Scottsdale, Ariz. – He’s the grandson of a Cuban revolutionary, and if he fulfills his dream of becoming a judge, he would like to help another exploited group: college athletes. He sleeps in an altitude tent and looks up to Plato but is so down-to-earth he doesn’t quote him or refer to his school by the pretentious handle The Ohio State University.
Here’s introducing Anthony Gonzalez, Ohio State’s junior receiver who’s one reason the top-ranked Buckeyes (12-0) are favored to beat Florida (12-1) for the BCS national championship Monday, and he’s why some college wideouts are as hard to stereotype as to defend.
He carries a 3.58 GPA in philosophy and has a philosophy on everything. In an industry in which universities have undergone criticism and mass reform correcting academic shortcomings in major sports, Gonzalez doesn’t see himself as a trailblazer overcoming big odds to graduate on time this spring.
“Part of being a student-athlete in high school and in middle school is finding a way to do your very best at both things,” Gonzalez said at Ohio State’s news conference Wednesday. “That’s why it’s so well respected in the job market. My brother played football at Indiana, and he had a very easy time getting a job after he was done for those reasons.”
However, in an era when coaches like Nick Saban can reportedly get $32 million over eight years, Gonzalez thinks players are getting shortchanged in other areas.
“In all honesty, one of the most exploited groups of people in the country – not in the world but in the United States – are college athletes,” he said. “We basically have a job that generates millions and millions of dollars and at the end of the day don’t really see any of it. That’s the reality. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Well, yes there is. Gonzalez is making sure he gets his, both on the field and off. He recently received his requested NFL papers on his draft prospects if he came out a year early. He’s undecided but has determined he’ll enter law school whenever his NFL career ends.
Being a dumb jock was never an option in the Gonzalez household. His grandfather emigrated from Spain to Cuba in the 1930s and went to school with Fidel Castro. That grandfather helped overthrow the corrupt regime of Fulgencio Batista and wound up as a college professor, teaching, among others, the wife of Raul Castro, Fidel’s brother and current acting president.
After Fidel Castro took control of Cuba in 1959, Gonzalez’s grandfather moved to Miami, then Cincinnati, where Gonzalez’s parents met.
“My mother’s a teacher, and my father has always pushed academics,” Anthony said. “His father was very intelligent. My grandfather was one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. He was just very learned. He was very well read.”
After settling in Cleveland, the Gonzalezes held strong to their Cuban heritage. Jenna Gonzalez, Anthony’s mom, was of German descent but fell in love with Cuban food and got Anthony involved in Cuban cooking. His grandfather filled a scrapbook with Cuban baseball cards. Jose Canseco became one of Anthony’s early heroes.
His father played football at Michigan and another brother played baseball at North Carolina-Greensboro. But it wasn’t until Anthony went to Ohio State that he got serious about academics.
“Believe it or not, I was pretty immature when I got to Ohio State, and I finally figured out what I wanted to do with myself, which was go to law school and be a lawyer,” Gonzalez said. “I opened up U.S. News & World Report, looked at my GPA and looked at the GPAs in there and realized I had a lot of work to do.”
While excelling at school became a given, excelling on the field didn’t happen until this season. He nearly doubled his receptions, from 28 to 49, and his eight TD receptions helped earn him all-Big Ten honors. His emergence has kept opponents from concentrating on leading receiver Ted Ginn Jr.
Besides superb speed and hands, Gonzalez’s improvement dovetails with his usage of his oxygen tent. He has slept in it since fall camp and even set it up in his hotel room here, much to the chagrin of his suddenly crowded roommate, reserve quarterback Todd Boeckman.
“The best thing about it is how it makes me feel,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t get as sore as I used to. As you mature, you take care of your body more. You learn about your physical well-being and how to deal with it, and the tent is part of that.”
John Henderson can be reached at 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com.
