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- Mar 19, 2019
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Studwell’s high school years featured ‘remarkable transformation’
After four decades with the Vikings – as a player and then an integral member of the scouting department – Scott Studwell is hanging it up.
The former Vikings linebacker announced his retirement in April and was honored by General Manager Rick Spielman and the organization during Studwell’s last NFL Draft this past weekend.
Recently, Gordon Engelhardt of the Evansville Courier & Press delved into the start of Studwell’s career at Harrison High School in Evansville, Indiana. He wrote:
You could say Scott Studwell underwent a remarkable transformation at Harrison High School, from a 5-foot-2, 110-pound freshman wimp to a 6-2, 220-pound senior “Stud” (yes, that’s his nickname).
Bill, Scott’s older brother, was in the same Harrison class as prominent local attorney Pat Shoulders. Scott was a year behind them.
“In the early years, he was Bill’s little brother,” Shoulders told Engelhardt of Studwell. “By the time we were seniors, Scott could have made us call him ‘Sir.’ Pound for pound, he’s the toughest player to ever come out of Evansville.”
Engelhardt wrote about Studwell going to the University of Illinois and then being drafted 250th overall by Minnesota in 1977.
When he left Illinois, he was the team’s second-leading career tackler behind the legendary Dick Butkus. But he said he didn’t carry a chip on his shoulder, even as a ninth-round draft choice.
In those days, there was no such thing as a mini-camp, a combine or a pro day.
“The first time I faced an NFL athlete was when I came up here [to Minnesota] in August,” Studwell told Engelhardt. “I had a lot of opportunities to showcase what I could do. We were in pads twice a day for six weeks.”