Alex Gedeon's wife, Allison, told the couple's 3-year-old son, Mason, they would attend the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony and banquet to celebrate his father excelling in football once upon a time.
"To illustrate that I'm the least accomplished athlete in our family , Mason said, 'Oh, like Uncle Ben ,'" Gedeon told the crowd during his induction speech Oct. 4 at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Akron.
Gedeon's self-deprecating humor is almost as impressive as his achievements.
No, Gedeon didn't play in the NFL like his youngest brother, Ben , but he still has a lasting gridiron legacy of his own at Hudson High School and Harvard University. A 2008 Hudson graduate, Gedeon is among the eight individuals who were recently inducted into the SCSHOF.
"When I first called him to tell him that I had nominated him and he'd been selected, he said, 'Are you sure you want to put me in ahead of Ben ?'" said SCSHOF president Jeff Kurtz, who has known the Gedeon family for many years. "I said, 'You are the oldest, so let's go the seniority route.'"
The SCSHOF requires a minimum of five years to elapse between the end of a candidate's participation in his or her sport and induction. Ben won't be eligible for induction for a few more years, so Kurtz assured Gedeon there's nothing wrong with the oldest brother gaining temporary bragging rights when he can.
"Ever since [Ben] got me by one rep at the [NFL Scouting] Combine on bench press , he's had something to hang over my head," Gedeon said with a laugh during an interview with the Beacon Journal.
Gedeon accurately recalled Ben bench pressing 225 pounds 27 times, placing first among all linebackers at the 2017 combine in Indianapolis. The Minnesota Vikings drafted Ben in the fourth round (No. 120 overall) out of the University of Michigan . He played three seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2020.
The middle brother in the Gedeon family, Sam, played sprint football and rugby at the Naval Academy .
"I was telling Ben and Sam there's few things that we can compete at athletically anymore," Gedeon said, "so I got them for at least the time being on this one."
Gedeon, 32, is a senior vice president for Bain Capital Private Equity , where he focuses on healthcare investments. He and Allison moved from Boston back to Northeast Ohio in July and live in Chagrin Falls. They had their second child, Levi, about a month ago.
"Our kids get to know their grandparents," Gedeon said, "and being ingrained back into the community, that meant a ton to us."
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Gedeon's three siblings are scattered across the country.
Sam is a Special Forces operator in the Navy who's based in Virginia. Ben is working in business development at a startup in New York called Candy Digital, a Fanatics Inc. spin-off. Sister Gabrielle, the youngest of the four Gedeon children, has a job at a digital marketing startup and traveled from her home in Hawaii to attend the SCSHOF ceremony.
"[My brothers] would always call me the corporate sellout. [The hall of fame induction is] a little bit of revenge," Gedeon quipped.
At Hudson, Gedeon became a school record holder in all-purpose yards (3,934) and touchdowns (35). He starred as a linebacker and quarterback his senior season and earned an All-Ohio selection on defense. He was the Akron Touchdown Club Player of the Year.
Gedeon parlayed his captaincy in football and basketball at Hudson into another leadership role at Harvard. He was voted the 138th captain in the history of Crimson football and all-Ivy League twice. As a senior in 2011, he led Harvard with 92 tackles, forced five turnovers and helped the program capture its second league title during his tenure.
"Alex Gedeon, one of the really all-time great linebackers, all-time great captains we've ever had," Harvard football coach Tim Murphy said. "He was one of those kids that everything seemed to be easy for him. Now, please don't get the wrong impression. He was one of the hardest workers we ever had, but he was really gifted ― gifted as a leader, gifted as a player ― and I knew whatever he put his mind to when he left Harvard, he was going to be extraordinarily successful at it."
In Gedeon's final collegiate game, Gedeon had nine tackles and returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown en route to a 45-7 win over Yale .
"To be able to lead the guys that I came in with there and go undefeated in the Ivy League and beat Yale and end my playing career that way was pretty special," Gedeon said.
Gedeon also earned Harvard's Robert F. Kennedy Award for desire and determination.
"In terms of his character, in terms of his work ethic, in terms of his personality, all the intangible things, there was no doubt ever that he was going to be successful," Kurtz said. "The fact that he was able to ramp it up physically on the football field at that level and play with a high level of intensity and integrity, that was never in doubt."
Kurtz served as the athletic director at Hudson Middle School and the assistant athletic director at Hudson High School when Gedeon and his siblings were students. Tom Narducci and Joe Caniglia are other Gedeon coaches and mentors who attended his induction.
"Having Mason, our 3-year-old, come back and meet my high school football coach [Narducci] is a pretty cool moment and kind of brought it full circle," Gedeon said.
Perhaps Gedeon will be blasted by more nostalgia when Ben inevitably receives a call from the SCSHOF in the future.
"I have a few years I can still hold it over his head," Gedeon said with a smile.
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Alex Gedeon gains temporary bragging rights over NFL brother
