NOW, THAT’S FUNNY RIGHT THERE. Let’s open today’s Skull Session with a hilarious story.
During 97.1 The Fan’s Pregame Show with Matty Ice, DeVier Posey and Dane Sanzenbacher, Sanzenbacher shared a story about spotting Jeremiah Smith at a gas station last year.
Despite being a former Ohio State wide receiver himself, Sanzenbacher couldn’t bring himself to say hello to the current Buckeyes superstar because he was worried Smith wouldn’t recognize him.
Here’s how Sanzenbacher recalled the moment:
“Last year we were both at a gas station together, and I see who is pretty unmistakably Jeremiah Smith,” Sanzenbacher said. “There’s a Mercedes AMG, and I’m like, ‘Hm.’”
“Did you say, ‘Hi’?” Posey asked.
“I wasn’t going to go out of my way to because I wasn’t going to have enough time to explain who I was,” Sanzenbacher said. “But no, we went in. We both went in. I was like, ‘Oh, man, he’s in here.’ So now we’re passing each other in the aisles, and I’m like, ‘Do I have time to even unpack and explain who I am?’”
That’s where this story gets even better.
Sanzenbacher wasn’t just worried about working up the courage to approach Smith. He was worried he’d have to convince Smith that he was actually Dane Sanzenbacher and not just some random guy at a gas station claiming to be a former Ohio State football player.
“I got out of my work car, my Subaru, and I went in, my shirt’s tucked in, and I’m getting gum and water,” Sanzenbacher said. “And I’m just like, ‘OK, I need 20 minutes for you to trust what I’m saying.’ Either I was just going to say ‘Hey man,’ and he was just going to think I was a fan. I didn’t want to make him feel weird, like he had to sift through if I was telling the truth or not.”
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I absolutely love this.
Sanzenbacher was a first-team All-Big Ten wide receiver at Ohio State in 2010. He caught 121 passes for 1,820 yards and 19 touchdowns as a Buckeye, including 55 catches for 948 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior. He then went undrafted in 2011 before spending four seasons with the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals, catching 43 passes for 449 yards and three touchdowns.
And yet, in the aisles of a gas station, he apparently felt like he needed to provide references before Jeremiah Smith would believe he actually played football.
That’s incredible.
There’s a good chance Smith has at least heard of the former Ohio State receiver, even if he wouldn’t have immediately recognized him walking through a gas station. And if Smith didn't know who he was, well, that's what the 20-minute explanation was for.
Still, I’m thankful Sanzenbacher didn't say anything.
It makes for a much better story — and one that we absolutely need to ask Smith about the next time we see him.
