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!
