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Buckeye Autograph Sessions (all merged)

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Buckeyes meet with local fans

By ROB JACKSON
E-G Correspondent <hr noshade="noshade" size="1"> <table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="300"> <tbody><tr> <td class="caption" align="center" valign="top"> <script language="JavaScript"><!-- OAS_AD('x26'); //--> </script> <hr noshade="noshade" size="1"> <!-- ARTICLE SIDEBAR --> <!--ARTICLE LAYOUT - SIDEBAR--> <table border="0" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="story" bgcolor="#eeeeee" valign="top"> <!--MAIN PHOTO-->
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Bobby Carpenter autographs a football for a fan at a signing event featuring former Ohio State University football players at Northern Sports in the River Valley Mall on Sunday. E-G photo by Ken Ritchie <!--ADDITIONAL PHOTOS--> <!--MAIN FACTS BOX--> <!--ADDITIONAL FACTS AND PHOTOS--> <!--RELATED PHOTO GALLERIES--> <!--RELATED MULTIMEDIA ASSETS--> <!--RELATED EXTERNAL LINKS--> <!--RELATED ARTICLES-->
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LANCASTER - Local OSU football fans got a chance Sunday to meet and greet several former Ohio State standouts at River Valley Mall.
Football players Bobby Carpenter, Matt Wilhelm, Rob Sims, Anthony Schlegel, Rob Harley, Mike Kudla and Nick Mangold appeared at Northern Sports from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
By 10 a.m., a line of scarlet-and-gray clad fans already lined the storefront window and wound around the mall entrance.
Joey Mann, 12, and his brother Britton, 9, from Logan, were there mainly to see Carpenter and were anxious as they moved through the line. When asked what their favorite moment of last season was, the brothers both said Ohio State beating Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.
"When (A.J.) Hawk got in Brady's (Quinn) face and stopped the fourth down conversion," Joey added.
Zach Moore, 11, from Goshen, In., was visiting his dad in Findlay this weekend and got to come to the event. His favorite of the players also was Carpenter. Since Moore lives in Indiana, he said he likes Notre Dame, except when they play Ohio State.
"I wear my OSU coat all the time, so I hear a few comments," Moore said.
As the line shrank, the enthusiasm didn't - especially for Ben Sanders, 10, from Newark. Ben's neighbor, Brad Hissong, 49, brought him to Lancaster to see Schelegel.
When asked about his favorite moment from last season, Sander's didn't hesitate.
"(Ashton) Yobouty's runback of a blocked punt during the Michigan State game," he said.
After the event, Mangold, the team's center last season, said the event went well.
"Lancaster has great people," he said. "There's great Buckeye fever in this town."

Originally published February 13, 2006
 
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DDN

2/15

OSU's Hawk makes appearance at Dayton Mall

By Doug Harris
Dayton Daily News
CENTERVILLE | Cardboard Heroes president Johnny Campbell has staged oodles of autograph shows for Ohio State players in recent years, but few have generated the rock-star-like adulation that comes with an A.J. Hawk engagement.
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<!-- inset --> <!--begintext--> The linebacker from Centerville has been making weekly appearances around the state since the season ended. And for a session at a Columbus mall, enraptured fans began assembling at 8:30 a.m. for a 6 p.m. show.
"It was almost like a tailgate atmosphere in the middle of February," Campbell said.
OSU followers were out in force for Hawk's appearance at the Dayton Mall on Wednesday.
Craig Wonder, 47, of Springfield and his mother, Sandra, showed up at about 2 p.m. to be the first in line. "He's a good football player, and it seems like he has a good head on his shoulders," Craig Wonder said.
His mother, who needed a walker to inch her way forward to Hawk, wasn't surprised by the massive turnout. "When it comes to sports, there's no limit to what people will pay," she said.
Simple autographs cost $25, and personalized versions were fetching $40. And many, like James Klay of Springfield, paid to have multiple items signed.
He plunked down $245 for his seven souvenirs, paying the premium price to have Hawk inscribe "Lombardi Award-winner" along with his name on one. "A.J. has been my favorite player since I saw him on the field his freshman year," Klay said. "I like his aggressiveness and the way he plays the game. And he isn't cocky. He's just a good, hard-nosed football player."
The Reece family of Fairfield — Jason, his father, Ron, and cousin Mark — brought 10 items for Hawk to sign: six regulation helmets and four footballs.
Asked why he didn't bring a folding chair to get off his feet during the four-hour wait like many others, Jason said, "I don't have a (free) hand to carry one."
Scott Stephens made the most of his roughly 30 seconds with Hawk, showing him a picture the linebacker had signed before and engaging him in conversation. The Xenia resident was beaming after a farewell handshake.
"It was great," he said. "I was waiting all season to be able to meet him. I couldn't wait.
"He seemed like a real personable guy. I was surprised."
Hawk was a natural at the give-and-take with fans. "I like it a lot," he said. "Everyone's been real good so far. They'll bring me cards that little kids made for me. It's been fun."
Chris Cole of Ohio Sports Marketing has arranged shows for Hawk and has been surprised at the outpouring of affection.
"I've seen him holding babies like he's the President of the United States," Cole said. "There's a lot of love."
Hawk may make one more appearance in the area — perhaps at the Mall at Fairfield Commons — but nothing has been finalized. "We'd definitely like to get him to all our stores, but his handlers have been tight with his schedule," Campbell said.
That's by design since Hawk doesn't have much spare time. He's taking 15 credit hours this quarter — he's determined to graduate in June — while also preparing for the NFL Draft in April.
He ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash for scouts at Ohio State's pro day last March, and he's projected to be a top-10 pick. But he's not taking anything for granted. "I don't look at (draft projections)," he said. "All I know is what I hear from guys in the media. I know once the NFL Combine comes (Feb. 22-28), it will be narrowed down. But so much can happen between now and then."
Asked if he'll run another 40 at the Combine, Hawk said: "I'm going to do everything. I want to go there and compete. I know a lot of times, some guys don't run at the Combine, and that's their choice. But all the teams will be there, and all the coaches and scouts. Why not try to go there and do well?"
Hawk's agent is Mike McCartney of Priority Sports in Chicago. He's the son of former Colorado coach Bill McCartney.
"I knew right when I talked to him, he was the guy I wanted," Hawk said.
McCartney has held front-office jobs in the NFL, and his company also represents current pro stars Jake Delhomme, Kurt Warner and Robert Gallery.
And as for his romance with Laura Quinn, the sister of Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn, Hawk provided an update for inquiring minds. "Things are good with her," Hawk said. "Her family had a tough time with (Notre Dame's loss in the Fiesta Bowl to the Buckeyes), but they're over that now. And they're looking forward to Brady's senior year."
 
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