[Buckskin86]

Buckeyes banding together
Monday, August 25, 2008
Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter


Gus Chan/The Plain Dealer
The gray "Thank You God, I Am Grateful" bands have brought OSU players closer

Columbus- The gray wristbands were everywhere this preseason, worn by nearly every Ohio State player you'd come across. "Thank You God, I Am Grateful" was inscribed in black on the gray bands, and you figured they were Jim Tressel's idea.

Right there, on page 43 of his new book, "The Winner's Manual," Tressel wrote about what he calls the attitude of gratitude - "I want our players to be continually reminded of how fortunate they are and what they have to be grateful for."

But Tressel was not the creator of the bands, just an eventual recipient. Instead, they came courtesy of Euclid High grad Brandon Smith, who must have been paying attention to Tressel. Smith got one from his mom, Elzoria, who got it from co-worker Toni Garbo, who had started a Web site to distribute the wristbands then ignored it.

Smith hasn't taken the wrist band off in more than a year, and he now has cre ated a fashion trend among his teammates.

"One guy has something and everybody wants one," linebacker James Laurinaitis said.

Smith also has more to be grateful for than he ever expected. As a fifth-year senior, the linebacker-turned tight end-turned fullback will start for the Buckeyes when they open the season against Youngstown State on Saturday.

The wristbands must work.

"We are just so proud of him," Elzoria Smith, the human resources manager at WJW Channel 8, said of her son.

"He really wanted to be a Buckeye, and he really wanted to contribute. And things have just worked out. We are truly grateful."

Just two weeks ago, Smith was unexpectedly transferred out of the tight ends meetings room and sent to live among the running backs, told he'd be working out at fullback for the first time since seventh grade. Ohio State's fullback search had gone through several position converts, and Smith was the next in line.

Buckeyes banding together - Cleveland.com