Success has followed the Christopher family

NORWALK — Little question, the Christophers knew success on the gridiron. There was Al, an all-conference player at Ohio University, which was followed by successful coaching stints at Kent State and Muskingum. And then there was John, who played football for Bob Hart at Norwalk High School. He went on to Morehead State University, where he punted for four years — then he reached the NFL level as a undrafted free agent, where he tried out with Cincinnati Chicago and Green Bay. John has stayed close to the sport that got him a college degree and a shot at making a NFL roster. Playing in three exhibition games for the Packers proved he had the stuff. But it proved to be neither the right time nor the right place. "I realized I could play at that high a level when I stayed on with Green Bay, punting in all three of their preseason games, only to be cut after that final game," John said. "I came back home a bit deflated, but I knew when I started there were only so many many roster spots on an NFL team for punters. "Plus I had my degree and eventually used it in making a career in the field of waste water management. And, to this day, I answer any question a young man has in the art of punting." Christopher, 61, was hired on first at Norwalk's waste water plant, then moved on to facilities at Milan, Belmont County, Cuyahoga Falls — and then back to Norwalk last year where he thought he would retire on a part-time basis. That was not the case. He received a call from an Avon Lake a number about a week ago asking if he was interested in taking the superintendent's job at the biggest facility he had ever managed. He accepted and will probably end his career there. But, football and water treatment is not the true subject of this story. It is golf, Al's secondary sport. To connect him with Norwalk, Al Christopher was the head football coach at Muskingum College back in the 1970s when Norwalk had a fine running back by the name of John McCarty on what proved to be a state championship football team in 1974. John Christopher's father, George, in talking football with his younger brother, told him he had better make a trip north and get a first-hand look at "this McCarty kid." Al Christopher said he believed McCarty would fit well into his offensive scheme. As it turned out, he did. "Gosh, what a kid. Great, great football player. Great work ethics. Great family," Al Christopher said. "He played for me for four years and every year he was in the lineup we were successful. George was right about that young man." Al graduated from Caldwell (Ohio) High School in 1953 where he made a name for himself in footbal. He eventually became a member of that school's Hall of Fame. He was recruited by Ohio University where he was a position player until banging up his shoulder, forcing him to the punting and placement kicking position as a junior and senior. "John and I must have the same genes as far as kicking, as he too became quite proficient at kicking the football," Al said. While at Ohio U., Al took a class in golf. It was the first time he picked up a golf club. Al graduated from Ohio, went home, got married, and took his first coaching job as an assistant at Cincinnati Wyoming High School. In four years, the team lost just one game. He left Wyoming and went to New Philadelphia High School in 1961 as the head football and golf coach. His laurels there included his being named football Coach of the Year in the Cardinal Conference. His first college job followed in 1963, an offensive line coaching position at Kent State. He was there for three years and along with football, again taught golf during the summer. He left there in 1970 to take the head football and golf positions at Muskingum College. He entered his second Hall of Fame after a highly-successful football coaching career there, one that included a OAC conference title in 1975 — the only one to this day by the Muskies. He was named OAC Coach of the Year in 1975 while his golf teams won OAC titles in 1970 and 1978, both years winning him OAC Coach of the Year honors. He was there for 25 years, the last seven as the school's athletic director. Upon leaving the college coaching ranks, Al was enshrined in a third Hall, that of the Mid-Ohio Valley, a Hall that includes an area of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and southern Ohio. Since then, Al has retired to the golf course. He became a member at Zanesville Country Club in 1984. He played in five Ohio Senior amateur tournaments and won four Senior Classic Tournament at Zanesville CC, an event open to seniors throughout the state. And now to the unbelievable part. Al started keeping his scores in 2001. On his 65th birthday, he shot a 65. Since then he has shot his age or better an amazing 1,438 times, numbers that a number of years ago helped put him in his fourth Hall of Fame, that of the New Philadelphia District Hall. Christopher was a scratch handicapper when he started the run back in 2001. Since then, he has bumped up to a "6", a number still shocking for an 87-year-old. He shoots anywhere between 77 and 81 while playing at Zanesville or in Jupiter, Fla., where he is a member of Abacoa Golf Club. His son, who played the mini-tours in Florida for a number of years, has a condo on that course and sells real estate on Jupiter Island. Al plays every day during the summer at Zanesville, generally with the same three players. He heads for Florida in mid-February and plays any number of courses down there. Matt Lefferts, the Executive Director of the Ohio Golf Association, said 1,438 times is quite a fete but doing some checking, he saw where one gentleman did it what is believed to be a record 2,623 times. "For good players like Al Christopher, I have learned doing that happens a lot." Al might not have the record, but he has 1,438 reasons to believe he is a pretty good golfer. Mike Durant has been the head professional at Zanesville Country Club for 30 years. Al Christopher has been a member there for 40. They are the best of friends. "I marvel at Al," Durant said. "Not only is he a tremendous golfer but he is a great human being and a friend of everyone here at the club. As far as the golfing part, we have golf reps come in here for sales and club fitting and they are in awe of how Al repeats his swing, one they say is absolute perfect. Little wonder he goes out and shoots in the high 70s and low 80s at 87 years old. I listened to the Calloway fitter one morning quiz Al as how he manages to repeat the purest of swings every time. Al should be asking that question of the rep. "Every time Al comes in I expect him to tell me he got another ace," Durant added. "He has eight of them, at least one on every one of our par 3 holes. I guess if you play as many holes as he has, the percentages are fairly high on hitting a number of perfect shots and no one in the history of Zanesville CC has played more rounds on this course than Al Christopher. Al still plays golf every single day. "I know he was keeping count at one point of how many consecutive days he played, and it was just as astonishing a number as his age-shooting record," Durant said. "He is a marvel." In the meantime, nephew, John, is another who marvels at his father's youngest brother. "I sure had a great golf teacher if I wanted one," John said. "Actually, dad (George) had just as good a swing I thought as Uncle Al. He didn't score as well for sure. Me, I always thought when I was on a golf course I was wasting time hitting a little white ball around."