Former George Washington High School football star and two-time Kennedy Award winner Ryan Switzer will be on a national stage tonight when North Carolina faces top-ranked Clemson for the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Consider the ACC title game (8 p.m., ABC) at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium the main course for the Switzer family this week. If so, Thursday was the appetizer.
Michael Switzer, Ryan's father, was at Fruth Pharmacy in Charleston when his phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw it was an Oklahoma City number he didn't recognize. He ignored it. The caller didn't leave a voicemail, but the phone rang again moments later. Switzer again declined to answer.
The phone started to buzz a third time, so Switzer became curious. He decided to say hello.
Switzer was stunned to find a person with the same surname on the other end of the call. It was Barry Switzer.
Yes, that Barry Switzer. The legendary University of Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach who won three national championships with the Sooners and a Super Bowl during a four-year stint in the NFL.
"It was surreal," Michael Switzer said.
The 78-year-old Barry Switzer found Michael Switzer's phone number with a simple Google search, believe it or not. The Hall of Fame coach wanted to talk about Ryan's football exploits, of course, but also whether or not they could all be distantly related.
"He just talked about where he was from, where we are from. He wondered if it was a possibility if we were related," Michael Switzer said.
Of course, Barry Switzer was motivated to make the call because of Ryan Switzer's accomplishments at North Carolina, which rides an 11-game winning streak into tonight's championship game. The Tar Heels are No. 8 in the Associated Press poll and No. 10 in the College Football Playoff rankings. There remains a slim chance UNC could sneak into the CFP field with a decisive win over the country's top-ranked team.
The phone call lasted about seven or eight minutes, according to Michael Switzer. It was a special few moments for Ryan's proud father.
"Other than the Mountaineers, my favorite team growing up was the Sooners," Michael Switzer said. "My Dad and I would watch those games because they were good and on TV all the time, and I would ask my Dad if we were related to him.
"It was a great, quick walk down memory lane."
Barry Switzer took a special interest in UNC's Switzer because he is often asked whether he is related to the Tar Heels star. Ryan Switzer is not only chasing the NCAA career record for punt return touchdowns - he has seven in three seasons, one off the all-time mark - but he has developed into one of the best big-play athletes in Football Bowl Subdivision play.
Switzer has 49 receptions for 627 yards and four touchdowns this season. His career marks sit at 142 catches, 1,730 yards and 11 touchdowns. He has already cracked the UNC's top 10 list for career receptions, and he isn't far off in receiving yards and touchdown catches.
Including punt returns, Switzer has 18 career touchdowns - and this is where your eyes might widen a bit.
Switzer's average touchdown length is 61.9 yards. Forget the red zone, no matter the field position it seems like UNC is in the Switzer zone.
Overall, only two of Switzer's 18 career touchdowns have been under 20 yards. In fact, 12 of those 18 scores have been 60 yards or longer, including the last five this season: an 85-yard punt return against Illinois; 63-yard reception against Delaware; 71-yard reception at Pitt; 89-yard reception against Duke; and 78-yard punt return against Miami.
Switzer is the only FBS player with five 70-yard plays this season. For his career, he has 16 plays of 50-plus yards, 15 of 60-plus yards, eight of 70-plus yards and four plays of at least 80 yards.
No wonder Barry Switzer leads people to believe that he is, indeed, related to one of college football's most electric players.
"He said if Ryan wasn't any good, he wouldn't claim him," Michael Switzer said. "He has a good sense of humor."