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Who Is the Greatest Buckeye Safety?

Who Is the Greatest Buckeye Safety? (Please make FOUR selections)

  • Will Allen

    Votes: 38 30.2%
  • Todd Bell

    Votes: 8 6.3%
  • Michael Doss

    Votes: 109 86.5%
  • Tim Fox

    Votes: 55 43.7%
  • Ray Griffin

    Votes: 18 14.3%
  • Roger Harper

    Votes: 5 4.0%
  • Damon Moore

    Votes: 49 38.9%
  • Mike Sensibaugh

    Votes: 27 21.4%
  • Vince Skillings

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Jack Tatum

    Votes: 117 92.9%
  • Other

    Votes: 3 2.4%

  • Total voters
    126
  • Poll closed .
Tatum, Doss, Fox, Moore

Wow...I debated forever on 2/3 of Fox, Moore and Griffin. Fox was my first choice, and Moore probably got on due to some personal bias. I loved watching him play!

And if you thought this was tough...wait till the Corners come out!
 
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It sickens me, and I mean It GODDAMN sickens me to see alleged Buckeye fans voting on crap like this when they have no clue where the man played. Jack Tatum was a CORNERBACK here for God's sake. I realize most of you never saw the guy play and are voting for him based on what you "heard" about him, but learn a little bit about Buckeye history before you declare him the "greatest" at something he never did.

Other top-two pissers that get to me are dickheads calling Warfield a WR here and Groza a kicker.

Sorry if I offended those who voted for Jack, but what the hell, YOU deserved it.
 
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http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/awards/osu-m-footbl-allam.html

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/nfl-alltimedraft3.html

he's most often listed as "DB"... even in virtually all OSU links... an OSU entry says he came in as a RB but Woody moved him to defense... the OSU draft site lists him as S... maybe everyone on those teams were listed as DB due to their defensive scheme..

I looked at a number of college All Century and All-Decade teams on the web... they list him as DB, S or FS but none that I can find at CB...

oh well... too much time sortin it out
 
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Jack Tatum was probably the best we'll ever see

Jack Tatum was perhaps the best safety ever to play college football.

His reputation for hard hitting, and his monicker 'the Assassin', hurt his career somewhat when he cleanly hit Darryl Stingley in an NFL pre-season game and left him paralyzed for life. But there should be no doubt -- Tatum was the best safety tOSU ever has or likely ever will produce. Doss, Fox, Allen and others have been great, but nobody compares to Jack Tatum.

Here's what College Football News says about him in their Top 100 All Time Greats list:
<TABLE height=67 cellSpacing=7 cellPadding=3 width=476 bgColor=#ffffff border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=444 bgColor=#ffffff height=41><TABLE height=54 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="60%" height=50><TABLE cellSpacing=0 width=470 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width="10%" bgColor=#999966></TD><TD width="90%" bgColor=#000066>100 Greatest Players of All-Time

#51 Jack Tatum

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=center width=476 height=38><TABLE cellSpacing=7 width=155 align=left border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=135>
Jackta1.jpg
</TD></TR><TR><TD width=135>Photo from OSU sports info</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Jack Tatum, Ohio State, Defensive Back, 1968-1970 Overshadowed by the self-promoting assassin persona and fierce play, Jack Tatum was as talented a defensive back as college football has ever seen. Recruited as a running back and moved to the defensive side in his freshman year by assistant coach Lou Holtz, Tatum could cover like a corner and hit like a linebacker.


The Intimidator, Purdue and Darryl Stingley: Tatum's reputation as a big hitter took off when he was an Oakland Raider, but it all started in college where he was avoided like the plague by opposing players and the focus of every offensive coordinator's game plan. They didn't throw the ball much in the Big Ten during the "three yards and a cloud of dust" era so Tatum was primarily used as another linebacker, but that didn't stop the Buckeyes from putting him on the opposing team's best receiver. Known as one of the greatest all-around athletes to ever play college football, he made a name for himself against Purdue shadowing and shutting down Boilermaker running back Leroy Keyes. Purdue receiver Darryl Stingley was widely known as one player unafraid of Tatum and always went after him in games in what became a fierce personal rivalry. The feud came to an end in the pros when Tatum paralyzed Stingley in a preseason game with one of his huge hits.

Part of one of the greatest teams: In his three years lettering for Ohio State, the Buckeyes went 27-2 winning two Big 10 titles and one national title.

The NFL: Tatum was taken in the first round by Oakland in the 1971 draft. He went to three Pro Bowls and help the Raiders win the 1976 Super Bowl over the Minnesota Vikings.

Honors:
  • National Defensive Player of the Year - 1970
  • Unanimous All-American - 1969, 1970
  • First Team All-Big Ten - 1968, 1969, 1970
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
 
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WoodyWorshiper said:
It sickens me, and I mean It GODDAMN sickens me to see alleged Buckeye fans voting on crap like this when they have no clue where the man played. Jack Tatum was a CORNERBACK here for God's sake. I realize most of you never saw the guy play and are voting for him based on what you "heard" about him, but learn a little bit about Buckeye history before you declare him the "greatest" at something he never did.

Other top-two pissers that get to me are dickheads calling Warfield a WR here and Groza a kicker.

Sorry if I offended those who voted for Jack, but what the hell, YOU deserved it.
I'm sorry that I was born 20 years later than you and have to rely on what highlights I've seen, books I've read, articles and things I've heard from elder OSU fans. I guess we should limit these polls so that only bitter old farts can post on them.

I swear you are one of those people that think they are the god of tOSU fans because they were around when Woody coached. 95% of Buckeye fans that see Jack Tatum's name on a list to vote from, are going to strongly consider him. That doesn't make them less of a fan. Also, it is one thing to point out an error in someones judgement. It's a totally different thing to come off as a self-righteous, know-it-all that feels the need to spout off every fact they know and make fun of others indiscretions just so you can look a little better.

I have a little tip for you. Being RIGHT isn't always what makes you a better man...there is something to be said for respect and humility even in victory.

I'm dinging you for a post that brought forth facts that usually would have been worthy of a rep boost...simply because you are an ass.
 
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WoodyWorshiper said:
It sickens me, and I mean It GODDAMN sickens me to see alleged Buckeye fans voting on crap like this when they have no clue where the man played. Jack Tatum was a CORNERBACK here for God's sake. I realize most of you never saw the guy play and are voting for him based on what you "heard" about him, but learn a little bit about Buckeye history before you declare him the "greatest" at something he never did.

Sorry if I offended those who voted for Jack, but what the hell, YOU deserved it.
You can get off your high horse.. because I too watched Tatum play at OSU.. there were 4 DBs (including Tatum) from his senior team that went to the NFL... if you can provide any firm documentation that delineates their specific positions please do so... I went to Sports Illustrated site last night.. and found their NCAA All-Century team... it lists Tatum as the starting Safety... I believe SI knows a bit about sports too...

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/centurys_best/news/1999/10/06/cfb_allcentury_team/

It's the style of your comment moreso than the content that was offensive...
 
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I posted this on page 1 but nobody must have read it, so here I go again. This is from the Ohio State University athletic page. It lists Jack Tatum as an All American as a cornerback not as safety. In the 1968 rooster he is listed as a linebacker. Under the 1968 rooster it also lists him as John Tatum.

OSU All Americans

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/osu-m-footbl-allam.html

1968 Rooster

http://ohiostatebuckeyes.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/archive/osu-m-footbl-1968alphabetical.html
 
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if you go to your first link...
and continue down to the area where it lists 2 year All Americans
it again lists Tatum... and as an DB ... not as a CB

since you're in there already, there are many pages in that server, did you find any other reference listing him as a CB? he's gotta be in a half dozen pages...

obviously 1969 and 1970 rosters can't be found or you'd provide those links...

so still inconclusive... obviously it's not a cut and dry issue...
way too much time on this 'unresolvable' issue...

anybody own a media guide from a 1970 game??
 
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I'll go right to TOSU football "God" Jack Park. Page 393 of "The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia" where the caption under Jack's picture states "Two-Time AllAmerican cornerback Jack Tatum was one of the finest players in Ohio State history." On page 668 Park lists All-Americans in TOSU history, Tatum is listed in 1969 & 1970 as a cornerback.

If that isn't good enuff, and I'm sure it won't be, I'll do it from a personal perspective. Following the 1970 season, the Browns were in desperate need of a cornerback and they made it public. The buzz in NEO wasn't whether or not they'd take Jack, it was a matter of "would he be available." Jack was on the board when the Browns turn came up and they promptly drafted CB Clarence Scott from Kansas. Fans up here were sick over that one, the Browns explanation was that Scott was more of a "true" corner and that Jack projected as a safety. So what did they do the following year? They drafted Safety Thom Darden out of scUM!! Yea, the same Thom Darden who raped Dick Wakefield three months prior that sent Coach Hayes into his well documented "tearing up" of the yard markers.

As a sidenote, I'm really enjoying reading the "shots" that are being taken at me, it's like the good'ol days on BN. It's good to be back.
 
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NJ-Buckeye said:
Corners were Tim Anderson (drafted rd 1) and Doug Adams (drafted rd 7)...

Tatum was the FS.. and obviously drafted Round 1

oh, and Sensibaugh was the other safety (drafted rd 8)


That was a defensive backfield ...
and by the way.. OSU had 12 drafted in 1971 draft

sorry JO4H.. your boy went the year earlier...

Hell.. while we're at it... just so you don't think that only 2002 was tits...
same team had two RBs go round 1... Brockington & Hayden...
and Kern was drafted as a safety...
Stillwagon was in the middle...
next to Stan White who went the next year...
and Deleone was the center...

damn, I was young with LOTS of older sports junkie brothers...
and that team was tits...
NJ- Buckeye: Actually Doug Adams was a linebacker. The other starting D-Back was Ted Provost in '68 and '69, and Harry Howard in '70.

Tatum played kind-of what was called a "Monster" position in those days - part linebacker, part corner, part safety. In the OSU media guide they list Tatum as a corner, but there is only 1 corner, 1 safety and a left half and right half. Defenses were played differently then, and things were described a little differently back then. Many teams (including OSU) ran wingback offenses, so there weren't really 2 wideouts. Anderson, Provost and later Howard were more like corners covering the wideouts, while Tatum generally played inside of them.

I do agree - those were incredible teams that featured a ferocious defense. And Tatum ranks as one of the hardest hitters to ever play the game.

My votes would be Tatum, Fox, Doss, Moore (maybe the best ever at running the alleys in run support).
 
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