CUYAHOGA FALLS — NFL great Mike Vrabel attended a pregame party at Walsh Jesuit High School on Friday night, mingled with students in the stands, participated in the coin toss and gave a speech in the Warriors locker room just before kickoff.
During a ceremony at the end of the first quarter in Walsh's 42-7 win over St. Ignatius , the Warriors retired the jersey number Vrabel wore as a high school football star. He became the first athlete in Walsh history to receive the honor .
A coaching and player personnel consultant with the Browns , Vrabel ended his on-field acceptance speech at Conway Memorial Stadium by saying, "We've got a game to win."
At the time, Walsh and St. Ignatius were tied 7-7, but the Warriors scored 21 points in the second quarter and rolled to a record of 4-0.
“To have Mike Vrabel here was one of the coolest experiences for me as a head coach,” Walsh coach Nick Alexander said. “To have him in the locker room with us, to see that he's just one of the guys, the way that he fit in with our coaching staff, I want him around every day. It was awesome.”
More on Walsh's win over St. Ignatius: Warriors prevail in series for the first time since 1982
Walsh coaching legend Gerry Rardin, professional golfer Ryan Armour and Cleveland Browns coaches attend Mike Vrabel's jersey retirement
Vrabel was all in, and he felt the love.
Former longtime Walsh football coach Gerry Rardin hosted the jersey-retirement ceremony. Many of Vrabel's former teammates attended the festivities, with several of them traveling from out of state. Two Browns assistants — wide receivers coach Chad O'Shea and tight ends coach Tommy Rees — were in attendance as well as another celebrity athlete who graduated from Walsh, professional golfer Ryan Armour.
A sign featuring Vrabel's No. 84 now adorns the outside of the press box.
“I appreciate them putting this together,” Vrabel said. “I mean, there's no other jerseys out there. So I think that that's something that's pretty cool.”
Is there a story behind No. 84?
“I always thought I was a tight end, and I went to Penn State [for a visit]," Vrabel said. "Joe Paterno [asked me], 'What position?' I was on a recruiting trip, and I said, 'I'm a tight end.' And before I could say, 'And defensive end,' he's like, 'Oh, tight ends are a dime a dozen. I could find one of those down in Bellefontaine.' He said, 'We're looking for defensive ends.'
“I said, 'Well, then I guess I'm a defensive end.' And he knew the value of guys that could go and rush the quarterback. So to his credit, I was like, 'Well, I'm never going to say I'm a tight end again.' I was going to say, 'Hey, I'm a D-end and tight end.' So that was funny that he told me that in 1992.”
Cleveland Browns tight ends have learned what Mike Vrabel accomplished while dabbling at the position in the NFL
Prioritizing defense but never forsaking a passion for playing tight end paid off.
Vrabel, 49, was born in Akron and raised in Springfield Township and Stow. He starred in football, basketball and track and field — he threw shot put and discus — at Walsh before becoming a two-time All-America defensive end at Ohio State and playing 14 NFL seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1997-2000), New England Patriots (2001-08) and Kansas City Chiefs (2009-10).
Vrabel won three Super Bowls with the Patriots (2001, 2003 and 2004 seasons). As an outside linebacker, he earned a Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro selection in 2007. As a part-time tight end in goal-line situations, he caught 12 career passes — all for touchdowns — in the regular season and playoffs combined.
“That's efficiency,” Vrabel quipped.
With the Patriots, Vrabel caught touchdown passes from future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady in back-to-back Super Bowl victories.
“I'm just proud that I played a bunch of different spots,” Vrabel said. “I played a bunch of different roles for the team, whether that was special teams, that was multiple spots on defense, and then when an opportunity came to be on offense, you go over there and play on offense.”
Vrabel is assisting the Browns in a variety of ways this season, most visibly as a de facto tight ends coach helping Rees. When asked whether he brags to the Browns tight ends about his efficiency at the position, Vrabel said, “I always tell those guys, yeah. But they show my touchdowns, and, I mean, they give me s*** for it.”
What Mike Vrabel has brought to the Cleveland Browns in consulting role
Vrabel transitioned to coaching after his playing days. He worked as an Ohio State assistant (2011-13), Houston Texans linebackers coach (2014-16) and Texans defensive coordinator (2017) en route to spending six seasons (2018-23) as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans .
A few months after the Titans fired Vrabel in January with a record of 56-48, including 2-3 in the playoffs, he joined the Browns as a consultant.
“The thing that has amazed me this year is the same thing that amazed me [Vrabel's] first year at Tennessee,” Rardin said. “He jumped into that job. I was there at [Titans organized team activities] his first year. I was there staying at his house. I was amazed. It was like he had done this for 20 years.
“I think [the Browns are] extremely lucky. I don't know the guys at the Cleveland Browns, but I'm impressed with [Coach] Kevin Stefanski. He goes, 'Hey, [Vrabel's] a good guy, and I want to get as many good people around my football team as I can.' That impresses me 'cause I've heard people say, 'Oh, wouldn't he be worried about his job security and all that?' But Stefanski? No way. He just cares about getting the best people around his team.”
O'Shea said Vrabel has given the Browns an invaluable resource, and it's not uncommon to witness him jump into drills during practices.
“To see him work every day with our players hands-on and being out there on the field and running the scout team and just doing the work, it's been really awesome,” O'Shea said.
Working for the Browns also allows Vrabel to visit his parents, Chuck and Elaine , more often in Northeast Ohio. They basked in the special night at Walsh.
“What's so great is to see the kids [who grew up with Vrabel] now grown up,” Chuck Vrabel said. “They're adults, and they've got their kids here with them.”
Chuck and Elaine's son grew up, too, and now he has his jersey retired at his old stomping grounds. He also received Walsh's distinguished alumni award last month.
“It's so great to see him back here again,” Rardin said.
More on Mike Vrabel and the Browns: How Cleveland's tight ends and coaches have benefited from the Walsh Jesuit legend's presence
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Browns consultant Mike Vrabel relishes Walsh Jesuit jersey retirement
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