Bond of Brothers – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 3, 2005
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When he arrived at Ohio State in 2002, Tyler Everett was one of a recent procession of Canton McKinley High School graduates to come play for the Buckeyes. The two schools have had a connection in recent seasons that featured multiple Bulldogs on the Ohio State roster from 1998-2002 and at least one McKinley product in 14 of the last 16 seasons.
As a freshman, Everett walked into an Ohio State locker room that featured Buckeye standouts and former Bulldog stars Mike Doss and Kenny Peterson, a McKinley tandem that would help lead Ohio State to its first national championship in 34 years. Since that final down in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl win against Miami (Fla.), Everett has been the lone torchbearer keeping the tradition-rich Bulldog-Buckeye bond burning at Ohio State.
“It is a lot for one player to handle,” Everett said. “I just have to take that responsibility, because there are a lot of people that would like to be where I am. I’m glad to be here and be the one that keeps the McKinley connection alive at Ohio State.”
A lot to handle sounds like an understatement when you look at who passed the torch to Everett. By the end of his career at Ohio State, Doss became just the seventh three-time All-American in program history, placing him in a category with legendary names such as Chic Harley, Wes Fesler and the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. What has made the handoff much easier is that Doss and Everett have been friends since childhood. The pair grew up together in the same Canton neighborhood and carried a brotherly relationship throughout high school and at Ohio State.
“He was like my little brother,” Doss, who now plays safety with the Indianapolis Colts, said. “I did not have a little brother then, so Ty was like mine. We only lived two streets apart. We both played the same sports and hung out together.”
By just hanging out, the two developed a strong bond, with Doss playing the role model.
“Mike’s house was right around the corner from me,” Everett said. “I don’t have an older brother, so he kind of took that role. He has been a big influence. It is good to have a guy like that who cares. He steers me in the right direction.”
On two occasions that “direction” has led to the ultimate goal on the football field – a championship.
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“I don’t have an older brother, so he kind of took that role. He has been a big influence. It is good to have a guy like that who cares. He steers me in the right direction.” Tyler Everett |
“I knew good things were going to come from following him,” Everett, who is four years younger than Doss, said. “When Mike was a senior in high school, we won the state championship. When I got here in 2002, he was a senior and we won the national championship.”
Shortly after high school graduation, Everett took it upon himself to get a head start at Ohio State by moving to Columbus. He spent that summer living in Doss’ house, which turned out to be a pivotal point in his transition to life as a collegiate student-athlete.
“I moved to Columbus about a week after graduation and I stayed with Mike,” Everett said. “He showed me from the beginning with summer workouts, conditioning, eating right and getting proper rest. He would help me with anything I needed with school or with any questions I had about football.”
“He stayed with me his first summer,” Doss, who has 150 tackles and three interceptions in two seasons with the Colts, said. “It helped him get an early jump and get working with the team. He is one of my boys. I look out for him.”
Doss’ influence is not limited to the playing field. He also has played a major part in Everett’s maturation in life.
“Away from athletics, I have always tried to be there for him with life skills,” Doss said. “I want him to learn from my experiences and my hardships. He knows he can talk to me about different things, whether it is school, relationships, whatever. We are there for each other.”
Everett’s mother, Audrea, who plays softball with members of Doss’ family, has witnessed Doss act as her son’s brotherly figure for years and has been appreciative for their relationship.
“We have known Mike since he was a little boy,” Audrea said. “When Ty started playing sports, they started to become real close, like brothers almost. Mike helped him get acclimated to college. He has always been there when Ty has needed to talk. As a matter of fact, I think he tells Mike more than he tells me at times.”
Everett has kept in close contact with Doss after he completed his career at Ohio State and became a second-round selection of the Colts in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Although their schedules do not always permit, both Everett and Doss try to see each other’s games as much as possible. As often as he can, Doss offers feedback to Everett after watching a Buckeyes’ game.
“I have some criticism for him after watching a game. I don’t know if it is always constructive or not,” Doss said laughing. “If he missed a tackle, I’ll call him out. One game, he dropped an interception and I got on him because he missed a chance at a pick. Usually, I tell him he played well and that I look forward to seeing him up here with me on Sundays.”
As much as Doss has helped Everett mature on and off the field, Everett has done some growing up on his own, overcoming several hardships throughout his career.
Everett has battled injuries on nearly a yearly basis since his sophomore season in high school. After leading the Bulldogs with more than 900 yards rushing as a sophomore, Everett suffered a broken leg and missed the final regular season game and McKinley’s playoff contests. For the remainder of his scholastic career, Everett played through several injuries, which included a broken bone in his back as a junior that hampered him to a playing level of less than 100 percent in many games.
“Physically, he has always been able to bounce back, but the first couple of injuries took a toll mentally,” Calvin Everett, Tyler’s father, said. “Now that he is older, I think he has learned to adjust and deal with injuries better.”
Unfortunately, Everett has not been able to escape the “injury bug” in his Buckeye career either. He has missed two sessions of spring practice, including this year when he had to sit out while recovering from a knee surgery.
“With injuries, it is more mental than physical,” Everett said. “A lot of times when people get injured, they come back and are always worried about it. The rehab has made me stronger, so I did not worry about it.”
Although he has had to wrestle with injuries, Everett has been able to confine them to the offseason, having played in 38 of 39 games in his three years at Ohio State. In those 38 contests, he has possessed a knack for making game-changing plays, a trend that started as soon as his freshman season.
In a Top 10, nationally televised matchup against Washington State in 2002, Everett played the role of “nickel back” on passing downs. With the Buckeyes leading late in the second half, WSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy candidate Jason Gesser led the Cougars to the Ohio State 14-yard line, but Everett turned away the scoring opportunity with his first career interception and sealed the 25-7 Buckeye victory.
Although he had played in front of crowds that approached 20,000 to 25,000 at McKinley, the feeling of hauling in his first interception in front of the home fans in Ohio Stadium was indescribable.
“I cannot really explain in words the way I felt,” Everett said. “When I got up, everybody ran over to congratulate me. Then I heard how loud the crowd was. I was glad I was in the right place at the right time and made it happen.”
Everett’s next pick came his sophomore year and changed the tide of a game against Michigan State. Again, the opposing offense, led by a high-profile signal caller in Jeff Smoker, was driving in for a score against the OSU defense. This time Everett did more than thwart the scoring chance. At the Buckeye 6-yard line, he snagged a Smoker pass and returned it 66 yards down the sideline to the MSU 28. From there, the Buckeyes, who trailed 7-3 at the time, scored a touchdown and took a lead they would not relinquish in a 33-23 win at home.
Everett’s third interception also included a long return, but this time it ended in the end zone to mark his first collegiate touchdown. Against Penn State last season, Everett stepped in front of a pass and raced 24 yards to put the Buckeyes up 14-0 en route to a 21-10 Buckeye win at Ohio Stadium.
As a player who spent much of his high school career as a running back on offense, Everett knows what to do when he gets his hands on the ball.
“It goes back to my high school days on offense,” Everett said. “When you have the ball in your hands, you have the game in your hands. When you do get it, you have to take full advantage.”
His ability to make big plays has helped Everett assume a leadership role this season as a veteran in the Ohio State secondary. It’s almost a “big brother” character similar to what Doss has provided to Everett.
“He is the vet back there along with Nate Salley,” Doss said. “They have stepped into that role. I see Tyler taking his own spin on being a leader and making things happen with the younger guys back there. They have a great team with the chemistry and talent for a run at the national championship.”
Everett’s ability to be a leader in the Ohio State secondary this season is bolstered by the time he has spent at different positions. During Everett’s career, he has bounced back and forth from both safety positions as well as playing corner back, which is where he is slotted on the OSU depth chart this season.
“Having played safety for three years makes it a lot easier for me because I know what the safeties are doing,” Everett said. “It helps with my move to corner because I don’t have to think about things as much. It is a big advantage.”
The change of positions is nothing new to Everett, who played in various spots in his days as a Bulldog. He switched spots so much that one local Canton writer referred to him as “a Swiss army knife in pads and helmet.”
“It goes back to the same situation I had in high school,” Everett said. “I played safety my sophomore and junior seasons and then moved to corner my senior year because they needed someone with game experience and someone they could count on. It is similar this year, the coaches tell me that I can the `big piece’ and are counting on me,” Everett continued. “It just comes down to as long as I am on the field, I don’t care where they put me at. If I can help the team in anyway, then I am all about it.”
