What It Means to Be a Buckeye
Taking a decade-by-decade approach to the Ohio State University football tradition, this collection brings together over 40 stories from the most outstanding voices of the program. The spirit of Buckeyes football is not captured by just one phrase, one season, or one particular game; instead, the student-athletes and coaches who made the magic happen over eight decades blend their experiences to capture the true essence of their beloved school. From Howard "Hopalong" Cassady and Chris...
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For more than 110 years, Ohio State University has cultivated a rich football tradition that is second to none. Millions of fans have looked forward to each autumn Saturday on the "banks of the Olentangy," where the giant horseshoe otherwise known as Ohio Stadium houses the state of Ohio's true and indispensable pastime. Thousands of young men have been a part of Buckeye football -- an experience that transformed them from wide-eyed freshmen to mature men of pride and accomplishment. In the late 1880s OSU began the undertaking of building a football program; its leaders started organizing financial backers and looking for a coach for this relatively new athletic activity. On May 3, 1890, Buckeye football was born. With a coach named Alexander S. Lilley, who wore a cap with the famed "Block O" emblazoned in the middle (as would a certain coach named Woody more than 60 years later), the first ever Ohio State football game ended with a 20-14 victory over Ohio Wesleyan. By the turn of the century, Ohio State football was the biggest game in town. Crowds grew by the year and local newspapers provided more and more coverage of the sport that was capturing the state's attention. In 1916 the Buckeyes won their first championship in the Western Conference (forerunner of the Big Ten), while crowds overwhelmed tiny Ohio Field to see their heroes play. Six years later, at a price tag of $1.5 million, gigantic Ohio Stadium was dedicated and 72,000 fans watched Ohio State play rival Michigan. A legend was being created -- and it wore scarlet and gray. What It Means to Be a Buckeye chronicles the dreams, thoughts, and stories of the young men who blocked and tackled their way to Big Ten and National Championships as a part of the great Buckeye football tradition. They beat Michigan, played in bowl games, sang "Across the Field," and cherished the traditions that make Ohio State unique. By the time their playing days were finished, they realized they would always return to revered Ohio Stadium as ever-faithful fans. They understand best what it means to be a Buckeye.
Foreword: What It Means to Be a BuckeyevEditor's AcknowledgmentsxvIntroductionxviiThe Thirties1Charlie ReamJames LanghurstThe Forties9Warren AmlingBob BruggeWilliam "Billy" NewellDean SensanbaugherCecil "Cy" SoudersHoward TeifkeJoe WhislerThe Fifties35Howard "Hopalong" CassadyGalen CiscoJim HoustonGeorge JacobyRobert "Rock" JoslinJim MarshallTom MatteAurealius ThomasThe Sixties69Wayne BetzArnie ChonkoDwight "Ike" KelleyRex KernJim OtisTed ProvostMike SensibaughMike StierJim StillwagonDick WakefieldPaul WarfieldStan WhiteDirk WordenThe Seventies137Brian BaschnagelBob BrudzinskiCraig CassadyBill ConleyTom CousineauTom DeLeoneDoug DonleyBruce EliaTim FoxKen FritzRandy GradisharCornelius GreeneArchie GriffinJohn HicksVic KoegelKen KuhnJeff LoganCalvin MurrayLou PietriniDoug PlankBruce RuhlVince SkillingsTom SkladanyChris WardThe Eighties251Vaughn BroadnaxKeith ByarsCris CarterGlen CobbJudd GrozaDerek IsamanThomas "Pepper" JohnsonJohn KacherskiMike LaneseKirk LowdermilkMarcus MarekCarlos SnowChris SpielmanMike TomczakJeff UhlenhakeThe Nineties311Eddie GeorgeJoe GermaineJason SimmonsThe New Millennium325Jonathan WellsCie GrantAndy GroomKenny Peterson
