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Bringing 'Ozzy' back
Mehlville fans plan Oct. 23 benefit for Tim Osborn, once known as Panthers biggest fan
Down on his luck, a man looks ahead and sees only doom in his future.
Then friends made over a lifetime shower him with gifts, money, everything he needs. His life is restored. He knows it has meaning.
The story could be from the end of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life." But it isn't.
Instead, it's the story of Tim Osborn. Known to Mehlville High School fans in the 1980s as "Ozzy," or Mehlville's best fan, the developmentally disabled Mehlville native lost his job in 1997 and spent much of the next 12 years on the streets.
Then longtime Mehlville fans started asking about him on a social networking site for Mehlville alums. A Mehville alum who now is a city police officer found him Aug. 1 watching a Cardinals game through Busch Stadium's outfield fence. An old friend brought him home to live with him, while others arranged for food, medical care and a part-time job.
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Now those friends plan to raise money for a trust for his living expenses. They are planning a benefit Oct. 23 at the Mehlville High School Panthers football game. The game against St. Louis University High School's Junior Billikens will be at 7 p.m. at the Mehlville High School field, 3200 Lemay Ferry Road.
"I love it. I think that it's great what they're doing for me," said Osborn, 53.
Kenneth Stevenson grew up with Osborn and played football at Mehlville.
"Tim meant a tremendous amount to people here at Mehlville," Stevenson said.
Now 50 and a technical recruiter for a consulting firm, Stevenson brought Osborn into his home in Affton after he was located.
Stevenson said he didn't have any problems opening his home to Osborn.
Osborn wasn't surprised Stevenson didn't pass him by.
"Kenny is not that type of person. We've been friends ever since we were six or seven," Osborn said.
Although Osborn went to school in the Special School District, he was close to Mehlville because he lived nearby and because his father, Alden Osborn, worked 25 years in the district maintenance department.
"I was just showing support for the teams," he said.
Osborn would join the cheerleaders and sometimes would lead fans in the cheer, "Down by the River."
"He was a big part of our high school years," said Theresa Gianino, 40, a 1987 Mehlville graduate who is working with the effort to help Osborn.
"He was a fixture in the stands," said Gianino, who still lives in Mehlville.
Now that he's off the streets, Osborne said being homeless was a horrible experience.
"I spent 11 winters on the streets of St. Louis in the 12 years I was homeless," he said. "It was really rough trying to survive every day on the street," he said.
That's in the past, thanks to the support Osborn is receiving.
"Everyone was so fond of him. The guy didn't have a mean bone in his body," said Curtis Breville, 39, a sales representative who knew Osborn when Breville quarterbacked the a Mehlville team. Even though
Breville lives in Denver, he's been helping with the effort for Osborn and plans to attend the Oct. 23 game. "This has ended up turning into something that can save this guy's life," Breville said.
Benefit for "Ozzy"
When: 7 p.m. Oct. 23
Where: Mehlville High School Football Field
What: Football game between Mehlville Panthers and Saint Louis University High School Junior Billikens
Requested donation: $10 (includes $2 game admission)
For more information: Check the Operation Ozzy site on Facebook or email operationozzy@gmail.com.
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