Born October 11, 1965 in Canton, OH, Chris Spielman gained a lot of attention as an All-American at Washington High School. Heavily recruited by major colleges, he came to play for Coach Earle Bruce at Ohio State in 1984. He went on to become a two-time All-American with the Buckeyes and a three-time All-Big Ten selection. One of the most intense and motivated players in Scarlet and Gray history, Chris is OSU's all-time leader in solo tackles and is among the school's all-time leading tacklers overall with 546. The Detroit Lions selected Chris as the 29th pick in the 1988 NFL draft. During the following eight seasons, he earned Pro Bowl honors four times. He was also the first player to lead the Lions in tackles for seven straight seasons. Chris played two years with the Buffalo Bills before joining the Cleveland Browns after the 1998 season. When his wife Stefanie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998, Chris took a year off to be at home with her and their children. Many people were struck by his dedication to his family which brought their story unexpected national attention. He even shaved his head (to match his wife's hair loss during chemo) to help his kids understand. He returned to football the following year, only to suffer a career-ending neck injury. Currently, Chris co-hosts a local radio show every weekday with Kirk Herbstreit along with Bruce Hooley. The Big Show can be heard in Central Ohio on 1460 The Fan. Chris joined 1460 The Fan in 2001 after an 11-season career in the NFL. In addition to his duties with The Fan, Chris is also a color analyst for ESPN college football. In 1998, Chris & Stefanie established The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. By publicly talking about breast cancer, more and more people learned about the disease and the importance of education and prevention. Tragically, Stefanie lost her fight to the disease in November 2009.
