Andy Katzenmoyer at Katzenmoyer Performance. Photo by Wes Kroninger
Photo by Wes Kroninger
After playing football for The Ohio State University and later the New England Patriots, Andy Katzenmoyer knew there was no better place to locate both his home and his business than Westerville.
Katzenmoyer was born in Kettering, but moved with his family to Westerville at age 5. His football career began when he was in sixth grade, and he had no idea what kind of journey the sport would take him on.
“I didn’t think I would be able to play college football,” says Katzenmoyer. “I didn’t start thinking about that until my junior year.”
During the middle linebacker’s senior year at Westerville South High School, Maxwell Football Club named Katzenmoyer Defensive Player of the Year, and he was the 1995 recipient of the Mr. Ohio Football Award. Getting invited to play linebacker at OSU was the cherry on top.
“I could’ve gone anywhere so, to me, Ohio State was the best fit,” says Katzenmoyer. “I was excited to play for Ohio State. … I grew up being a fan of Ohio State.”
In fact, Katzenmoyer was OSU’s first true freshman linebacker to open all 12 games, and started all 37 games of his college career. It became clear that college wouldn’t be the end of Katzenmoyer’s football career.
Despite his collegiate success, the NFL draft results would come as a huge surprise. Katzenmoyer was a first-round pick by the Patriots – a team that wasn’t even on his radar. The Patriots had been on the hunt for an outside linebacker, and Katzenmoyer was, in the words of ESPN, the “prototypical middle linebacker.”
“The Patriots didn’t really talk to me in the draft process; they had a need for an outside linebacker, and I was categorized as a middle linebacker,” says Katzenmoyer. “The way I always approach going to the next level is worrying about where I’m currently at, and being the best I could be.”
Photo by Wes Kroninger
Katzenmoyer’s football career was cut short by a serious neck injury during his first season with the Patriots. For an athlete who had evaded injury all his life, sitting on the sidelines was a new experience.
“Going into it, you don’t think – not that you’re invincible – but the odds are way, way down because you don’t have any previous injuries,” says Katzenmoyer. “I did all I could to get myself back to trying to play, and then, in the end, I thought it was in the best interest of my longevity of life not to go back to play.”
In 2001, Katzenmoyer retired from football and bought a home in Dublin, but knew he wanted to be in Westerville and start a business. In 2007, he did just that. Katzenmoyer Performance and KP CrossFit on Hoff Road was the result.
“I’ve always been kind of a hometown guy. To me, I never really left,” says Katzenmoyer. “It just makes sense to me to open the gym and almost, in a way, try to give back.”
Katzenmoyer had the opportunity to exclusively train athletes at OSU, but he knew he wanted to introduce a larger demographic to health and fitness, as well as give back to the community in which he’d grown up. Katzenmoyer Performance welcomes all shapes, sizes and ages.
Photo courtesy of the New England Patriots
“As much as I liked that atmosphere and working with athletes, I wanted to help out a larger population of people,” says Katzenmoyer. “Getting them healthy, getting them in shape, lifting better. With athletes, I really focus on developing the whole body. The goal is prevention of injury and making sure an athlete doesn’t have to go through what I went through.”
Opening the gym in Westerville was an easy decision for him, Katzenmoyer says, as growing up in the city shaped him both inside and outside of football.
“I was fortunate enough to be surrounded, in my opinion, by a number of good, adult influencers that kind of molded me into the person I am today: parents, coaches, teachers to administration in schools,” he says. “Even coaches that coached against me.”
He was also encouraged by the level of competition in Westerville.
“My senior year in football, there were only two Westerville high schools; we were undefeated in regular season and North, after 11 games, lost two games. Both were to Westerville South,” says Katzenmoyer. “They didn’t lose to anyone; that’s how good the talent pool was in Westerville. It was good across the board.”
And though Katzenmoyer’s college and professional football days are over, he still has great memories from them as well. His favorite college memory?
“Obviously, beating Michigan,” he says. “That was my last home game at the Shoe.”
Another unforgettable memory was his first time running onto the field as a Buckeye.
“I remember the first game, running out my freshman year playing Rice (University),” says Katzenmoyer. “I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest.”
Katzenmoyer is proving the Westerville community, however, his story didn’t end with his retirement from football. There’s more to come from Katzenmoyer Performance, and Katzenmoyer is eager to see where it goes.
“We’re going to start rolling out some stuff to help out and give back to the community in a little bit of a different way,” says Katzenmoyer. “I’m excited for it; it’s a way to help out even more.”
Katzenmoyer lives in Westerville with his wife, Tricia, a South grad; daughter, Ava; and stepchildren Griffin and Avery. He has no thoughts of leaving.
“I can’t imagine myself leaving Westerville; all my family and friends are here,” he says. “I’m very rooted. … Westerville was always good to me.”
Amanda DePerro is an assistant editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
