26 Facts About Rex Kern

Rex William Kern was born on May 28,1949 and is an American former professional football player.

Rex Kern played professional football in the National Football League at defensive back for the Baltimore Colts and Buffalo Bills.

In college, Kern was the quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1968 to 1970; the Buckeyes went undefeated in 1968 and were national champions.

Rex Kern was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

Rex Kern was born on May 28,1949, in Lancaster, Ohio, where he was raised by his mother Jean, a former high school athlete, and father Trenton Rex Kern, a barber.

Rex Kern was a star three-sport athlete for Lancaster High School and graduated in 1967.

However Rex Kern had long sought to play basketball for Fred Taylor of Ohio State and had fostered a relationship with Taylor that led to a scholarship offer.

Rex Kern was drafted by the A's after agreeing to attend Ohio State, and Trenton Kern reminded his son that Kern had already given his word to play for Hayes and Taylor.

At Ohio State, Rex Kern quarterbacked the freshman team in 1967, which included 11 high school All-Americans, but suffered a back injury playing freshman basketball.

Rex Kern was the leader of the Buckeyes' Super Sophomores, and guided the Buckeyes to an undefeated season and a consensus national championship in 1968.

The Super Sophomores finished their three-year varsity careers with a record Rex Kern was a fine passer and a dangerous runner.

Rex Kern directed a high-scoring junior-dominated Buckeye offense that cruised through its first eight games.

Rex Kern was named an All-American as running back, because there were so many great college quarterbacks that year.

Rex Kern, elected team captain in 1970, finished fifth on the 1970 Heisman ballot.

Rex Kern was elected to the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame in 1978, was selected to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000, and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 1991, Rex Kern was named a member of the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.

Rex Kern co-wrote a book, with Lee Caryer, about his early life in Ohio and Ohio State experience, The Road to the Horseshoe and Beyond: How a Small-Town Athlete Benefited from Ohio State to Build a Life.

Rex Kern was selected in the tenth round of the 1971 NFL draft by the defending NFL champion Baltimore Colts.

Rex Kern played in all fourteen games in his rookie season, supplanting Jim Duncan as starting cornerback, and starting four games.

Rex Kern only made five starts in 1972 due to a recurrence of his back injury, and recovered to play a full season in 1973, starting eight games with two interceptions.

Rex Kern was the Colts' National Football League Players Association representative during the union's strike prior to the 1974 season.

Rex Kern played against the Colts that year in a Bills victory; and, starting at free safety, he had 13 tackles and a fumble recovery in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rex Kern earned three degrees from Ohio State, a baccalaureate, a master's, and a Ph.

Rex Kern received the National Football Foundation's Scholar-Athlete Award, was an All Big 10 Academic Team honoree in 1970, and received an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship in 1971.

Rex Kern credited his success to his education, and his education to Woody Hayes, with whom he had a lifelong friendship.

Rex Kern was president of a business selling Nautilus equipment for over 40 years.