College football: Elyria Catholic grad Matt Wilhelm to be inducted into Ohio State Hall of Fame

Matt Wilhelm was excited to be recognized by the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in the city where he played high school football. A few years later he was thrilled again to be honored by the Lorain Sports Hall of Fame in the city where he grew up. Now the standout linebacker who helped the Buckeyes win the 2002 national championship is being inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. "I've always been a humble individual that is a product of where I've come from," Wilhelm said Monday. "I had immense pride being a Lorain kid who then went to Elyria Catholic and I was blessed to be recognized by those two Hall of Fames, but I think this one kind of takes the cake because of the sports history of Ohio State. The years of memorable Ohio State football teams and players and coaches … just to join that fraternity or grouping is an immense honor." The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame's 2024 class includes 14 individuals — Christy Blough (men's volleyball), Chase Buchanan (men's tennis), Tiffany Cameron (women's soccer), Michael Hartfield (men's track and field), Jeff Logan (football), Marisa Main (women's volleyball), Brian Mannino (baseball), Braxton Miller (football), Kathy Monard (women's cross country/track), Greg Oden (men's basketball), Tony Russo (men's lacrosse), Kyle Snyder (wrestling), Gene Smith (administrator) and Wilhelm. The group will be inducted during an Oct. 4 dinner in the Covelli Center and recognized at Ohio Stadium during the Buckeyes' game against Iowa on Oct. 5. The Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 1977 and has inducted 487 athletes, coaches and administrators. "I'm sure like most people it's just … shocked," Wilhelm said about receiving the call from the organization. "Yet I was humbled at the same time. I've said in the past that you never really think you're qualified or good enough, especially at a university like Ohio State. Soon after I got the phone call I went through the list of guys that were in (the Hall of Fame) and it humbled me even further, especially with the linebackers like (Tom) Cousineau, (Andy) Katzenmoyer, (A.J.) Hawk, (James) Laurinaitis and (Chris) Spielman, and the list goes on and on." Wilhelm was a three-year starter at middle linebacker at Ohio State and was one of the defensive leaders during the Buckeyes' 2002 national championship season. He led the team with 121 tackles that year — including a team-high 11 in the 31-24 double-overtime win over Miami in the BCS National Championship Game — and was a consensus first-team All-American and All-Big Ten Conference first-team selection. He still ranks in Ohio State's all-time top 10 in career tackles for loss (No. 8 with 43.5) and single-season tackles for loss (No. 9 with 19.5 in 2002). In 48 career games at Ohio State, he compiled 266 tackles and eight sacks. Wilhelm went on to play eight years in the NFL, spending his first six with the San Diego Chargers before moving on to the Green Bay Packers, where he was a member of the 2010 Super Bowl championship team. Many sports fans in Northeast Ohio root for Ohio State's football team on the same level as Cleveland's three professional sports franchises, and the Buckeyes winning it all in 2002 was the first taste of championship victory many from the area were able to experience. "Yeah, it's honestly something stories are written about and I was blessed enough to be able to live that out," Wilhelm said. "Cleveland has kind of lived vicariously through the successes of Ohio State until LeBron (James) and the Cavs won their championship (in 2016). The Guardians have been close and even though we're Browns Town the Buckeyes have really run the state. "They show that (2002 national championship) game on ESPN or ESPN Classic every now and then and I get a barrage of text messages, and you turn it on and kind of relive it. I've got a 16-year-old son playing football so it's been cool watching it with him, and whether it's Ohio, California or Florida — wherever you're at — you run into a Buckeyes fan that has a recollection of that game. It's just been an immense outpouring of appreciation for what that team represented." Wilhelm said he's impressed with the talent level of the athletes he'll be inducted with and expects it to be an exciting weekend … possibly. "Braxton going in and Snyder with the national championships and Olympic medals and there's probably no better athletic director when it comes to what Gene Smith has done the last 15 to 20 years at Ohio State," Wilhelm said. "It's going to be an amazing weekend, but ironically my son (Mason) plays at St. Edward and Friday, Oct. 4, happens to be their big showdown with St. Ignatius, so I'm in a little bit of a conundrum in regards to what I'm going to do. It's not determined as of yet and I don't think many people know that, but now it's definitely been made public." Contact Shaun Bennett at (440) 329-7137 or sbennett@choniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him @ShaunBennettct on X.