Coach goes from Fieldston to NFL and back

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Life is a lot calmer now for Gus Ornstein. At least as calm as it can be with a wife and three young daughters while also holding down dual jobs as head football coach and athletic director at Ethical Culture Fieldston School.

But it’s a far cry from what Ornstein calls the “crazy time” in his life. Crazy in a good way, that is, when he was leading the life most boys can only dream of. It’s not every kid who can boast of playing football for fabled Notre Dame and Big 10-power Michigan State while also being drafted as a baseball player by the New York Yankees. Oh, and let’s not forget the pit stops along the way with the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets and a couple of Canadian Football teams as well, and you can see why Ornstein calls it “the crazy time.”

“It was crazy especially coming out of here,” said Ornstein, a 1994 graduate of Fieldston. “I remember having conversations with my college advisers and they were worried that I hadn’t applied anywhere and I was like, ‘Don’t worry. Here’s a list of the schools I already have scholarship offers from.’ It was an amazing time in my life.”

Ornstein’s excellent sports adventure began during his senior season at Fieldston when he signed to play football for Notre Dame, choosing the Fighting Irish over the Seattle Mariners who drafted him to play baseball.

“Going to Notre Dame was too big a thing for me to turn down,” Ornstein said. “For me, I wanted to go to college. I don’t think at 18 I was ready to go somewhere to play minor league baseball. Turning down Notre Dame never really entered my mind.”

Ornstein played both football and baseball for the Irish but a change in baseball coaches ultimately led to Ornstein leaving South Bend for Michigan State, where he again played both football and baseball. Ornstein’s prowess in baseball eventually led to him being drafted two more times, by the Kansas City Royals after his sophomore season and finally by the Yankees after his junior year. He then inked a deal with the Bombers.

Fieldston High School, NFL, High school football, Gus Ornstein, Notre Dame, New York Yankees, St. Louis Rams, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Sean Brennan
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