Ohio State linebacker Joe Burger, a La Salle High School alumnus, left, and defensive lineman Adolphus Washington, a Taft High School alumnus, right, are presented with the Reds Country Athletic Achievement Award ahead of the Opening Night game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wednesday, April 8, at Great American Ball Park. The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar(Photo: The Enquirer/Kareem Elgazzar) Joe Burger played on Ohio State’s national championship football team, threw out the first pitch at a Reds game and met President Obama, all in the last nine months. It all started for Joe, a La Salle High School 2012 grad, awhile back. Joe had a great senior year at La Salle. He played on a basketball team that went 21-1 and won the city championship. However, it was at football that he excelled. He was voted GCL Linebacker of the Year; he was also voted first team all-city and all state. Joe really liked Ohio State coach Urban Meyer from the first time he met him. He also liked Meyer’s history of winning, so he decided to become part of Urban Meyer’s first recruiting class. Early on, it was pretty tough. Sometimes he wondered why he was there. Joe commented, “I was a young 18. I didn’t turn 18 until June. There were guys going against me that were 22-23-years old that had been working out for four years. They were more mature and more developed. I took my beatings.” That brings us to Joe’s incredible junior year. The No. …
Continue Reading: National title part of La Salle grad’s remarkable year
