“(Withrow) was as tough of kid that we had at Fairmont.”
An undersized lineman who made up for that with an extra-mean disposition, Withrow also excelled in football at the University of Kentucky and played five more years in the NFL. He died on Sunday at his residence in Lexington, Ky. He was 63.
At Fairmont and UK, Withrow was 6 feet and barely 200 pounds, according to his brother Bob.
“He was a great athlete and a wild man,” said Bob, in his 42nd year of coaching high school football and a running backs coach at Camden County (Ga.).
“He was a big brother that you could always look up to and count on.”
Both Withrow brothers were All-Ohio, Cal as a center and Bob a receiver.
Cal Withrow’s position coach at UK was future Bengals head coach Homer Rice.
An original draft pick of the New York Giants, Withrow was one of the final cuts as a rookie.
He played semipro football in Dayton, then gained 50 pounds and landed on Green Bay’s roster and played for the Packers from 1970-72. He spent the next two seasons with the San Diego Chargers and St. Louis Cardinals.
Withrow played in 58 NFL games from 1970-74.
Ankney, 79, was Fairmont’s head coach when Withrow was a sophomore. Ankney was the head coach at Canton McKinley the next two seasons and ended his coaching career following two years as the University of Dayton’s head coach in 1963-64.
“We had to watch (Withrow) a little bit in some of our drills because he would get a little mean,” Ankney said from his home in Englewood, Fla.
“Of course, that’s why he was such a tough defensive player. It served him well later, I can imagine.”
Jim Hoover, also deceased, was Fairmont’s head coach for Withrow’s junior and senior years. Fairmont had seasons of 8-2, 8-0 and 7-2 while Withrow played. He also excelled in wrestling and track and field (shot put).
He is survived by wife Kathy, daughter Heather Withrow of San Diego, son Jason Withrow of Lexington, his brother Bob and a sister, Beverly Stoll of Seattle.
A memorial service will be at 5:30 p.m. today at the Clark Legacy Center in Lexington, followed by a gathering of family and friends. Donations may be made in his memory to the National MS Society or Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2381 or mpendleton@DaytonDailyNews.com.
About the Author