Former Ohio State football and baseball standout Howard “Hopalong” Cassady is just as active in the world of sports today as he was during his playing days at OSU.Currently the first base coach for the Columbus Clippers AAA baseball team, Cassady stays busy all year long. Most OSU fans know Cassady was a standout tailback for the Buckeyes from 1952-55, winning the coveted Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best collegiate football player in 1955. But many fans may not be aware he was a standout baseball player for the Buckeyes as well.In his junior year he led his team in home runs and then led his team in stolen bases his senior year. Cassady then went on to play semi-pro baseball with legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler. Today, Cassady is in his ninth consecutive season as the Clippers’ first base coach. Cassady joined the Yankees organization in 1973 as a scout. He then worked as a physical conditioning coach from 1976-81, and at that time he also worked as a spring training coach and worked with players selected after the June draft. “I enjoy it very much,” Cassady said. “I like giving back to the players and seeing them succeed to the big leagues. I scout the Big Ten, Mid-American and Ohio Valley conferences the first part of the year, then I’m with the Clippers full time. I’m with the players from spring training, helping them improve so they’re ready when it comes time to get the call up to the big leagues. I work with our hitting coach as well, throwing batting practice in the cages and also helping with the outfielders.” Clippers manager Trey Hillman said that Cassady always wants to help the ballclub and sometimes tries to do too much. “Hop is as hard of a worker as anyone you could want on you staff,” Hillman said. “He hits infield all practice long and volunteers to throw batting practice everyday, but we don’t let him throw and it makes him mad. He has the ability to, we just don’t want to push him too hard.””He comes out for extra work everyday and is behind our guys 100 percent. He’d do anything in the world to help their careers,” he said. Hillman also said Cassady likes to share stories about his old football and baseball playing days. “He’s told me a lot of stories about himself,” Hillman said. “When he does, we’re usually out to dinner. He doesn’t like to talk about it in the clubhouse. It’s always a good laugh with any of his stories. Having a person like Hop in your clubhouse really helps the guys.” “There’s really a sense of respect there when you come in, then when you get to know him, he’s kind of like an uncle figure to the guys. He’s just a great influence on the guys and he really helps keep the coaching staff and the players loose. He really wants to win as well, and obviously with this organization we like to see that,” Hillman said.Cassady says that most of the players on the team don’t even realize that he is a Heisman Trophy winner. “Most of these guys don’t even know that I played football,” Cassady said. “These players weren’t even born yet. Their dads might know about me, but it’s good for them to just keep their minds on baseball anyhow. That’s what there here to do and they take it very seriously.”Cassady had one of the most successful football careers ever at OSU.In his first game ever as a Buckeye, the freshman came off the bench to score three touchdowns in a 33-13 victory over Indiana in 1952.After that game, he was a regular in the Buckeye backfield and went on to lead OSU to a 29-8 record over the next four years. In 1954, he won unanimous All-American honors and helped lead the Buckeyes to a perfect 10-0 record and the first of five national championships for legendary coach Woody Hayes. Cassady capped off his career with a stellar senior season. In 1955 he ran for 964 yards and scored 15 touchdowns.Cassady then went on to win the Heisman and was recognized by the Associated Press as the 1955 Athlete of the Year. He was also an outstanding defensive back for the Buckeyes. Marv Holman, who served as Ohio State`s sports information director from 1948-87, had many positive things to say about the All-American. Cassady is well known for what he did offensively, but Holman said one defensive play that Cassady made will always stick out in his mind. “He was truly a remarkable athlete,” Holman said. “One of the most memorable games I remember was against Wisconsin, who was then ranked number one in the country. I remembered Cassady intercepting a pass and eluding four or five tacklers before running it back almost 80 yards for a touchdown.””That play really broke Wisconsin’s back, and it shifted the momentum to us to help us win that big game. That was just a real classic football game. The score (OSU 31-14) really didn’t reflect the way the game went. It was a much closer game than the score indicated,” he said. Holman went on to add that Cassady was just a tough all-around competitor.Staying at only around 170 pounds, Cassady played both sides of the ball and averaged close to 50 minutes a game, something to which today’s players would be unaccustomed. Cassady finished his career with 2,466 rushing yards, ranking him 10th on OSU`s all-time rushing list.He was a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions after his senior season. He went on to play defensive back for Detroit, Cleveland and Philadelphia before retiring. Cassady resides at his Tampa home during the off-season but says there is no off-season for him, as he works with the Clippers organization 12 months a year. “It’s year round for me,” Cassady said. “As soon as we get done we work with the rehab guys and scouts. It’s pretty much a year round vacation for me anyhow with this job because I enjoy it so much.”Other than a year-round vacation, what more could Cassady ask for?”I’d sure like to see us (OSU) beat Michigan more often. Other than that, I have no other wishes in life,” he said.