A familar name re-emerges
Catching up with Gordie Lockbaum
WORCESTER -- In 1987, Notre Dame wide receiver and current Oakland Raider Tim Brown was named the Heisman Trophy winner. In 1986, University of Miami quarterback and current New York Jet Vinny Testaverde took home the Heisman.
If you take a closer look at the balloting during those two years, you will notice the name Gordie Lockbaum.
Lockbaum, who played his college football at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., finished fifth in 1986 and third in 1987.
That is quite an accomplishment for someone who played at such a small school. Now, with colleges spending thousands of dollars to market their Heisman hopefuls, the days when small schools like Holy Cross could dream of sending candidates to the Downtown Athletic Club are long gone.
"It was incredible because anybody that watched sports from such a young age knew what the Heisman Trophy was," said Lockbaum. "If you had ever seen any of the ceremonies or seen guys like John Cappelletti accept it, that award always has a special place in the athletic world.
"To be considered for that award and to go into that building and see the history and see the portraits of all the past winners, just imagining yourself being one of them was awesome. I knew I was a long shot and probably wasn't going to win, but it was fun to dream about for a day or two."
These days, fans can find Lockbaum still in Worcester working for the Sullivan Insurance Group, where he has been for 14 years. Not surprisingly, he is very successful as vice president.
Lockbaum and his wife Denise are raising a son, Gordie, who in the summer of 2002 enjoyed a trip to Williamsport, Penn., for the Little League World Series, and a daughter, Olivia, who at age six has already ventured into the world of sports by playing soccer.
Along with working at the Sullivan Insurance Group, Lockbaum is still very involved with youth sports and other organizations. He has coached youth football, Pop Warner and Little League. Now he coaches soccer, Babe Ruth, and wrestling at the midget level and varsity level at Worcester Academy. Lockbaum is also very active in several civic and charitable organizations including the United Way of Central Massachusetts and Why Me, Inc.
He even did some broadcasting for Holy Cross football, but when his son was old enough to play sports that became his top priority.
"I did broadcasting for about four or five years, but I gave that up about six years ago when my son turned eight playing sports on the weekends," said Lockbaum. "It was a situation where I was at practices, but I wasn't able to be there for the games. You cannot replace the time you have with his athletic career where I am going to have the chance to coach or observe it. I gave that up and got more involved in what he is doing and now I am doing it for my daughter as well."
The biggest difference now is that the majority of the kids he coaches do not even realize what a legend he was on the football field.
"The guys that were in middle school or high school when I was in college were more in tune with what was going on at Holy Cross in terms of the football and what I was able to accomplish personally," said Lockbaum." A lot of the kids now don't know me as an athlete, they know me as a coach and Gordie's dad."
During the summer of 2002 once again the name Gordie Lockbaum popped up, but this time it was not Gordie Lockbaum the football player, but rather his son the baseball player.
Lockbaum's son was the starting shortstop for the Jesse Burkett (Worcester) Little League team that made it all the way to the Little League U.S. final before falling to a club from Louisville, Ky.
"The Little League World Series was exciting," said Lockbaum. "Being an athlete who loved baseball growing up I knew all about Williamsport and followed it so closely each and every year. To have something like that fall in your lap as an adult where your son gets to participate in it and do well and get to the U.S. final was incredibly exciting. It was a once in a lifetime thing that was extraordinary and awesome. We really enjoyed it as a family and we enjoyed the whole process."
Back in his heyday, Lockbaum was the epitome of a gridiron warrior, playing offense, defense, and special teams. Unlike today's two-way players, Lockbaum was involved in every play. Looking at what Lockbaum accomplished and how versatile a player he was, it is very easy to see why he earned two trips to the Downtown Athletic Club.
Offensively, Lockbaum scored 44 touchdowns -- all coming during his junior and senior seasons. Defensively, he made 146 tackles, recorded four sacks and intercepted five passes as a Crusader.
"I always enjoyed being on the field and being in the competition trying to make a difference by making a block, making a play, putting it in the end zone, making a tackle or making an interception," said Lockbaum. "Whatever the case, even special teams, just trying to do something to make something happen.
"My emphasis was just trying to get on the field and when that opportunity came up it was really exciting. It had not been done in quite awhile so we were learning on the fly. Playing up here in New England, the weather was not hot and muggy, so it was pretty ideal for being out there and running around for 60 minutes."
Which side of the ball did Lockbaum like best?
"At that time we were running a very exciting offense," said Lockbaum. "We were doing a variation of run and shoot. We were throwing the ball a lot, yet we were still running the ball and being a featured type back was exciting because I had my hands on the ball a lot. We were putting the ball in the end zone so we were scoring a lot of points and really lighting things up.
"On the other side of the ball we had a real creative defensive coordinator and guys that really liked to blitz the quarterback and play a pressure type of defense. That was exciting too. But hands down, everyone likes putting it into the end zone."
After Holy Cross, Lockbaum gave it a go in the NFL, playing in preseason games for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills.
"Initially I wanted to play football," said Lockbaum. "That was my goal, but that didn't work out. Two years after graduation and a lot of preseason football games with Pittsburgh and Buffalo it was time to get to work. You have to give it a fair amount of time to try and play ball, but when you see the writing on the wall that things are not going to work out it's time to move on."
As the time passes by, the legend of Gordie Lockbaum continues to grow. Every time a player tries to play both offense and defense the comment always comes up, "Didn't a guy by the name of Gordie Lockbaum do that back in the 1980s?"
If you would like to hear where a former New England Sports Star is these days, please e-mail Jon Goode at jgoode@lowellspinners.com. 