All-Star Lineman
Kevin Hyme balances work, family and football
Assembly line work can be a tough, physical job. So when he’s away from work, Delphi Columbus assembly line employee Kevin Hyme, 28, relaxes with his favorite hobby — playing on the offensive line for the semi-pro Central Ohio Lions football team.
Although it’s called semi-pro ball, “We don’t get paid,” Hyme said. “It’s a bunch of ex-college players who want to continue playing.”
Hyme, a Local 969 member, played two years at the University of Toledo before transferring and playing one year for Ohio State University, where he lettered as a reserve center.
He joined the Lions in 1997. The team plays in the Lakeshore Football League, which includes four Michigan and four Ohio teams that play a 10-game schedule. The players, who all hold down regular jobs, practice once or twice each week with games on Saturdays.
The better players — including Hyme, who earned Honorable Mention All-American notice last season — can also join all-star teams for out-of-state exhibition games. In May, Hyme joined a select group that traveled to Germany to play the Stuttgart Scorpions, one of the top teams in the German pro league. The exhibition raised funds for German charities and was designed to promote American football as a future Olympic sport.
Hyme enjoyed the experience even though the team, which was thrown together at the last moment and had only three days to practice, lost 55-14.
He said the German fans “really got into it. They would cheer when we scored. They were really nice. They thought it was great that an American team would come over.”
The best part of the experience, Hyme said, was staying at an American military base and meeting servicemen, many of whom were on leave from duty in Afghanistan.
“A lot of the soldiers said, even though we lost, it was nice to see an American sport. It was neat to go there and get their minds off the war. We told the soldiers that we appreciate what they’re doing. A lot of them haven’t been home in a year or two, and we told them they have a lot of support back home, that everybody has flags on their cars, have flags outside their homes. They really appreciated that.”
Hyme received support from back home as well. His Local 969 brothers and sisters raised $400 at a membership meeting to defray some of Hymes’ expenses. His committeeperson, Martha Scales, helped convince Delphi management to give Hyme an excused absence for his week in Germany.
“The local is glad to promote one of our own,” said Local 969 President Mark Sweazy, “and to help the troops that were able to watch the game.”
Hyme lives in suburban Columbus with his wife, Melissa, and 2-year-old daughter, Kayla. He says he’ll probably play one more year of football. “I’m getting to the age now where it’s just getting harder, with kids and stuff. But it’s been a great experience. I got to go over and see another country, meet a bunch of people, especially the servicemen, and communicate with them about what’s happening back home. That’s probably one of the most memorable things I have from the trip.”
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| Kevin Hyme’s team poses at the U.S. Air Force base in Germany. |
