Wiley, Miller, and Stanley

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Buckeye throwback
Former players recount experiences in Watkins fundraiser
By BILL BENDER
Sports Editor

PATASKALA -- Two former Ohio State players who know all about the gift of receiving found time to give Friday night.
Dee Miller and Dimitrious Stanley, both members of the Buckeyes last Rose Bowl championship team in 1997, spoke at the Watkins Memorial Touchdown Club's third annual Black and Gold dinner auction at Olde Summit Towne Restaurant.
Former Ohio State running back Michael Wiley also attended the event. Miller and Wiley, both of whom have NFL experience, now live in Pataskala.
Miller played his high school football at Springfield South."I moved into Pataskala in July of 2004," said Miller, who served as master of ceremonies. "Immediately, I tried to become more active in the community. I found about this event, and supported it last year.
"When they asked me to come to it, I take this as an honor to be able to talk about my past experiences."
Miller introduced Stanley, who had a 72-yard touchdown reception against Arizona State in '97 Rose Bowl. He now serves as an analyst for ABC-Channel 6's "Buckeye Football Fever."
Stanley talked about playing for the Miami Dolphins, which included playing in games with Dan Marino and against John Elway.
Stanley, who played in high school at Thomas Worthington, spent most of his time emphasizing the importance of family --especially at the high school level.
"If you're going to focus on something, focus on your child," Stanley told the audience. "Watkins Memorial is a great place with all the people in this community. When it comes down to it, family is the most important thing. That's about you and you're child."
Stanley was the third former Ohio State guest to speak at the event. Former quarterback Jim Karsatos spoke the first year, and former assistant coach Bill Conley spoke last year.
The event also featured a silent auction, door prizes and a 50/50 drawing. The proceeds go toward helping with pay-to-play costs at the school.
For Watkins Memorial coach Jeff Buchanan, that's good news. He thanked Watkins parents Jeff Goodfleisch and Bill Huhn for helping bring the former Buckeyes to the event.
Buchanan will lead Watkins into this football season. The Warriors finished 7-3 last season. Friday's event served as a good kickoff to the season, he said.
"It's great for us to generate some funds to help knock our (pay-to-play) fee down," Buchanan said. "I probably still get a little more energized to watch our kids work. They've put in a lot of hard work in the months of June and July.
"We've been fortunate to have Karsatos, Conley and now Dee and Dimitrious come to this event. Hopefully we'll be able to continue to do this because this is a big deal for us."
For the three former Buckeyes in the room, the event served as a reminder of their past accomplishments. It's also about what they can give back, Stanley said.
"This is something I do on a regular basis," Stanley said. "I travel around Ohio to different places. It's fun to give people my hindsight on what I went through and help them so they can make the right decisions with their kids.
"That's what it's all about."

Bill Bender can be reached at (740) 328-