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QUALITY TIME

Chick Ludwig chats with former Ohio U. quarterback Ryan Hawk

Former Centerville star taking his shot with the Buffalo Bills

By Chick Ludwig

Dayton Daily News

Centerville's Ryan Hawk received his bachelor's degree in communications from Ohio University on Saturday and is scheduled to work out for the Buffalo Bills today in Orchard Park, N.Y. Best-case scenario: He signs a contract as a non-drafted college free agent. Worst-case scenario: He heads home without a deal and continues exploring his options.

Two Canadian Football League teams — Montreal and Hamilton — have contacted Hawk. The Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League also are interested. The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder, who transferred from Miami University following the 2001 season, threw for 1,428 yards with 10 TDs and 4 interceptions for the 4-7 Bobcats in 2004.

• "I'm fortunate to have the opportunity to go up there and hopefully show them enough that they'll want to keep me. This is my first NFL tryout that will be off-campus, so it'll be a little different. It could be for a position other than quarterback. I'm open for anything. Whatever it takes to reach it, I'm willing to do it."

• "I told them I played a little receiver when I was at Miami. I know how to run routes just from throwing so much and having to coach my own receivers. So I have a good feel for the position. Offense is something I'd be more comfortable with just because that's all I've done. I could learn (defense), but I would probably be best suited to stay on offense."

• At Ohio U.'s Pro Day on March 16, Hawk ran between 4.52 and 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash, nailed a 32-inch vertical jump and bench-pressed 225 pounds 18 times. His agent, Joe Dinda, of Pompano Beach, Fla., calls Hawk "an intelligent, sturdy-built kid with better-than-advertised arm strength who can gain yardage as a runner. He's a gym rat who benefited when the team switched to a pro-style attack from the old triple option."

• "I'm a guy who's used to working hard and somebody who's going to come and be a positive influence. I've been the captain on every team I've been on since the third grade. I really crave having a lot of responsibility. Coaches want a guy who doesn't get in trouble, who does the right thing and influences the team in a positive way. That's what I can bring."

• Hawk was Ben Roethlisberger's roommate at Miami for two seasons (2000, 2001). Big Ben is now the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. "We both came in together. He redshirted and I played a little bit. My sophomore year, we split time the first two games and then he won the job outright and I started playing a little receiver. At the end of that season, I decided I wanted to play quarterback full-time. That's when I decided to come to OU."

• "I reached my goal of being a starting quarterback in Division I. To have success at it from time to time is what I wanted. To say I reached every goal would be a lie, but to say that I reached some of them was definitely true. That's better than most people."

• "I'm real happy for Ben. He's one of those guys who always gets it done. He always finds a way to do it and it seems effortless, too. It was just a super-competitive environment for a full two years we were together in every single thing we did on and off the field. I think we're both better off for being in that situation. The only thing that compares with that is the competitive battles I've had on a daily basis since I was 3 years old with my younger brother."

• Hawk, who turns 24 on Aug. 31, would love to beat his younger brother — Ohio State linebacker A.J. Hawk — to the NFL. A.J. is a leading candidate to capture the 2005 Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and will enter the NFL draft in 2006. "The sky's the limit for A.J. To say I'm surprised at his success would be a complete lie. A lot of other people might have been surprised because, for some reason, he wasn't as highly recruited out of high school. But he has not surprised me."

• "The thing that's awesome to see is how much he improves every day. He was fast when he got (to Ohio State). Now he's lightning fast. He was big when he got there. Now he's huge. He was a good player when he got there. Now he's the best linebacker in college football. I'm nothing but proud of him. He's been more than a best friend to me."

• Anyone who witnessed Ryan Hawk's final high school game — Centerville's 49-42 loss to Cincinnati Elder in the 1999 Division I state playoffs in front of 10,000 fans at Middletown's Barnitz Stadium — will never forget it. Hawk rushed for 182 yards and two TDs, including an 80-yarder, as the Elks overcame a 28-14 halftime deficit for a 42-28 lead. But Elder scored three TDs the final 2:08 to win. "The outcome was tough, but from a fan's perspective, I'm sure it was awesome. It was a good back-and-forth battle. If anything, it was an exciting way for us to go out. I thought we definitely had a good enough team to beat just about anybody. But that's how it goes. It's high school football, and it's great ... great memories."