Richard Geib

Second runner-up male Scholar-Athlete
Richard Geib
London
Grade-point avg.: 4.55
$4,500
Encova Insurance

Sports played: Football (4 years), tennis (1)

Academic highlights: AP Scholar Award; Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Award; National Honor Society member; scored 34 on ACT

Athletic highlights: First-team all-state and all-district and two-time all-league in football

College choice: Ohio State (anticipated major: chemical engineering)

Photo location: At Von Kanel Field in downtown London, where I played football from the second grade through middle school. It was the home of London High School football through the late 1990s.

Home front: I am the son of Marshall Geib and the late Dr. Martha Geib. My siblings are Ellie Geib, 26, and the late Clayton Geib.

Favorite subject: I have always found mathematics to be quite beautiful.

Least-favorite subject: English is the subject that I have always had to work the hardest in to do well.

Prized possession: My bicycle. I have made some of my best memories while riding it along the Ohio to Erie Trail with my friend David.

Favorite book: “All the King’s Men,” by Robert Penn Warren is incredibly realistic in its depiction of the effect of power on the human psyche.

Favorite movie: “It’s a Wonderful Life” is the greatest Christmas movie of all time, besides maybe “Die Hard.”

Favorite television show: “The Simpsons,” at least seasons 1-9. The rest is just meh.

Favorite musician: My mom was always a huge Billy Joel fan and I was exposed to a great deal of his discography growing up.

Essential app: I’ve got a Minesweeper app that I play very frequently, so much so that I’ve averaged five games per day over the past four years.

Favorite home-cooked meal: Tuna casserole. It was my mom’s specialty and was particularly useful in feeding young, aspiring linemen.

My cooking specialty: I don’t want to brag, but I can make a real mean Kraft macaroni and cheese.

Favorite restaurant: Waffle House. My go-to meal during the football season was a double cheeseburger, a bacon, chicken and cheese sandwich, hash browns topped with chili, and a waffle with chocolate chips.

Guilty pleasure: Occasionally, in the dead of night and in a temporary lapse of judgment, I will listen to and somewhat enjoy disco.

Proudest sports moment: When London beat Clinton-Massie in the 2018 regional semifinals 28-7. It was the greatest victory for London football in almost 25 years and the direct result of hours of dedication and hard work by the entire team.

Sport I’d like to try someday: I would like to try rugby. I’ve always been led to understand that it is similar to football.

Story behind my uniform number: I chose the No. 72 because my older brother’s number was 72, so all my family’s London gear already had 72 on it.

Favorite athlete: Eli Manning. I am a huge New York Giants fan and he was instrumental in helping the team win two Super Bowls. Plus, he’s a real standup guy off the field.

Inspiration: My dad has always been there to help me grow and has been instrumental in my development, imparting his faith, wisdom and love to me over the past 18 years.

Dream job: Working for Battelle Institute. I would be able to live and work near my hometown.

Place I’d like to travel: I would like to be bound for south Australia.

Something most people don’t know about me: I played tight end as a junior and was tied for the leading receiver in six games. We didn’t pass the ball very much, especially in the six games when we didn’t pass the ball once.

Least-favorite household chore: Dusting. It only marginally improves the look of a room, and it needs to be done constantly in order for it to be effective.

Something I can’t get right no matter how hard I try: Draw — or anything artistic, for that matter. For some reason it seems that all the arts genes went to my sister.

Words to leave by: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” — Yogi Berra

By Ray Stein
rstein@dispatch.com