting all that is scarlet and gray. By night, as he continues to compete against all who cross his shadow in the most miniscule of ways, he is devising a heroic scheme to help save the day and let Buckeye city rejoice once again at being No. 1.
