Former University of Kansas and NFL offensive lineman Paul Oswald
Originally published in The Topeka Capital-Journal
Topeka resident Jerry Waldschmidt and a group of five other anglers enjoyed the fishing trip of a lifetime earlier in July at God’s Lake in Manitoba, Canada.
“We fished up there many, many years ago and then went back up again for the first time,” Waldschmidt said.
Among his group of fishing buddies was Hayden graduate Paul Oswald — who played football at Kansas under legendary Jayhawk coach Don Fambrough in the 1980s — and his son, Jason Oswald.
Following Paul Oswald’s time at Kansas, he went on to play three years in the NFL, spending time in Pittsburgh, Dallas and finally Arizona before retiring in 1988.
Topeka resident Jerry Waldschmidt and a group of five other anglers enjoyed the fishing trip of a lifetime earlier in July at God’s Lake in Manitoba, Canada.
“We fished up there many, many years ago and then went back up again for the first time,” Waldschmidt said.
Among his group of fishing buddies was Hayden graduate Paul Oswald — who played football at Kansas under legendary Jayhawk coach Don Fambrough in the 1980s — and his son, Jason Oswald.
Following Paul Oswald’s time at Kansas, he went on to play three years in the NFL, spending time in Pittsburgh, Dallas and finally Arizona before retiring in 1988.
Jason Oswald
Yet it was the younger Oswald who tackled the biggest fish, snaring a trophy Northern pike. Jason, who lives in Atlanta, measured the fish at 42 inches.
Not that Paul had a bad trip, though. He also hooked into a beauty, catching a lake trout big enough to even dwarf the former NFL offensive lineman a bit.
“If you know how big Paul is then you can appreciate the size of this lake trout,” Waldschmidt said on a Facebook post.
“We stayed at Elk Island Lodge, which is a first-class operation with great accommodations, meals, boats and native guides that really know the lake,” Waldschmidt said in an email.
Another old fishing buddy of Waldschmidt’s, Barry Burkhardt, was surely with them there in spirit.
Burkhardt was the outdoors writer for The Topeka Capital-Journal from 1966 to 1977 before moving to Arizona, where he served as the sports editor for The Arizona Republic. Burkhardt died in 2006 at the age of 63 at his home in Peoria, Ariz.
Not that Paul had a bad trip, though. He also hooked into a beauty, catching a lake trout big enough to even dwarf the former NFL offensive lineman a bit.
“If you know how big Paul is then you can appreciate the size of this lake trout,” Waldschmidt said on a Facebook post.
“We stayed at Elk Island Lodge, which is a first-class operation with great accommodations, meals, boats and native guides that really know the lake,” Waldschmidt said in an email.
Another old fishing buddy of Waldschmidt’s, Barry Burkhardt, was surely with them there in spirit.
Burkhardt was the outdoors writer for The Topeka Capital-Journal from 1966 to 1977 before moving to Arizona, where he served as the sports editor for The Arizona Republic. Burkhardt died in 2006 at the age of 63 at his home in Peoria, Ariz.
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