Coach Richard “Dick” Strahm

A biography about The University of Findlay’s legendary football coach Richard “Dick” Strahm, who led UF’s teams to four National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championships in 1979, 1992, 1995 and 1997, is available.
   
“Just Call Me Coach,” by Lima freelance writer John Grindrod, chronicles not only Strahm’s success on the football field, but also his battles for survival against heart disease, stroke and cancer. Inspirational and full of anecdotes from a coaching career that spanned nearly 40 years, “Just Call Me Coach” portrays the character and competitiveness that made Strahm one of the most honored and beloved coaches in the nation.
   
Jim Tressel, head football coach at The Ohio State University, said, “But perhaps the greatest story ever written in this state that revolves around this game is the story of the legendary Dick Strahm.” Dick Vitale, television analyst for ESPN, said, “This book will touch you with the story of one man whose desire to succeed and courage in overcoming adversity made him a winner both on and off the field.”

In 2004, Strahm was named to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., college football’s highest honor. Readers get a glimpse of his upbringing in Toledo, Ohio; his formative years as a coach at Lakota, Bryan and Warren Western Reserve high schools; and his foray into Division I football as a defensive coach at the University of Toledo and Kansas State University.

In a turnabout, he decided to become head coach at small Findlay College, arriving in 1976. In a brief four seasons, he turned a struggling program into a national champion. Coach Strahm proved it wasn’t a fluke by earning three more national titles before retiring with a 183-64-5 record in 1998 after 24 years at Findlay.

“Just Call Me Coach” may be purchased for $24.95 plus tax and $5 shipping and handling. To get your copy, call Diane Rowland at 419-434-4517 or e-mail rowland@findlay.edu for details. You also may visit the Web site at www.findlay.edu, KEYWORD: Strahm book, or click here.