‘You Could Tell He Was Different’: What Was Urban Meyer Like As A High School Assistant Coach? One Of His Former Players Weighs In

CINCINNATI — Before the three national championships, the two undefeated seasons and the .851 career winning percentage, Urban Meyer was here, at St. Xavier High School on the north side of Ohio’s third-largest city.

Meyer was just 21 years old in the fall of 1985; his brief football career at the University of Cincinnati finished. He would soon be on his way to Ohio State where he intended to be a graduate assistant under legendary coach Earle Bruce, but before Meyer could do that, he had to finish this season as the defensive backs coach for his father’s high school alma mater.

“You could tell at the time [Meyer] was different,” recalled Steve Specht, a senior safety for the Bombers that year.

Meyer related to his players. He was only a few years older than Specht and some of the other seniors on that team so it makes perfect sense. Meyer was intense and passionate — the same way he is now — but there was something about the way he carried himself that resonated with the St. Xavier players.

He connected with just about everyone.

“He really related well, had a great passion for the game,” Specht said. “It was fun playing. We still laugh about that year.”

Specht and Meyer can still share thoughts about that season because the two still talk frequently. Specht is now the head coach at St. Xavier and has been since 2003. He has built it into one of the top high school programs in the country — the Bombers have three state titles under Specht in 2005, 2007 and 2016 — so you can imagine Meyer, now the head coach at Ohio State, is a frequent visitor to the place he once coached.

“You knew [Meyer] was going to be successful wherever he went but do you predict that level? Hell no. You just don’t. But you knew he was going to be successful because of how he dealt with people.”– Cincinnati St. Xavier head Coach Steve Specht

There may only be one former St. Xavier player currently on scholarship for the Buckeyes — linebacker Justin Hilliard — but Meyer and Cincinnati-area recruiting ace Kerry Coombs make it a point to keep in constant contact because of the way Specht built this program.

Specht and Meyer have known each other for over 30 years now and Specht said he could tell Meyer was “different’ way back in 1985, but not even he could envision the amount of success Ohio State’s head coach has had in his career. That’s impossible.

“That’s like the question I get from people about Luke Kuechly,” Specht said, referring to arguably the best linebacker currently in the NFL, who starred at St. Xavier prior to going to Boston College. “Here’s what I know: I knew both of them were going to be successful wherever they went but you really ever see — I mean, Urban Meyer is going to the Hall of Fame.”

“You knew he was going to be successful wherever he went but do you predict that level? Hell no. You just don’t. But you knew he was going to be successful because of how he dealt with people.”

Meyer was at a party in Columbus recently when he sent Specht a text message. It was a picture of Meyer and Dave Schamer, the other starting safety on St. Xavier’s 1985 team. They like to reminisce about that one season that happened over 30 years ago.

Ask any of his current players what stands out about Meyer and the first thing usually mentioned is his ability to motivate a group. He has a certain way about him that allows him to connect with a team.

It was the same way back in 1985 when Meyer, only three years older than some of his players, started his coaching career.

“Even at that level, he had a great relationship with the kids that played for him, me included, and it was a different relationship. You could just tell he was different and I guess that’s the best way I can sum it up.”

“It was high school and I was 18 and he was 21, and the times are so different now, but all I know is he’s done very well for himself and that speaks for itself.”