11-14-2009, 08:34 AM
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Ohio State Buckeyes' Ray Small, Rob Rose proud to be leaving OSU as graduates despite not fulfilling football stardom
By Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer
November 14, 2009
Marvin Fong, The Plain Dealer
Buckeyes wide receiver Ray Small, left, and defensive lineman Rob Rose, right, may not have achieved the football success other former Glenville High grads have, but both will leave OSU with degrees, something only one other Tarblooder has done.
Columbus -- Ray Small and Rob Rose had an Ohio State plan for their Glenville legacy. Impress the scouts in three years at Ohio State and head early to the first round of the NFL Draft, like former Tarblooders-turned-Buckeyes Ted Ginn Jr. and Donte Whitner. Maybe win some national awards like Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, quarterback at Glenville and Ohio State.
"Coming in the bar is high," Rose said this week. "You're expected to do great things off the bat. And if you don't people look at you sort of like a disappointment, like Donte and Ted did this, what did you guys do?"
Small and Rose didn't leave early for the NFL. They won't be first-round picks. They won't win national awards. They made mistakes. Small was suspended. Rose got hurt. They missed the start of their final preseason camp in August because of academic issues.
But they stayed. They won a lot of games. They're closing in on their degrees. And when they run onto the field at Ohio Stadium for senior day before today's showdown with Iowa, their presence will serve as their contribution to the Glenville-Ohio State legacy.
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Rose said he's six classes shy of an African-American studies degree, while Small said he's seven classes away from a sociology degree. Both are on track to graduate in the spring and have been told by an academic adviser they'll be the second and third Glenville players with Ohio State degrees, joining Smith.
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"I never thought I'd have the opportunity to get my degree," Rose said. "It'll be real emotional for me. My mom'll be real proud of me."
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Rose's worries were more physical, but no less vexing. Injuries slowed his sophomore and junior seasons, and he leaves with potential that was never fully tapped.
"I didn't have the career I felt I should have had, me coming in from high school with the type of player I was," Rose said. "It's kind of humbling. So now I'm kind of ready to get this part of my life over with and go to the next level, or whatever life brings me, so I can use my full potential."
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Ohio State Buckeyes' Ray Small, Rob Rose proud to be leaving OSU as graduates despite not fulfilling football stardom | Ohio State Buckeyes - cleveland.com - - cleveland.com
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