What Would Have Been?

What would have become of Uwe (OO-va) Detlef Walter von Schamann had Ohio State fans gotten their wish 40 years ago?

Would the Oklahoma placekicker still have been drafted into the National Football League?

Would he still have been voted to the all-time All-Big Eight and OU All-Century teams?

Would he still have become one of the most fabled football players in school history?

Would he still have taken a career path that helps raise awareness and provide services for developmentally disabled children?

Or would he have bolted back to his native Germany to be a soccer goalie and perhaps witness the destruction of the Berlin Wall?

"I don't know what would have happened. I really don't."
? Uwe von Schamann

"I don't know what would have happened. I really don't," von Schamann admits. "I would have probably just finished school and tried to find a job."

Thanks to what transpired Sept. 24, 1977, we'll never know what might have been for von Schamann.

von Schamann directing the chant of "Block that kick!" at the Horseshoe

With :06 remaining and Ohio State clinging to a 28-26 lead in a nationally televised (ABC) game at Ohio Stadium, Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes called timeout in hopes of freezing von Schamann prior to a 41-yard field-goal attempt.

Shortly before Hayes had hit the pause button, von Schamann was all by himself, crouching at the 33-yard line as his teammates huddled at the line of scrimmage. Rarely has von Schamann shared what he was thinking during that lonesome moment.

"Back then we had a sports psychologist they would send us to sometimes," von Schamann explained. "He taught me this little mental exercise to do and that's what I was doing. After I did that, I felt really confident and really peaceful. It was basically breathing in and out and relaxing with that. It's called a ?relaxation response.' Most people think it's kind of weird, but it worked for me."

During the timeout, a chant of "block that kick" echoed through the sellout crowd of 88,119 inside The Horseshoe. Von Schamann took off his helmet. For OSU fans, now the enemy had a face. After he slipped his helmet back on, von Schamann became a maestro for about three seconds, directing the chant with both arms.

"I don't know why I led the chant. It was just something I did spontaneously."

"When I noticed the crowd (chanting), it didn't really bother me," von Schamann said. "I don't know why I led the chant. It was just something I did spontaneously. I felt really calm. Of course, I had a great holder (Bud Hebert) and snapper (Mark Lucky) and all that, so I was never worried about that part."

Looking back, von Schamann realized conducting the crowd might not have been a wise move. "Yeah, no kiddin'," he said with a hearty laugh. "At that point, something just took over. I had no control over it, seems like."

"The Kick" ? Uwe von Schamann and holder Bud Hebert (Photo courtesy Dr. Geoff Potts)

When the defining moment finally arrived, von Schamann's kick sailed high through the uprights. Though :03 still remained on the clock, seemingly the entire OU travel party prematurely celebrated wildly on the field.

Play-by-play from the closing minutes. Final Stats

The Sooners' pulsating 29-28 victory just might be the most cherished, most discussed, most captivating September moment in the history of OU football. That contest between the No. 3-ranked Sooners and No. 4-ranked Buckeyes marked the first time these two college football powers ever played. OSU avenged the loss in 1983 with a 24-14 victory in Norman.

The fourth all-time meeting comes Saturday night at 6:30 at the Horseshoe in Columbus in another nationally televised (ABC) game.

Had that 41-yarder in Columbus been off the mark, von Schamann said he likely might have ended up on the other side of the world.

Born 60 years ago in Berlin, West Germany, von Schamann grew up with a love for futbol, not football. At age 16, he moved to Fort Worth, Texas, where he played football at Eastern Hills High School and eventually received a scholarship from the Sooners.

Unbeknownst to many, von Schamann also played goalie for OU's soccer club and was drafted by the Dallas Tornado of the North American Soccer League (NASL). "I went down there for a tryout, but there was no way I was going to beat out their two Premier League goalies," said von Schamann, who later played for an Oklahoma all-star team in a couple of exhibition matches against the NASL Chicago Sting before he was selected in the seventh round (189th overall) by the Miami Dolphins in the 1979 NFL Draft.

von Schamann with the Miami Dolphins

Good thing von Schamann chose to become a placekicker, because there probably is no scenario where a goalie could have attained such everlasting reverence with one swing of the leg the way he did that glorious, rainy afternoon in Columbus. "That's correct," von Schamann admitted with a chuckle, "but deep down I always kind of missed playing soccer."

With the Sooners, von Schamann set what was then an NCAA record with 125 consecutive PATs. Former Sooners coach Barry Switzer never could pronounce his kicker's name correctly. "Every week on TV, on the Barry Switzer Show, he'd call me ?You-va von Shoeman,' " von Schamann once said.

Then again, "von Shoeman" becoming a hero inside "The Shoe" kind of fits.

Since leaving pro football, von Schamann's present legacy is providing services for developmentally disabled children. After returning to OU for his degree and working in development for the university, he spent 10 years at the J.D. McCarthy Center in Norman. Two years ago this month, he joined The Children's Center Rehabilitation Hospital in Bethany.

Von Schamann's heroic moment from four decades ago has helped fortify his heroic business efforts of today, and he insists he doesn't mind taking all those trips down Memory Lane. "No, because the way I look at it, I share that with the fans," von Schamann said.

"The fans always tell me some great stories about where they were and what they did that day. The biggest part is it gives attention to what I do now at The Children's Center, and that's what it's all about."

The Kick & the King
Hear the stories of that memorable day from those who lived it. Sooner Sports TV presents "The Kick & The King".