Former Ohio State Buckeyes All-American Kurt Schumacher Dies At 70

A former Ohio State Buckeyes football All-American passed away at age 70 last Friday.

The Ohio State Buckeyes' football family lost a member last Friday.

Former All-American offensive lineman Kurt Schumacher died at age 70. 

He is survived by his wife Jackie, son Tim Schumacher and his wife Sara, daughter Betsy Liston and her husband Sonny, grandchildren Nathan, Grace, Kyle, Andrew and Paige, brother-in-laws Randy Krul and his wife Kathy and Bob Krul and his wife Terri and his two Greyhounds Thea and Chase. 

In addition to his parents Albert and Mary Fier, he was preceded in death by two sisters and a brother.

Kurt Schumacher played at Ohio State from 1971-74, blocking for some of the Buckeyes' most accomplished running backs in program history in Archie Griffin and Pete Johnson. Griffin owns the program's career rushing record and is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, while Johnson has scored the most touchdowns in the career of any Buckeye.

He earned his own tree in Buckeye Grove after being named an All-American in 1974, while also graduating from Ohio State with a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education.

NFL executives took notice of his efforts in college and he was rewarded for it.

Kurt Schumacher was the No. 12 overall selection in the 1975 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints, where he blocked for two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Archie Manning. After three seasons in New Orleans, Kurt Schumacher went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a year, starting all four games he played in.

After his playing days were over at the age of 26, he spent the next 34 years of his life working for various incentive and motivational companies, according to his obituary. Afterward, he then opened his own business which he operated for six years.

A celebration of Kurt Schumacher's life will be held at a later date in St. James, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Mr. Mo Project (a senior dog rescue) or to the SECU Hospice House of Brunswick.