Sandusky's NFL champion

SANDUSKY — The script sounds familiar: • A small-town boy with average athletic ability but immeasurable desire wants to impress his dad on the football field. • He then begins playing. What he lacks in skill, when compared to more talented teammates, his heart, desire and will more than make up for it. • Somehow, someway, he manages to find himself on an NCAA team — without first earning a scholarship — due to his relentless work ethic. That's where the similarities between Rudy Ruettiger, portrayed in the 1993 film "Rudy," and Ed Bettridge stop. But if Hollywood producers want to find an even more spectacular, real-life underdog who triumphed in the ultimate gridiron game, then they should give Ed a call so he can star in a blockbuster sequel. The Sandusky native not only played for his hometown Cleveland Browns but also contributed in their revered 1964 season, capped off by an NFL Championship Game victory — the franchise's most recent title. Ahead of Cleveland's NFL Divisional Round playoff matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs (3:05 p.m. Sunday, CBS), Ed exclusively spoke with the Register about growing up in Sandusky, honing his skills at Bowling Green State University and suiting up for the Browns. Starting out in Sandusky Born on Adams Street to Hazel and John, or "Johnny," Ed fondly recalls a joyous childhood with his sister, Pat, and brother, John. "I just really liked growing up there," said Ed, 80, who now lives in Avon Lake, just outside of Cleveland. "I loved that there was so much to do. Sandusky had great parks, a great school system, great recreational facilities and great sports programs. I also loved Cedar Point, Catawba and the islands. There were also a lot of really good people in Sandusky. It was a perfect setting for me." Ed fell in love with football, a passion ingrained in him largely due in part to his brother and father, both standout athletes at Sandusky High School. Many considered Johnny the first Sandusky High School superstar athlete. To this day, he still tops the school's leaderboard in single-game touchdowns, scoring six against Bellevue in 1929. "That is amazing," said Ed, adding how Johnny scored 47 overall touchdowns in high school. "Back then, they only played eight or nine games, and now they play 10 to 15." In 1937, Johnny played in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Rams. "Other than Orlando Pace, my dad was the greatest player to come out of Sandusky. My brother was also really good, a three-time star athlete," Ed said. "There are only eight players at Sandusky that have ever played in the National Football League, and my dad and I are two of those eight. That's pretty great." As a child, Ed constantly found himself on Friday nights watching his beloved Blue Streaks play at Strobel Field, which he still considers an all-time great stadium. Ed stressed how the stadium, a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project, was "very well built" and appreciated its peculiar features, like the dugouts where players sat. It also carried a certain mystique. "When I walked into that stadium, I don't know. I just felt something. I felt that I was destined to play football," Ed said. Ed, a 1958 graduate, left just before Sandusky's boom period of football, known as the Sensational Sixties. During the 1960s, Sandusky amassed an 87-10-3 record that included four undefeated seasons. "Those were unbelievable teams. Ours were not," Ed said. "Our teams were still running a single-wing attack, and everyone else went to a T-formation. We were a little slow in catching up, but, still, the tradition and the history of Sandusky football was second to none back then." Ed considers himself a late bloomer. "My parents started me in school before I should have started, and I was always behind everyone else, in size, until my senior year in high school, when I played tackle and middle linebacker," Ed said. "I led the team in tackles, interceptions and blocked extra points." Those accolades, and others, earned him an induction into the Sandusky High School Athletic Hall of Fame, where Johnny's legacy also resides. Ed, every so often, finds himself back in Sandusky. He made a stop during the 2018 Founders Day Parade which celebrated the city's bicentennial. "I have always felt strongly about Sandusky," Ed said. "Whenever I come back, I always get this good feeling from Sandusky." Persistence pays off Ed wanted to continue playing football, but college teams didn't seem too interested in him. While attending Bowling Green State University, Ed made the team as a walk-on while a majority of other players were recruited and received a scholarship. Coaches assigned Ed to the freshman team. No matter for him: Ed appreciated the opportunity to play. As a linebacker, he led his fellow freshman Falcons in tackles. Impressed with his persistence and emerging athletic abilities, Doyt Perry, the famed Bowling Green coach, approved Ed for a full scholarship and a promotion to the varsity team. Among those vouching for that decision: Bowling Green's defensive coordinator Bill Mallory, another Sandusky graduate, who later served as head coach for several big-name NCAA programs. Regarding Perry, "He was like a father figure to me," Ed said. "I didn't mature enough in high school, and when I went to Bowling Green, it was just a huge difference, and things changed dramatically for me because of Doyt Perry." During his sophomore year, Ed played on both offense, as a center, and defense, as a linebacker, leading his team in tackles. A year later, not only did he repeat this feat but also received another accolade: The Mid-American Conference named Ed, in his junior year, to its all-conference team, a postseason award honoring the best players at their respective positions. Ed eagerly anticipated his senior year, when he seemed poised to break out, make a name for himself and possibly become an NFL Draft target. Then a major setback occurred. "I broke my foot," said Ed, who played with Bowling Green from 1960 to 1963. "I still played the whole year with a broken foot, and I wasn't drafted." Championship glory While many might have forgotten about Ed, one dynasty didn't. In the 1950s, the Cleveland Browns represented football royalty. For modern-day fans, they compare favorably to the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots. Between the 1950 and 1957 seasons, Cleveland appeared in all but one championship game, winning three and losing four. Though, from 1958 to 1963, Cleveland experienced — what was considered back then — a long title drought. As the Browns prepared for another championship run, they needed to find unique players filling out certain skillsets to complement their star-studded roster, consisting of Jim Brown, Gary Collins, Lou Groza, Leroy Kelly and Paul Warfield. So the team reached out to Ed, asking him about his availability. Ed couldn't say, "Yes" fast enough. "Back then, every boy dreamed of being on the Cleveland Browns," Ed said. "It was my lifetime dream. To be from Ohio, and play on the Browns, it was just so special." During that season, Ed, a rookie, served as a member of the Browns' special teams unit. Those players take the field when kickoffs, punts and other kick-related plays occur. "But not only did I make it," Ed continued, "I surpassed (my dream) by playing on a world championship football team." The Browns pulled off an incredible upset, defeating the heavily favored Baltimore Colts 27-0 in the 1964 NFL Championship Game, attended by almost 80,000 people in Cleveland. Every player, including Ed, received a championship ring to commemorate the milestone occasion. Ed proudly wears his ring, never bashful to show it off for fans and others interested in the back story. "There isn't a day that goes by that I don't talk about the Browns in some way or another," Ed said. "It's just the gift that keeps on giving, and it's a special thing. That doesn't happen to too many athletes." One and done — but still having fun Heading into the 1965 season, Ed looked for another opportunity to help the Browns win another championship. But the team hasn't since 1964, and Ed never played in the NFL again. "I hurt my ankle in a scrimmage, and it never really healed properly," Ed said. "I tried to hook on with (another team), but I had problems with the ankle, and it never worked out after that." The injury forced an early football retirement out of Ed, whose professional football résumé just included the one season. Ed soon took up coaching. In 1970, he landed a job with Eastern Michigan University. A year later, in 1971, the Eagles found themselves in the Pioneer Bowl. Soon thereafter, Ed quit coaching altogether and began a successful career in sales. In 2001, Ed retired and found his way back to Ohio with his wife, Kathy. They have two children. Returning to Ohio has opened up many opportunities for Ed. Most notably, he serves as an ambassador for the Browns. For instance, he travels across the nation, attending team-sponsored functions and making appearances at Browns Backers organizations. While with fans, he's delighted to speak with them, sign autographs, help auction off memorabilia for charities and relive glory days. "He is just so awesome. He is like the grandpa that you never had," said Tony Straziuso, the Huron Browns Backers chapter's president. "He is just a great, selfless guy who we really like having come meet with us." Ed also looks forward to ceremonies, especially those on game days, when he and other living members of that championship squad can take the field, hear their name chanted — "Ed! Ed! Ed!" — and receive one more ovation. "It's just a great feeling," Ed said. "To be back with your teammates, it's a close-knit organization, and it's a great memory in my life."