Ohio State Buckeyes
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| Ohio State Buckeyes | |
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| University | The Ohio State University |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Gene Smith |
| Location | Columbus, OH |
| Varsity Teams | 19 men and 20 women varsity teams |
| Stadium | Ohio Stadium |
| Arena | Jerome Schottenstein Center |
| Mascot | Brutus Buckeye |
| Nickname | Buckeyes
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| Fight Song | Across the Field and Buckeye Battle Cry |
| Colors | Scarlet and Gray
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| Homepage | www.ohiostatebuckeyes.cstv.com |
The Ohio State University's intercollegiate sports teams and players are called the "Buckeyes" (after the state tree, the Buckeye), and participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports (except in football, where they are located in Division I-A Football Bowl Subdivision) and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. (The men's hockey program competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and its women's hockey program competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association). The school colors are scarlet and grey (see trivia note below). The mascot of OSU is Brutus Buckeye.
Ohio State is one of only three universities (the University of Michigan and the University of California being the others) to have won an NCAA national championship in baseball, basketball and football. Ohio State has also won national championships in men's swimming & diving, men's outdoor track & field, men's golf, men's gymnastics, men's fencing, co-ed fencing, and synchronized swimming.[1] Since the inception of the Athletic Director's Cup, Ohio State has finished in the top 25 each year, including top 6 finishes in three of the last five years.[2] During the 2005-2006 school year Ohio State became this first Big Ten team to win conference championships in football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same season. They repeated this feat in the 2006-2007 season.
Outstanding sports figures that were student athletes at Ohio State include Jesse Owens (“The Buckeye Bullet”; track and field), John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, and Katie Smith (basketball), Frank Howard (baseball), Jack Nicklaus (golf); and Chic Harley (three-time All-American football running back). Hall of Fame coaches at Ohio State have included Paul Brown and Woody Hayes in football, Fred Taylor in basketball, Larry Snyder in track and field, and Mike Peppe in swimming and diving. Notable sports figures in Ohio State history may be inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame.
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[edit] Football
- See also: 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The Ohio State football team plays at Ohio Stadium (a.k.a. the Horseshoe or simply The 'Shoe), won the 2002 college football national championship at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. It was the seventh national championship for Ohio State, which also topped the nation in 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, and 1970. Although The Ohio State University does not recognize championships won in 1933, 1944, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, and 1998, various organizations awarded it the national championship, reaching a total of 14 titles.
Five former Ohio State head coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: Howard Jones, John Wilce, Francis Schmidt, Woody Hayes, and Earle Bruce. The coach perhaps most strongly associated with Ohio State football was the colorful and legendary Woody Hayes (1913-1987), who passionately taught players and students that a person succeeds in life through "outworking" the opposition.
The Buckeye's newest coach is Jim Tressel. Coach Tressel has helped lead the buckeyes to a bowl game in every season during his tenure including two National Title games.
The Buckeye football team boasts six including the only two-time winner Archie Griffin (in 1974 and 1975), Les Horvath (1944), Vic Janowicz (1950), Howard “Hopalong” Cassady (1955), Eddie George (1995), and Troy Smith (2006). Ohio State is a part of the intense athletic Ohio State-Michigan Rivalry (particularly in football). The University of Michigan leads the historical series 57-40-6, but Ohio State is 5-1 in the game since Jim Tressel became its coach in 2001. The OSU/UM game has been called the greatest rivalry in sports by ESPN.[3]
Five Ohio State football players were drafted in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. Three of them were defensive players, including two outside linebackers (A. J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter). Other Ohio State players drafted in the first round were strong safety Donte Whitner, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, and center Nick Mangold. Cornerback Ashton Youboty and inside linebacker Anthony Schlegel were drafted in the third round. Safety Nate Salley and offensive guard Rob Sims were selected in the fourth round.
On January 8, 2007, the #1 Ohio State Buckeyes were defeated by the Florida Gators, 41-14, in the BCS Championship game. Despite winning the Heisman Trophy a month earlier, quarterback Troy Smith managed only 35 yds passing and had -29 rushing yards (accounting for only six total yards).
Ohio State Players Selected In 2006 NFL Draft
| Round | Overall Pick # | Team | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Green Bay Packers | A. J. Hawk | Outside Linebacker |
| 1 | 8 | Buffalo Bills | Donte Whitner | Safety |
| 1 | 18 | Dallas Cowboys | Bobby Carpenter | Outside Linebacker |
| 1 | 25 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Santonio Holmes | Wide Receiver |
| 1 | 29 | New York Jets | Nick Mangold | Center |
| 3 | 70 | Buffalo Bills | Ashton Youboty | Cornerback |
| 3 | 76 | New York Jets | Anthony Schlegel | Inside Linebacker |
| 4 | 121 | Carolina Panthers | Nate Salley | Safety |
| 4 | 128 | Seattle Seahawks | Rob Sims | Guard |
Ohio State players entered in the NFL Draft, but not selected, include defensive end Mike Kudla and placekicker Josh Huston. Mike Kudla was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Steelers and released in August.[4]
The Daily Oklahoman ranked Ohio State the number one school for running backs in the nation in a July 10, 2006 sports section article.
[edit] Men's Basketball
The Ohio State men's basketball team has played in Ten NCAA Final Fours, winning the championship in 1960, when they were led by Basketball Hall of Famers Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek, and Bob Knight off the bench. Twenty-three times a Buckeye has been named first team All American including five two-time All Americans and one three-time All American. Between 1960 and 1964 Ohio State won five consecutive Big Ten championships, an achievement that has yet to be matched.
In 2004, Ohio State University fired men's basketball coach Jim O’Brien for recruiting violations and self-imposed a one year penalty, including a ban on post-season play and reduction of scholarships. In light of these University self-imposed penalties, the NCAA Division I Committee on infractions merely placed Ohio State University on three years probation for the violations, and gave heavier penalties to Coach O’Brien and a former assistant coach.[5] The lightness of this judgment was seen as encouragement for schools to be proactive in responding to violations. Nevertheless, O’Brien successfully sued Ohio State for improper termination. Thad Matta, the current coach of the Buckeyes, took over O'Brien's spot three years ago. Ohio State recruited such talents as Greg Oden, and Mike Conley, Jr. to start the 2006-2007 year. The Buckeyes finished the season with a 27-3 record; won the Big Ten tournament, and earned a number 1 seed for the NCAA tournament. After a very close game with state rival Xavier, and a thrilling 20 point come from behind victory against the Tennessee Volunteers, the Buckeyes managed to hold off Georgetown Hoyas 67-60 to reach the Championship Game for the first time since 1962, which they lost to defending NCAA champions Florida Gators, 84-75. The Buckeyes ended the 2006-2007 season with a record of 35-4.
[edit] Golf
Ohio State's two golf courses, the Scarlet and the Gray, were completed in 1938. The Scarlet was designed by architect Alister MacKenzie, who designed the Masters course at Augusta National. However, his original design was not implemented fully, and the greens were the only part of the course that truly resembled his designs. Golf magazines annually rate the Scarlet Course as one of the top collegiate courses in the nation. The Scarlet recently underwent a $4.2 million renovation under the supervision of Jack Nicklaus. Ohio State has won the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships in 1945 and 1979. Five times, Buckeye men have won the NCAA golf individual championship: John Lorms in 1945, Tom Nieporte in 1951, Rick Jones in 1956, Jack Nicklaus in 1961 and Clark Burroughs in 1985. Fredrick Smith made a hole in one to give Ohio State it's 3rd NCAA Golf Championship.1987
[edit] Synchronized swimming
Ohio State has been the best program in the first 30 years of national collegiate synchronized swimming competition. In the team event, Ohio State won 24 collegiate championships between 1977, the first year of the collegiate national championships, and 2004. Head coach Mary Jo Ruggieri led the team to 17 wins between 1977 and 1995, and Linda Lichter-Witter added seven more since 1996. Ohio State also has taken 61 individual honors in that span, including 11 by Karen and Sarah Josephson.
[edit] Olympians
Ohio State has produced over two hundred Olympic athletes, most notably Jesse Owens who won four Olympic gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and is often considered the greatest Olympian in history. In all, 47 Ohio State athletes have combined for a total of 76 Olympic medals which includes 33 gold, 28 silver and 15 bronze medals. Were Ohio State to be considered as a separate nation, it would rank 31st for all time medalists and 26th for all time gold medalists.[6]
[edit] Trivia
The Ohio State school colors of scarlet and gray were chosen by a committee of three students (Curtis C. Howard, Harwood R. Pool, and Alice Townshend) prior to the school's first graduation ceremony in 1878. The committee's original recommendation was to be orange and black. The committee soon discovered that Princeton already used the colors, however, and changed their recommendation.[7] For this reason some references claim that Ohio State's original school colors were orange and black. This claim is not quite accurate, in that the committee never filed the original report with that recommendation.
During the 2005 - 2006 academic year Ohio State became the first school in the Big Ten to be the conference champions in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. This was repeated during the 2006 - 2007 academic year on Feburary 25, 2007 when the men's basketball team defeated Wisconsin in the Big Ten's first 1 versus 2 basketball game.
[edit] Pageantry
- Team Colors: Scarlet and Gray
- Fight Songs: Across the Field, Buckeye Battle Cry (Hang on Sloopy also popular)
- Nicknames: Buckeyes, “The Bucks”
- Mascot: Brutus Buckeye
- Marching Band: The Ohio State University Marching Band, known as TBDBITL, or The Best Damn Band In The Land. Famous for "Script Ohio" and the "Ramp Entrance". The dotting of the "i" in "Script Ohio" by a sousaphone (tuba) player who high-kicks out and does a giant bow to the crowd was voted the #1 greatest sports tradition ever, in Athlon Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated.
- Radio Network The Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network; WBNS (AM) 1460 The Fan
- Announcers Paul Keels (Play By Play), Jim Lachey (Color), and Marty Bannister (Sideline)
[edit] Notes
- ^ Schools with the Most NCAA National Championships. NCAA. Retrieved on August 14, 2006.
- ^ U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup Previous Scoring. Athletic Director's Cup. Retrieved on August 14, 2006.
- ^ "The 10 greatest rivalries", ESPN.com, 2005-01-03. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.
- ^ Steelers.com (2006-08-08). Steelers waive OLB Kudla. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.Where is Huston though? Nobody knows.
- ^ NCAA (2006-03-10). Ohio State University and Former Men's Basketball Coaches Penalized for Infractions. Press release. Retrieved on 2006-08-14.
- ^ See Total Olympics medal count
- ^ J. H. Galbraith, "Choosing the University Colors," The Ohio State University Monthly, Dec. 1914-Jan. 1915, pp. 11-13
| Big Ten Conference |
|---|
| Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Michigan • Michigan State • Minnesota • Northwestern • Ohio State • Penn State • Purdue • Wisconsin |
| Western Collegiate Hockey Association |
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| Men's Division: Alaska-Anchorage • Colorado College • Denver • Michigan Tech • Minnesota • Minnesota-Duluth • Minnesota State • North Dakota • St. Cloud State • Wisconsin Women's Division: Bemidji State • Minnesota • Minnesota-Duluth • Minnesota State • North Dakota • Ohio State • St. Cloud State • Wisconsin |
| Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association |
|---|
| Shondell/Dunlap League: Ball State • IPFW • Lewis • Loyola • Mercyhurst • Ohio State • Quincy Coleman League: Carthage • Clarke • Central State • MSOE |
