Ohio State Buckeye Football Traditions

In the dictionary definition of 'fanatic fans' there must be a picture of the typical Ohio State Buckeye football fan. Now, take that fan times 100,000 and you have a typical OSU home football game crowd. I was blessed to be able to sit with such a crowd on Saturday, September 25, 2010 as the OSU team met the Eagles from Eastern Michigan.

Thanks to an invitation from one of my sons and daughters-in-law, I found myself sitting in the midst of a sea of red jerseys and other OSU wear on B-Deck, Section 16B, Row 6 with my son and his wife. We had walked a little over a mile to get to the stadium. That hike in itself was an adventure, as the closer we got to the stadium the more excitement you could feel. Tailgaters were partying hardy with setups ranging from a cooler in the trunk of a car up to and including RV's with large tents, thousand dollar gas grills, and big screen TV's. Vendors were selling seat cushions and necklaces made from beads and real buckeyes, the symbol of Ohio State.

Anyway, back to the stadium. The stands were not yet full; however the "Block O" section was full. "Block O" occupies the end zone center seats. This is the largest student organization, and leads the entire stadium in cheers, augmented by the use of display cards that conjure up signs, symbols, and even pictures. Block O also begins the crowd pleasing 'Wave' formation that ripples around the entire stadium.

Before the teams hit the field, the PA announcer calls the attention of the crowd to the entrance of the Ohio State Marching Band. 100,000 fans begin clapping in cadence to the sound of the percussion section that takes the field first, making their entrance from the north ramp of the stadium. And, dear reader, this cadence is fast, at least 160 beats per minute. The entire stadium shakes with the sound. Once the drums are on the field the Drum Major comes high stepping out as the rest of the band also marches in with military precision, taking up several rows just south of the north end zone. The Drum Major struts to the center of the field, leans back, back, and even further back until the tall plume on his head gear touches the turf. The fans then go nuts, cheering and screaming as the band begins to belt out one of the OSU songs. As if I did not know it before, I realized at this moment that these folks are serious about supporting the team.

The band then proceeds to march in snake like rows all around the field. My son leans over to me and above the din of the crowd tells me to just watch the side of the field facing our seats. Low and behold, the band forms the word "OHIO" in script. This I found out is another tradition, the formation of "Script Ohio". The person who is the "dot" on the "i" is also a rich tradition: This person is always a 4^th year sousaphone (tuba) player. I did not catch the guy's name for this day as the crowd's roar drowned out the announcer as he read that name.

All this and the game had not even started! Other traditions were followed during the rest of the afternoon. Brutus the Buckeye is the team mascot, adopted in 1965. Brutus makes his rounds in the stadium with the more traditional cheerleaders. He is also known to kibbutz with the opposing team's mascot, in today's case the Eastern Michigan Eagle. At halftime the Band returns (of course!) for a rousing showcase of music and precision marching acumen. One particular tradition is of the psychological kind. If the opposing team offensive finds itself in a 3^rd down situation, the PA system plays the very ominous tolling of a large, deep sounding bell. I chuckled when I first heard this audible warning to the opposing team.

The OSU fans follow great traditions, some dating back decades. I was most impressed with the spirit shown by this unified and vocal bunch. Oh and did I mention that the Buckeyes beat the Eagles by a score of 73 to 20? After the game ended another OSU tradition was observed: The Victory bell was rung!