Golic was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Catherine and Louis Robert "Bob" Golic. The Golics are of Slovenian descent. He has two brothers, Greg and Mike, who also played in the NFL. Golic's father also went by the nickname Bob; however, they are not named with the generational titles of junior or senior. The elder Golic had a 7-year professional playing career in the Canadian Football League from 1956–1962. He played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders. He won the Grey Cup with Hamilton in 1957. Louis Robert Golic died on Friday, June 28, 2013, from heart failure. Golic attended St. Joseph's High School, at the time an all-boys school in Cleveland, where he played high school football. Golic was also an accomplished high school wrestler. In 1975, he won the Ohio high school heavyweight championship, beating Harold Smith of Canton McKinley, a future Olympian. He also defeated future NFL player Tom Cousineau from cross-town all-boys school rival St. Edward High School in the tournament semifinals. The match between Golic and Cousineau, who would go on to place third, has been called "one of the most memorable" in the tournament's history. Cousineau would go to be two-time All-American at linebacker at Ohio State. Golic and Cousineau would eventually become teammates in the NFL with the Browns.
College career
Golic received a football scholarship to attend the University of Notre Dame, where he also wrestled. He played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team from 1975 to 1978. He was also a member of the 1977 NCAA National Champion football team. He was selected as a first-team All-American for the 1977 season, and a unanimous first-team All-American in 1978. Golic was one of nation's top wrestlers with a three-year record of 54-4-1, finishing third in NCAA meet in 1976 and fourth in 1977. He was named a two-time All-American for Notre Dame as a heavyweight wrestler, capturing fourth place at the 1977 NCAA tournament and third place in 1978. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1979 with a B.A. in Management.
Professional career
The New England Patriots chose Golic, as a linebacker, in the second round of the 1979 NFL Draft, and he played for the Patriots from to. Golic was cut by the Patriots going into the 1982 season and claimed on waivers by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns moved him from Linebacker to Nose Tackle. After seven years with the Browns, Golic relocated to the Los Angeles Raiders through Plan B Free Agency where he played his last four NFL seasons. Golic was a 3-time Pro Bowler while playing with the Cleveland Browns.
Post-playing career
After retiring from football, Golic pursued an acting career. He appeared in ', playing the role of Mike Rogers, the resident adviser of Cal U, the fictional college attended by the cast. He also appeared in the role for the NBC made-for-TV-movie ' in 1994. From 1996 until 1998, Golic was one of the members of the original Home and Family when it aired on The Family Channel. Golic also hosted sports talk radio programs and did sports reporting for TV stations in Los Angeles; had a stint on Britain's late 80s–90s NFL coverage on Channel 4, opposite presenter Gary Imlach; served as analyst on NBC's NFL coverage from 1994–96; and was a commentator for TNN's coverage of the short-lived XFL in 2001. In 2004, Golic returned to Northeast Ohio to host the afternoon drive timeradio talk show on WNIR 100.1 FM in Akron. He is also a football analyst for WOIO Channel 19 in Cleveland. Golic opened a restaurant and bar in downtown Cleveland's Warehouse District. The restaurant closed in June 2014. Golic was the Vice President of Football Operations for the Lingerie Football League expansion team, the Cleveland Crush until operations were ceased in 2015.
Personal life
Golic is the older brother of Mike Golic, who is also a former NFL football player, and is also a radio host ESPN Radio's Golic and Wingo. His nephews are Mike Golic Jr., as of April 4, 2016, Golic Jr. is the co-host of First and Last and who once played football for the New Orleans Saints, and Jake, who entered Notre Dame in 2009. Mike Golic is a spokesperson for Nutrisystem after losing more than 50 lbs on the diet; however, Bob Golic has outdone his younger brother, dropping more than 140 lbs and returning to his high school weight of 245 lbs. Golic lives with his family in Solon, Ohio. He is married to Karen Baughman and has 3 children. His wife Karen was a ballerina and Raiderette, and he performed The Nutcracker with her at the Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, Ohio in 2006.
