12th of a Series...

NORTH KINGSVILLE — At various points in his life, Rick Brunot has had some kind of connection to some very prominent people in sports.

When he was in high school at Conneaut, he was one of the best wrestlers around for the Spartans, earning state runner-up honors as a heavyweight during his senior year in 1979-80. That came three seasons before his younger brother, Doug, became the third state champion from an Ashtabula County school, a number that has only reached four in the years since.

When he headed off to Youngstown State University, he became one of the Penguins’ best athletes, doubling up as an offensive lineman for coaches Bill Narduzzi and Bob Dove on the gridiron, then nearly reaching national championship status in wrestling in 1984. In 1994, he was inducted in the Youngstown State Hall of Fame for his exploits on the gridiron and on the wrestling mat, joining those coaching standouts.

He was good enough to make a run at making the team with the Denver Broncos of coach Dan Reeves and featuring a young quarterback named John Elway when that franchise reached the Super Bowl in 1984.

Among the last players cut by the Broncos, Brunot got a second chance in 1985 with the team he loved as a youngster, the Cleveland Browns. He got the opportunity to perform briefly for coach Marty Schottenheimer and play with another promising young quarterback named Bernie Kosar. But he was unable to make the grade there, either.

Even within his own family, the eldest child of Ron Brunot and Collette Shugarts is surrounded by people with fine athletic achievements on their resumes. Not only is his brother remembered as a state championship wrestler, but first sister Cindi Brunot was a standout athlete at Conneaut as well. The Brunots also have a second sister, Pam.

Now he has a distinction none of his family members and many of the other athletes with whom has been associated possess. For on Monday, he will enter the Ashtabula County Football Hall of Fame at the 39th annual Ashtabula County Touchdown Club Awards Banquet.

There he will be joined by former Youngstown State teammates Jim Dyke, a Grand Valley alumnus who was inducted last year, and Jefferson graduate Gary

Febel, who is also a part of this year’s class.

Brunot has already been inducted into Conneaut’s Hall of Fame, that coming in 2007, but he admitted he is still pleasantly surprised to have been chosen for this honor.

“I was pretty shocked and happy about it,” he said of his notice of his selection. “It’s wonderful to be selected.

“Having played with Jim Dyke and Gary Febel, I’m happy to be a connected with those guys again. It’s a great honor.”