Bob Babich, a 1994 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who is the first and only player from Miami University in Ohio to have received the honor, passed away April 3 at his home in Clairemont, Calif. He was 74.
"An exceptional hard hitting linebacker, Bob Babich made his mark in Oxford as one of the best in the country," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "He was great guy to be around with a great sense of humor and full of great stories. We are deeply saddened to learn of his passing and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."
A three-year starter as a linebacker for Hall of Fame Coach Bo Schembechler, Babich twice earned First Team All-Mid-America Conference honors (1967-68), and he was named a First Team All-American in 1968 by the American Football Coaches Association, the Sporting News, Playboy and Time Magazine. He also was the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1968 and Miami University's Athlete of the Year for the school term 1968-69. Twice voted the "Most Valuable Player" by his teammates, he was the captain of the 1968 team.
He led the team in tackles in 1967 with 164 and again in 1968 with 152. His 109 solo tackles in 1967 and 97 in 1968 both rank among the top ten performances in Redhawk history.
As a college star Babich stood 6-2 and weighed 225 pounds, and the RedHawks and Schembechler went 9-1 in 1966; 6-4 in 1967; and 7-3 in 1968 with the help of his contributions.
After his senior season, he played in three post-season games, the Senior Bowl, North-South Shrine Bowl, and All-American Bowl. Selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round of the 1969 NFL Draft, Babich played nine years in the pros with the Chargers and the Cleveland Browns.
Born May 5, 1947 in Youngstown, Ohio, Babich got his start at Memorial High School in Campbell, Ohio. He was inducted into the Miami Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975. After his playing days, he operated his own firm for more than two decades in the insurance, financial services and real estate lending industry.
