Post set the trend for Redskin backs

Throughout the 45-year history of the St. Henry football program, running backs have gained a reputation for blistering speed, punishing hits and the incredible ability to make defenders look foolish.

Names like Jesse Niekamp, Andy Puthoff, Jon Hemmelgarn, Doug Speck, Greg Gels and Tony Borgerding were not only regulars in the Saturday morning headlines, but they also all still enjoy their respective places throughout the St. Henry record books.

Redskin football fans from the early years of the program, however, will be quick to point out the trendsetter for this group was Ken Post - the hard-nosed tailback who put St. Henry football on the map in the mid-1970s.

"I arrived in St. Henry just before Ken's freshman year and all anyone told me was how this kid was the real deal in football and baseball," recalled Dennis Pfeffenberger, former St. Henry head baseball coach and assistant football coach. "I was a little reluctant to get so excited about a freshman, but it didn't take long for me to figure out that indeed he was the real deal. He ended up starting in center field all four years he was in high school and was also a four-year player on the football field."

Post notched his first varsity letter on the gridiron as a freshman in 1974 before erupting onto the scene in the Midwest Athletic Conference in 1975 when he rushed for 906 yards as a First Team All-MAC running back. The following two years, he helped guide the Redskins to back-to-back 9-1 records in just the program's sixth and seventh years of existence.

"Ken was hands down one of the hardest and most dynamic runners of his time," complimented former St. Henry quarterback Gary Will. "He ran so hard and enjoyed running over defenders, so it was always a lot of fun to watch him play and we were always glad he was on our team."

He repeated his reign as First Team All-MAC running back again as a junior and senior, while also earning All-Ohio honors after running for a combined 2,360 yards and 25 touchdowns and establishing countless St. Henry rushing records, many of which stood for more than a decade after his departure. In his career, Post finished with 3,266 yards and 33 touchdowns and averaged more than 100 yards per game over the course of three years.

"Ken was one of those kids who was just a diehard athlete. He was a bruiser of a running back but also one that if he broke free, it was going to be extremely difficult to catch him," Pfeffenberger explained. "What was also neat about him is that through all of the honors he received in sports, he remained very humble. He was a quiet and unassuming player who didn't really seem to want to be in the spotlight but just wanted to work hard and be a great teammate."

Although Post's career was heaped with plenty of remarkable performances, Will still chuckles about one particular incident on the sidelines that didn't have much to do with the battle on the field.

"At that time, we went from the suspension-type of helmets to liquid-packed or water-filled pockets inside them and one game I was standing next to Ken and he was complaining about a funny taste in his mouth," he commented. "The trainers examined his helmet and determined that he either had hit someone so hard or had been hit so hard that one of the liquid- filled packets had busted and the fluid was running down his face and into his mouth." 

While Ken Post was slicing through MAC defenses and helping lead the Redskins to a share of their first-ever conference title in 1977, his brother Mike, also a tailback and defensive back, waited patiently in the wings while admiring his big brother's prowess on the football field.

"Ken was a year older than me and I played defense and always admired how he played the game," the younger Post remarked. "He was so hard-nosed, I know I never wanted to try to tackle him! Growing up together, I learned a lot from him and when I became the tailback the year after he graduated, I wanted to be a lot like him."  

With his illustrious athletic career at St. Henry behind him, Post elected to take his football skills to Ohio Northern University where he earned four varsity letters on the gridiron from 1978-1981 as a fullback and punter. Following college, Post moved to Sylvania, where he was a certified public accountant. He was the father of two children: Josh and Lauren, who are now in their mid-20s.

Later in life, Ken faced a battle tougher than any defense he ever faced and on June 30, 1996, lost a battle with cancer.

"Growing up on a farm without neighbors close by, there wasn't much to do but to play sports with your brothers and Ken was a great brother and friend," Mike Post said. "I always looked up to him and one of the best pieces of advice he gave back when I was a player that I still think about is to always work hard no matter what you are doing. Nothing is ever given to you. You have to work at it and go out and get the job done. That is something he strived to do for his entire life."