BFS High School Athlete of the Year
Lineman of the Year in Ohio, Two Time 1st Team BFS AJl-American. of the Year. He becomes our seventh recipient of this most prestigious award since we began in 1980. The award is based on athletic achievement in sports, the ability to overcome obstacles, scholarship, leadership, general character and the ability to put things in their right perspective. Matt is a great example for all to emulate and is most deserving of this honor. Past BFS Athletes of the Year are all doing well. Tom Southall, 1980, is finishing a Masters in Business at the University of Denver. (See page 12 which tells about his movie.) Scott Runyon, 1981, is the starting QB at the University of Wyoming.
Jeff Stump, 1982, is playing football at Michigan State. Robert Smith, 1983, is a running back at Ole Miss. John Rymiszewski, 1984, is attending Duke University on a football scholarship and last year's recipient, Maurice Frilot, began his career at Harvard. Matt Closson has all the physical tools to receive our highest honor. He is 6'2", 225 pounds, runs a 4.65 forty, benches 410, squats 500, dead lifts 550 and cleans 280 poundS. Matt plays football and participated in track. He was the MVP in his league, lineman of the year in Northwest Ohio, 1st team All-State player and lineman of the year in Ohio. We've known about Matt since he made our 1st team BFS All-American team as a junior.
He repeated again last season for his senior year. Matt helped lead his team to a sparkling 13-1 record forState runner-up honors in football. The Delphos High School Wildcats under head football coach Kevin Fell did themselves proud. However, the reason we selected Matt Closson for our BFS Athlete of the Year is not for those accomplishments but for his upper limit attitude towards the more important aspects of life. Matt is dedicated and will remain dedicated to the ideals of reaching his potential. He spent a lot of time in the weight room in the summer before his junior with increased intensity. His lifts and speed just weren't good enough.
Here's what Matt has to say, "You should always strive to reach your potential. Stay in the weight room until the job's done. I felt that messing around and going to a lot of parties was basically a waste of my time. You gotta set goals. When you bench 300, then set another goal like 400 pounds. You s.hould do the same thing with your speed. I know attitude is important. Get it done l Otherwise you're cheatin' yourself. I feel it's important to have the same attitude in the classroom. I've never skipped a class. It's important to do your best in everything." Matt had a solid 2.95 GPA while at Delphos while taking all college courses. He accepted a football scholarship to play at Ohio State.
Unfortunately, Matt got injured and will sit out this season. However, he'll be back and the freshman year may be turned into a red shirt year. This would still give him four years of eligibility.
A fierce blocker and awesome on defense Matt Closson was recruited by everyone. l Both Matt and Tony are hard to believe. They are just super super kids. Matt leads by example and he/s really helped me and a lot of kids. By that I mean, Mates helped some kids that were sitting on the fence as to which way to go. We have had zero discipline problems in school or with the team the last 3 to 4 years. Much of it can be attributed to their example. Matt Closson is an All-American in every sense of the word. Kevin Fell, Head Football Coach Delphos, Ohio 30 Ht. Wt.
Matt Closson was a punishing runner from his FB position.
Matt spotting his little brother Tony who benches over 400!
I asked Matt about peer pressure and getting involved in drugs and alcohol. "My social life is important," Matt responded thoughtfully, "but a lot of kids will do stuff like drugs and alcohol. When I go to a party and say I don't want it; people seem to leave me alone. If you keep gettin' pressure, try not to put yourself in a position where its hard to say no. Make your decision before you even go to a party." Matt also acknowledges the help of his coaches and his parents. They stressed the importance of staying true to your ideals. "I believe it's importan t to listen to your coach," stated Matt. "Don't be cocky. You should always wan t to keep improving. The key is in staying hungry'"
"Is there anything else that's affected your life for a positive outlook?" I asked. "Yes sir," Matt said, "I believe my Christian upbringing has helped me. I go to church and feel it's been very important in keeping my life stabilized. Also, my brother Tony who's two years younger has pushed me to make me better." I asked Tony, "What about that?" Tony laughed, "Yep, the competition is fierce. It bothers Matt sometimes, cause my brother is weak on the squa t." Tony, as a sophomore, also made our 1st team BFS All-American team. His lifts are Bench 410, Squat 580, Dead Lift 520, Forty 4.65, Height 6'W' and a 230 pound body weight.
Some little brother' "Tony, do you have anything to say about athletics, drugs, and what we've already discussed?" came my final question. He answered, "First of all, I'm going to miss Matt when he goes to college. He's a great training partner. As far as drugs, I'm going to be my own man. I'm not going to let others interfere with my goals to be successful. Drugs are bad news! Everybody knows where I stand so nobody has offered them to me. I'd probably crunch them if they did!" "I want to go to college and play football but I know I need to get faster and bigger. I'll keep working hard to get good grades because that's just as important. My parents help me a lot.
They expect a lot and are inspirational and supportive. My whole family goes to church together. My future family will do the same because I know it's the right thing to do." "As far as your goals, if you want it bad enough, you should go for it. Always try to do your best. Everyone has room to improve. I know I've been blessed but I'm still going to push myself to the limit." I think all our readers will agree with my selection. Matt and Tony are truly "Upper Limit" athletes. I thank Matt and wish him well at his new challenge at Ohio State. I thank Tony for sharing his ideals. Finally, thanks to Coach Kevin Fell, an upper limit coach, who made this story pos31 sible.
From BFS Magazine — November/December 1986. Part of the BFS Magazine Archive (1980–2014).
