Dick Schafrath has done more in his 69 years than most extended families do in a century. He helped the Ohio State Buckeyes snag a national title in 1957. Seven years later, he was part of the Browns’ last championship team. He was the first person to ever canoe across Lake Erie. And he was a two-term Ohio senator. These are just a few of the tales Schafrath tells in his new autobiography, Heart of a Mule. “I still have a bunch of stories left,” he says. “My publisher suggested I cut a few out.”

Schafrath grew up on a farm in Canton. As an offensive lineman for the Browns, he went to the Pro Bowl twice. He retired after the 1971 season, then took up politics a decade later. “I had no idea what a politician did,” he says. “I just love challenges.” Schafrath (whose nickname is “The Mule”) says the underlying message of the book is that everything is possible. “If I can do it, anyone can,” he says. “I’m just an average, ordinary person, and I proved anything can be done.”
Sat., Dec. 16, 1 p.m.

This article appears in Dec 13-19, 2006.