Ohio State Buckeyes Totally Explained

Everything about Ohio State Buckeyes totally explained

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 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 gray (see trivia note below). The mascot of OSU is Brutus Buckeye.
Ohio State is one of only three universities (Michigan and Cal 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. 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. 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, which also included a February 25, 2007 men's basketball game which saw the Buckeyes defeat the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten's first one-versus-two basketball game.
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.

Football

retired numbers

47 Charles "Chic" Harley
22 Les Horvath
31 Vic Janowicz
40 Howard "Hopalong" Cassady
45 Archie Griffin
27 Eddie George
99 Bill Willis
WH Woody Hayes

The Ohio State football team, which 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. The Buckeyes became only the second team in NCAA history (next to Oklahoma) to lose consecutive BCS National Championship Games, in the year history of the BCS, after their losses to Florida in 2007 and to LSU in 2008.
   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 current coach is Jim Tressel. Coach Tressel has helped lead the Buckeyes to a bowl game in every season during his tenure including three National Title games.
   The Buckeye football team boasts six Heisman trophy winners, 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 6-1 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. The Daily Oklahoman ranked Ohio State the number one school for running backs in the nation in a July 10, 2006 sports section article.

National Titles:1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002

Big Ten Titles:1916, 1917, 1920, 1935, 1939, 1942, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007

Hesiman Winners:1942 Les Horvath, 1950 Vic Janowicz, 1955 Howard Hopalong Cassady, 1974 Archie Griffin, 1975 Archie Griffin, 1995 Eddie George, 2006 Troy Smith

Men's Basketball

retired numbers

5 John Havlicek

11 Jerry Lucas

22 Jim Jackson

35 Gary Bradds 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. 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.

National title: 1960

National runner-up: 1939, 1960, 1961, 1962, 2007

Final Four: 1939, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1968, 1999, 2007

NIT champions: 1986, 2008

Big Ten regular-season titles: 1925, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1946, 1950, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1971, 1991, 1992, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007

Big Ten tournament titles: 2002, 2007

Women's Basketball

retired numbers

30 Katie Smith Currently coached by Jim Foster, the Ohio State women's basketball team plays its home games in the Jerome Schottenstein Center, which they moved into in 1998. Prior to 1998, they played at St. John Arena. They have won ten Big Ten titles, which is the most in the conference and have fourteen appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the most recent being in 2007. In 1993 they lost to Sheryl Swoopes and the Texas Tech Red Raiders 84-82 for the national title, while they captured the NIT title in 2001, beating the New Mexico Lobos 62-61. Notable alumni include former All-Americans Katie Smith and Jessica Davenport.

NIT champions: 2001

Big Ten titles: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Big Ten Tournament titles: 2006

NCAA Tournament appearances: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

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 wasn't 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.

National Champions: 1945, 1979

Indivual Winners: 1945 John Lorms, 1951 Tom Nieporte, 1956 Rick Jones, 1961 Jack Nicklaus, 1985 Clark Burroghs

Conference Champions:1928, 1945, 1951, 1954, 1961, 1966, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004

Baseball

Main Article:Ohio State Buckeyes baseball Ohio State has played baseball since 1881, winning a national championship in 1966 along with fourteen Big Ten regular-season titles and eight Big Ten tournament titles. The Buckeyes baseball team was the first Ohio State sports team. The team is currently coached by Bob Todd and play their home games at Bill Davis Stadium, which opened in 1997. The Ohio State Buckeyes baseball team is the oldest team of Ohio State. Going into the 2008 season the Buckeyes all_time record is 2228-1427-38. Notable alumni include Frank Howard, Nick Swisher and two time All-American Steve Arlin.
The current head coach is Bob Todd.

National title: 1966

Big Ten regular-season titles: 1917, 1924, 1943, 1951, 1955, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001

Big Ten tournament titles: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 (*) denotes appearance in the College World Series.

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 (Olympic Coach,) 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.

National titles: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Men's Gymnastics

The Ohio State gymnastics team has won three national titles and nine big ten titles. The team is coached by Miles Avery. The Buckeyes play all home games and tournamets at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

National Championships: 1984, 1990, 2001

Big Ten Championships: 1984, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007

Olympians And Track

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, 48 Ohio State athletes have combined for a total of 77 Olympic medals which includes 33 gold, 28 silver and 16 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.. Ohio State's track team is coached by Hobert Gregand, and plays all home meets at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes' track team is also famous for being the first Buckeye team in any sport to win a national title.

National Championships

Ohio State has 57 total college national titles. Of these, 22 are NCAA championships.

Baseball: 1966

Men's basketball: 1960

Men's fencing: 1942

Football: 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002

Men's golf: 1945, 1979

Men's gymnastics: 1984, 1990, 2001

Men's swimming & diving: 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1962

Men's outdoor track: 1929

Synchronized swimming: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004

Women's Pistol: 2003, 2004

Coed Fencing: 2004, 2008

Coed Pistol: 2000
Furthermore, the school won a cheerleading championship in 1998.

Big Ten Champions

Men's

Baseball: 1917, 1924, 1943, 1951, 1955, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001

Basketeball: 1925, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1946, 1950, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1971, 1991, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007

Cross Country: 1923

Football: 1916, 1917, 1920, 1935, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007

Golf: 1928, 1945, 1951, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004

Gymnastics: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007

Indoor Track: 1942, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1993

Men's Soccer: 2000, 2007

Men Swimming: 1938, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956

Tennis: 1915, 1943, 1991, 2001, 2006, 2007

Volleyball (MIVA): 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2007

Wrestling:1923, 1951

Women's

Basketball:1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Field Hockey:2006

Women's Golf:1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005

Gymnastics:1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987

Rowing:2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006

Softball::1990, 2007

Swimming::1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986

Volleyball:1989, 1991, 1994

The Ohio State University Marching Band

Main Article:The Ohio State University Marching Band The Ohio State University Marching Band - or as it's some times referred to as "The Best Damn Band In The Land" - is one of the most recognized college marching bands in the country, and is currently under direction of Dr. Jon R. Woods. This all brass band has 225 members, and was first formed in 1878. The band is well-known for its traditions including "Script Ohio", during which, it's a great honor for a senior Sousaphone player to "dot the i" in the word Ohio.

School colors

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. For this reason some references claim that Ohio State's original school colors were orange and black. This claim isn't quite accurate, in that the committee never filed the original report with that recommendation.

Pageantry

� Team Colors: Scarlet and Gray

   Fight Songs: Across the Field, Buckeye Battle Cry (Hang on Sloopy also popular) � Nicknames: Buckeyes, The Bucks, The Silver Bullets

   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 (football)); Marty Bannister (Sideline (football)); Ron Stokes (Color (basketball))

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