Sound Off !!! - Introduce Yourself

[matz2]

Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio. I have been a Buckeye fan since I was kid growing up in the 1980's. I wasn't able to go to Ohio State, but I have always supported them. My favorite Buckeye(s) are Chris Spielman and Mike Doss. An honorable mention goes out to Ben Hartsock who doesn't receive the credit that he deserves.

[daddyphatsacs]

Born and raised in Norwalk OH, now I reside in Toledo (due to better money and my fiance). I have been an OSU fan since I.......well I can remember. All that I know is that I watch a game being shown from the early 80's, or documentaries and still can remember the games (I was born in 1980). Growing up I would always watch the games with my father and my brother, and anyone else who wanted to watch them with us. I always dreamed of playing football for OSU, I had Buckeye wallpaper in my room when I was 6. I idolized anyone who walked on the field at OSU stadium.

I can still remember seeing Ohio Stadium for the first time. The stadium was open to the public (it was still Astroturf) and my brother and I ran around playing catch with no football (we didn't have a ball so we had to improvise), it was the coolest thing to me. For our backyard football games my brother and I would paint a big "O" in the middle of our backyard (field) sometimes to mimic The Shoe.

I played football a lot growing up, it was my life. I started at MLB and guard for 4 years in high school. I got looks from several D 1 schools and many other small schools, but no OSU. I even went to OSU's football camp hoping for a look, but no love...... I wasn't blessed with 6 "4" height or 4.4 speed, so my dream ended. So I went to play ball in D3. I played two weeks of college ball before f'ing up my shoulder and having a season ending injury as a froshy, I was finished before I ever started. I decided to quit football after that last injury, I had been injured too many times.

I now work in sales in Toledo, my fiance is finishing up her degree at the University of Toledo and will soon graduate. I'll be getting married in the summer of 2004, lord knows where she and I will end up, hopefully Columbus.

I never attended OSU, but I still consider myself a diehard Buckeye fan. They are what I grew up loving, and that love has grown more and more firm as the days pass. I guess that I just love the romance of Ohio State football. They are what every young Ohio kid grows up striving for. They are the place in which every father dreams their boy will end up playing ball for. Ohio State football unites so many different breeds of folks together with passion and excitement.

I miss football, I plan to get certified as an official soon. I want to work my way up the ranks into college football. Maybe some day I will get to be a part of Ohio State football, only it will be through a different aspect. For those that wonder.............yes, I will call holding on OSU's opponents.

[Saw31]

First, I would like to thank all of you guys who have served or are serving in the military. I never served, but most of my friends did and I have the utmost respect for you guys. Thank You.

I grew up as a Buckeye fan. When I was a child, I thought the song "Fight the Team" was the theme song for ALL of college football. I remember being surprised to find out that other schools played different songs (oh, the innocence of a child). I grew up just south of Youngstown, where I had the pleasure of watching JT coach. I attended YSU for a little while, then went to OSU. I lived in Cbus for 5 years or so before moving back to the Youngstown area. Things have changed up here in Y-Town since JT went to OSU. This was always more of a Steelers/Browns/49's pro football town that never gave me my full fix of Buckeye info in the local papers or TV news. This all changed when they showed the JT hiring live on all the channels up here. This town lost it's favorite son in JT, but has now really embraced all things Buckeye, which is really nice because of all the good high school football talent. I spent 2 years watching MoC in high school and made it down for the Texas Tech game last year to see his first game. So, I'm sure you can see how extra disappointed I am in how things have turned out. I also lived behind enemy lines in Grand Rapids Michigan for a few years. I watched the Desmond Howard game up there with my Michigan fan roomate. I loved informing him every time we watched scUM play that every good player or coach they have ever had was from OHIO. And since he was a Detroit Lions fan, I loved all the jabs I got in about Chris Spielman.

I only played football one year because I was too small. I would've gotten killed if I continued, so I played basketball (point guard) and baseball (short-stop), but football was always my favorite sport. I have worked in the Telecom industry for the last 6 years, but it has crashed and I'm in the process of deciding on a career change. I'm even considering moving back to Cbus. I make it down there for 2-3 games a year and still love it there. I got to go to the new Arena District for the first time after the SD State game. Very nice. I have yet to go to the Schott, they had just started building it when I moved back to Y-Town, so I hoping to go sometime soon. Well, I think I've bored everyone long enough.

[buckeyebri]

Saw31, there are still a lot of us Buckeyes here in Grand Rapids.

I grew up in Shelby, Ohio in a family full of OSU graduates. I attended the branch campus in Mansfield for awhile, but finalized my degree at Aquinas College her in GR.

In my youth you were lucky to see the Bucks on TV, since ABC had all the games and typically the OSU - UM game was the only one they showed in those days besides a major bowl. I do remember the Oklahoma and Stanford games being on.

I loved going to the games at the Shoe when I had the chance. One of my most vivid memories of a game was when I was in 7th grade and my oldest brother, a student at the time, took me to the Baylor game. We were in C-Deck and the students were passing girls up the deck. I knew right then that I wanted to go to OSU. Unfortunately that didn't quite work out the way I wanted. OSU tied Baylor 35-35 that day and I saw Woody get hung in effigy on High Street. That is when I realized the fervor of being an Buckeye fan.

I usually get to one or two games a year now. I bring my daughter who is an avid Buckeye fan. She is growing up thick skinned. She was sereneded with Hang on Sloopy by one of the roving band groups last year and is planning on playing a sax solo of it at a band concert this year.....

Ahhhhh the legacy and tradition continues...............

[3yardsandacloud]

Well, I was a Buckeye at birth, born at The Ohio State University Hospital. I have lived in central Ohio ever since and been a Buckeye ever since. I'm going to recycle a post I made on Bucknuts a while back. I reflect back to it now and again when I need to reaffirm why I'm a Buckeye. I originally posted it during the "dark" time of this season. All the negative things were getting me down and many of the posters seemed to be caught in a downward spiral. I thought maybe it would help for us to gain some perspective on "being a Buckeye". It also seems relavent again (for me anyway) after the Michigan game.



Being a Buckeye.

I though I'd share a little story about the day I became a Buckeye.

I've read several comments lately about what it means to be a Buckeye. How do we define what constitutes a Buckeye? Is there some sort of criteria one must meet to be considered for induction? These questions (and others) got me to thinking about how I became a Buckeye, and what it means to me.

It was a bitterly cold November Saturday in 1974. I recall the events as though it were just yesterday. I was going to the OSU Michigan game with my father. Being born into a Buckeye family the significance of this event was not lost on me. I knew this was a big deal, even if I was only 9 years old. I had been to several other OSU games (in previous years) with my dad, but nothing of this magnitude and nothing that would leave such an indelible mark on my life. As many kids of this age will do, I looked to my father frequently for his reactions. Measuring his responses to my own. Basically learning to grow up by watching the most influential person any 9 year old boy will have ... his father.

We talked to folks on the way to the Stadium. Shared the laughter and hospitality of fans at different tailgates. My father teasing me about our "luck" at getting tickets for such an event. Even at nine I could feel the electricity. The tension and sense of expectation hung in the air as we made our way into the Horseshoe. We finished last steps to the top of A deck and found our seats and dad stopped to talk to an usher that was an old friend of his. The fans in our section welcomed us in and made sure that a little nine year old boy was comfortable for what was sure to be a memorable game. Coat zipped up, scarf and gloves on, hat pulled down ... check ... let's do this!

The moments of clarity came to me shortly thereafter. As TBDBITL took to the field with their Ramp Entrance the stadium rose and began to cheer and clap. The emotion and pride that 90,000 people can display is an awesome thing. And that was just for the band, I didn't know what to expect when the team hit the field. I stole another glance at my father. Tears were welling in his eyes! As you can imagine that is a very difficult thing for a nine year old to deal with. I didn't know what to do. This man, the pillar of strength for me, a man I had never seen cry, was about to break down. I knew then that this was much more than a football game to him. We continued on to sing the national anthem. Another very emotional point for me. My father (who would hardly ever sing) stood and proudly joined the chorus of voices while covering his heart. To this day, it is one of the only songs that I know that my father will stand and join ... it just means that much. Finally, the touching strains of "Carmen Ohio". We finished the lyrics as tears began to roll down my dad's cheeks. Thank God the teams took to the field. I didn't know what to do. I knew something very important had just transpired for my father and for me.

The game itself is a bit lost in the mist and swirling emotion of memory. I know the momentum of the game seemed to swing on every play. I know that Michigan had scored a touchdown and field goal while Ohio State had kicked 4 field goals to bring the score to 12 to 10. There were great plays on both sides of the ball and the BigTen Title and Rose Bowl Birth were hanging in the balance. As time was running out Michigan was driving into Ohio State territory and things looked a bit bleak. The Michigan kicker rushed onto the field and attempted what was to be the game winner. The ball hung in the air for what seemed an eternity. No one could breath. The proverbial "pin dropping" would have sounded like a cymbal crashing. From our vantage point the kick looked to sail directly over top of the left upright. Oh no, could it be? Well, despair was turned to elation as the officials waved the attempt wide. I remember everyone cheering and clapping and hugging and laughing and ... well you name the emotion and it was there. That's all I remember. I don't recall leaving the stadium or the ride home or if my dad and I even talked about the game. Sometimes you just sit around with a silly little grin on your face and no words are necessary ... I tend to think that's the way we made our way home.

Well that's it. That's the day I became a Buckeye. A silly little story? Probably, but it has meant very much to me through the years. What it has meant has changed as well. That day, I knew I would be a Buckeye for life. I knew when I completed high school I would attend the Ohio State University as my father had. Dad never prompted me to go to any particular school, it was just one of those choices you make early in life that you know to be true. Sometimes you just know that's what your heart desires.

As the years have passed, those moments on a cold November day, have changed in my understanding and in their depth of meaning. At first I believed my father just loved Ohio State football and was caught up in the emotion of something great. Well he does, and the football program is something great and worthy of our pride and respect, but there is much more. I realized now that going to a game at the Shoe is a portal in time to various stages in life. The tears that day reflect my father as a child attending games with his dad. They reflect the times he was tailgating and making new friends around Ohio Stadium. They reflect his years at Ohio State, the classes, the friends, the teachers, the good memories and the bad. They reflect the people you meet across the state, the nation and indeed the globe who share the common bond of Ohio State. They reflect the joy a father has of just spending an afternoon with his child, away from the stresses of everyday life. I know this to be true. I have now lived those stages in life and realize the truth in what I've said when my eyes well up with tears during "Carmen Ohio". I fact I realize the truth as my eyes well up right now. I now have a young son who I love to share Saturday afternoons with. In a few years I'll be thrilled to share some games with him at the Horseshoe ... as many as possible. In a few years I will have come full circle. I will realize the final truth of my fathers tears ... his father had passed away and wasn't there to share games with his son and grandson.

Family. That's what being a Buckeye is to me. It's the people you meet, the friendships you forge, the connections you make courtesy of the keystone that is Ohio State. One does not need to attend the University or go to games to be a Buckeye. One simply needs to take advantage of the wonderfully simple connection we all share. It is supporting your team through the good times and the bad. It is congratulating your opponents on their efforts and being hospitable when they are your guests. It is being proud of our state and it's heritage. It is going the extra mile for someone in need. It is always striving to be your best even if you know you might fail. It is about working hard and being humble. Being a Buckeye crosses all boundaries, knows no limits and encompasses all walks of life.

It's about community. It's about family. It's great to be a Buckeye!


"You can never pay back, but you can always pay forward."
Coach Hayes

"One cannot always be a hero, but one can be a man."
Coach Bruce

"I love Ohio State and I'll always be a Buckeye."
Coach Cooper

"Life is about what comes up next."
Coach Tressel

"One Buckeye down, all Buckeyes down."
Chris Spielman

Go Bucks!

[Oh8ch]

2td - I remember that post. Loved it then. Love it now. Nice job.

[LoKyBuckeye]

Some great stories guys...... thanks for sharing.

Feels like I've been a Buckeye fan forever but I'm only 27. Born and raised in the suburbs of Cleveland my Dad, who was a High School football coach, introduced me to Buckeye football very early on. My Dad attended many coaching clinics put on by Woody and would always tell me stories of him. I grew up attending games at The Horshoe and can't wait to take my boys someday.

I used to move around with my job, I had stops Lorain, Lima and Defiance (OH) before landing in Wisconsin (near Green Bay) 5 years ago. I've been married for almost 8 years to a wonderful woman (and Buckeye fan).... my wife and I decided this was good place to settle down and have kids so looks like were going to be here for awhile. I have 17 month old twin boys, Logan and Kyle (hence my nickname here, LoKy). I moved here when fArt moved the Browns so I caught on to the Packers real fast and have been attending games at Lambeau ever since. I get a lot crap from Badger fans up here but I make no effort to hide my love for the Bucks. Both my cars have personalized plates and decals on them..... my house is gray with red shutters and I always have my OSU flag flying.

I usually get back to C-bus once a year for a home game and then attend one away game a year. This year was SDSU and Wisconsin.

EDIT: wanted to add my favorite Buckeyes....... Keith Byars, Eddie George and Na'il Diggs to name a few. I've been able to meet Diggs a few times here in Green Bay

EDIT #2...

as of September 2004 I am now living in Sarasota, Florida. Move away from Wisconsin to pursure a new job with a new organization. It's hot and we've been hit with two hurricanes and a third is on the way

Now in Florida I work for an ABC affiliate as a Newscast Director.

Go Bucks!