Recreation Director Tupa named to Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame
by John Benson
Brecksville Recreation Director Tom Tupa, a former NFL Pro Bowl punter, is about to add another title to his resume: Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Class of 2018.
“It’s very exciting,” said Tupa, a 1984 Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School graduate who, as quarterback, helped lead the 1983 Bees to a state football championship. “I know my family is very excited about it as well. There’s been a lot of support and congratulations, which, obviously, I appreciate very much.”
Tupa left Northeast Ohio in the summer of 1984 to continue his football career at Ohio State University, where he was a quarterback and punter. As a senior, Tupa passed for 2,252 yards and threw for 15 touchdowns.
The Ohio State All-American and All-Big 10 quarterback/punter was drafted in the third round by the Phoenix Cardinals. Looking back, he said it was an eye-opening experience.
“Obviously, going to the NFL was the hardest jump,” Tupa said. “One of the first days with the Phoenix Cardinals, the special teams coach wanted me to come out and do some punting for him, so I went out there and punted a little bit. He basically told me that day I would never be able to punt in the league. I kind of took that hard, but I did make the team as a quarterback. I spent my first six years in the league playing quarterback.”
Tupa not only proved the special teams coach wrong, he made a dream come true by playing for his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns.
“When I was released, the Browns came calling and asked me if I was interested in giving punting a try again, which, obviously, I was,” said Tupa. “I worked with the special teams coach at the time, and we tweaked a few things.”
Tupa later played for the New England Patriots, the New York Jets and the Washington Redskins. He earned a Super Bowl ring as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003.
“It came kind of full circle,” he said of his career. “When I look back, I was able to be in the NFL for 18 years, 12 of them basically punting. I feel pretty proud I was able to accomplish something like that.”
It was during his stint with the Cleveland Browns that he became the answer to this trivia question: Who scored the first two-point conversion in the NFL? The two-point conversion was adopted by the NFL in 1994, and Tupa scored on a fake kick in the first game of the season.
“You know [Bill] Belichick, he always had a fascination with special teams and trick plays, so we worked on that play in camp,” Tupa said. “I think I was only a couple of minutes ahead of someone else [in another game] running it in. So timing was everything. ”
Looking back at his career, which included playing for seven NFL teams, Tupa said the challenges he faced played a key role in his success. He credits his supportive family – wife Beth and children Emma, Tom, Tyler and Tim – for always being at his games or shagging his punts during personal workouts at Old Stadium in Brecksville.
Considering his journey, Tupa said the recipe to success in life is simple.
“It can happen to anyone,” Tupa said. “It doesn’t matter where you come from. If you pretty much grind it out, are dedicated and a little bit headstrong, anything is possible.”