Multi-sport athlete excelled in the classroom and in the hallways, always trying to improve himself in all walks of life

He will be on national TV. A lot. Maybe as soon as this coming football season.

That is part of the being in the spotlight as a Notre Dame football player.

Tobias Merriweather has been in the spotlight as an athlete since he was a freshman on the football team, helping the Union Titans win a state championship.

But as Clark County Today noted back in August of 2021, he is so much more than a football player. 

He is an excellent student.

His coaches and teachers rave about his character, too.

Oh, and he insisted on being a multi-sport athlete, representing the Titans, all the way until the end of his high school career.

Hey, that is not always the case for big-time recruits in any sport. They might be multi-sport athletes early in high school, but once the letter of intent is signed, a lot of athletes start to think about specialization, just focusing on their top sport.

In fact, Merriweather had the option to graduate early and leave for Notre Dame to participate in spring drills this year.

Nope. That was never Merriweather’s plan.

So as spring came and some upperclassmen dealt with “senior-itis,” Merriweather was still chasing a championship dream in track and field. Injured hamstrings be damned, he was going to go out on his own terms.

Tobias Merriweather, an honor roll student, a Notre Dame football signee, will always be able to say that he left Union High School on his terms.

As a state champion.

Merriweather and the rest of the Union High School Class of 2022 graduate Friday night at McKenzie Stadium. Fitting, for that is where Merriweather shined on Friday nights.

But he also shined in the classroom.

“You can’t do one thing full way and one thing half way,” Merriweather said. “You have to do everything to your maximum capability.”

Dealing with hamstring injuries three times during track and field season, Merriweather insisted on running for a title anyway. Remember, he did not have a state track and field meet his sophomore year. Didn’t have a state meet as a junior.

This was it.

“This season meant a lot to me,” he said, noting it also was the final year his dad, Dom, was going to be an assistant coach with the track team.

So Merriweather got into the starting blocks at the Class 4A state meet on the final day of his high school athletic career, took off, and crossed the finish line first in the 200-meters.

“I never want to stop. I always want to compete,” Merriweather said.

Notre Dame football is next — Merriweather leaves for South Bend on Saturday morning and will begin summer workouts with the team on Monday. There are dreams of playing in the NFL one day. But at Union, he will also be remembered as an academic with high character.

“What it does is it lets all the young guys know that’s how you’re supposed to do it,” Union football coach Rory Rosenbach said. “You’ve got to be a complete human being. Can’t just be a great athlete. You have to be a quality human being.”

Merriweather is that example.

“It’s character. It’s attention to detail in the classroom,” Rosenbach said. “He’s a competitive person who wants to win or be great in everything he does, whether it’s the football field, the track, or the classroom. It doesn’t matter what it is.”

Merriweather said he became a man while attending Union. He got the most out of his senior year as possible, and he is just one of many talented students in the Class of 2022.

“Being a Union Titan is an honor, really,” he said. “We have people going to Harvard. We have people going to play Division-I in every sport you can think of. It’s a blessing. It’s an honor. It’s something you can be proud of no matter who you are.”