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Tackling toughest test yet at OSU
Coming off a loss, Barton, Buckeyes need victory over Michigan

By George M. Thomas Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Friday, Nov 16, 2007

COLUMBUS: Kirk Barton, Ohio State's starting right tackle, doesn't chat with the media as much as he holds court.

On the Monday afternoon of Michigan week, Barton (Perry High School) did his thing for about an hour, informing and entertaining. He's the one everyone goes to for a quote, but sometimes what gets lost in the translation is the intensity of Barton, a fifth-year senior, who is one of the captains of the OSU offense.

Such was the case after the game Saturday against Illinois. Barton, wearing a recognizable scowl, was willing to shoulder the blame for the loss that halted a potential national champion
ship march.

''I mean, obviously it being Senior Day, you kind of feel like a bit of a failure if you can't get a win on Senior Day,'' he said. ''It takes a little bit away from your captaincy if you can't lead your team the way you need to.''

According to teammate Brian Hartline, there was little need for Barton to feel that way because he has been a good leader.

''As soon as he was a captain, you look back and know why he was doing it,'' Hartline said. ''He has calmed down, he makes great points, he's leading us. It's not all about just talking. He has been playing well, so you can't ask much more than what Kirk has been doing.''

Barton's intensity comes from the seminal moment in his life: the death of his father, Kirk Sr., from cancer when Kirk was 12, said Brigette Barton, a mother who chuckled when asked if her son always has been so focused.

''Yes, always. I know when he first came up here to Ohio after his dad passed away, he said: 'Mom, you won't have to worry, I'll get a scholarship.' He just tried real hard. I didn't think he'd do it,'' she said. ''When you're a parent, you don't know what your children are capable of. You believe them and everything.

''I think it was just because he was so upset and angry about his dad passing. I think it was just good he went and focused on something, and (football) is what he chose.''

After his father died, Barton returned to Northeast Ohio from Florida with his mother and younger sister, Kasey, who attends OSU on an academic scholarship. Perhaps Barton chose football to honor his father, who played at Ohio University.

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