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Former OHS athlete promises to make the most of 2nd chance PDF Print E-mail
Sports
Thursday, 07 April 2011 07:37
By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
It took former Osceola High football and wrestling standout Robert Strader longer than usual to earn a football scholarship.
Wearing his No. 47 OHS football shirt, he signed a letter of intent to Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. recently at the OHS gym as his parents, Robert Sr. and Colleen Strader, watched.
It was a circuitous and painful recruiting process after Strader graduated from OHS in 2009. He had a solid career as a defensive lineman for Coach Jeff Rolson’s football teams, making 49 tackles during his senior season. He also placed fifth at 215 pounds at the 2009 state wrestling tournament, helping the Kowboys win their first team championship.
Strader had scholarship offers during his senior year, and he also had the grades with a 3.2 GPA.
But, as Osceola Athletic Director and Wrestling Coach Jim Bird said, “He’s always been a good kid, but sometimes he struggled a little bit. Sometimes he got with the wrong crowd.”
One night, several months after he graduated, Strader got involved in an argument at a party.
“The guy threw a punch at me, and I took him down with a double-leg takedown. It was a good wrestling move,” he said with an ironic grin. “The bad thing was that when he went down, he hit his elbow and hurt it.”
Worse, according to Strader, his opponent’s friend came out of an adjoining room with gun, pointed at Strader.
“I got the heck out of there,” he said.
Several days later, police officers arrived at Strader’s parents’ home and arrested him for aggravated assault.
“I was looking at 10 to 15 years in prison,” he said.
He spent several months at the county jail while his case worked its way through the system.
“It came up for trial four times, and it was delayed each time,” he said. “When it came up the fifth time, my witnesses didn’t show up.”
Strader eventually pleaded to battery with intent to do bodily harm, a misdemeanor.
Strader realized that he was squandering an opportunity to have a good life, and he made it his purpose to do something about it.
“I took out all of the recruiting letters I had gotten and started calling every single one of those coaches,” he said.
Colleen Strader encouraged her son.
“I told him, ‘You can do it. Prove that you’re better than they think you are. You can do it.’” she said. “He did it all on his own. His dad told him it had to be that way.”
Robert Strader Sr. said, “If he did it on his own, he would appreciate it more. He’d feel like he earned it himself.”
Not surprisingly, given Strader’s legal problems, most of those coaches did not respond even though he got letters of recommendation from employers and former teachers.
Meanwhile, Strader visited his former OHS position coach, Bill Buldini, at St. Cloud High after Buldini was made the Bulldogs’ head coach last summer.
Buldini gave Strader a job as a volunteer defensive line coach for the Bulldogs.
Mike Short, who became the St. Cloud head football coach earlier this year after Buldini resigned, said that Strader did a good job for the Bulldogs.
“He brought an incredible work ethic. He’s a great kid,” Short said. “I actually coached Robert in wrestling at Denn John Middle School, so I’ve known him forever. When Bill Buldini got the job here, Robert would drop by just to stay in touch, and Bill added him to the staff. He did a good job.”
Strader finally hit the jackpot when Dakota Wesleyan Coach Brad Pole contacted him in December.
“He asked me if I wanted to play football for him Jan. 3,” Strader said, recalling a life-changing moment. “I told him that I’d do whatever he needed me to do.”
Strader’s paperwork wasn’t processed in time for him to enroll for the spring semester, but all is on track for Strader to join the Tigers for summer practice.
“I want to be a coach one day, and this is the way I’m going to do it,” he said. “You realize after what I went through that you have to be focused on a goal to be successful. I’ve had an opportunity to meet a ton of great coaches around here, so hopefully I can use those contacts to maybe get a job one day right here in this county.”
Strader will play outside linebacker at Dakota Wesleyan, a NAIA Division II program that was 4-6 last season in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.
To prepare, he has set up a conditioning course in the front yard of the family home.
“I’ve got everything there I need to train,” he said. “I’m fortunate to have this opportunity, and I’m going to take advantage of it.”
 

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