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Buckeye fans pack the mall
By BOB PUTMAN
The Marion Star
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody><tr><td valign="top"> <!-- ARTICLE BODYTEXT --> <!--ARTICLE TEXT--> MARION - A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel played side by side during the 2005 college football season, leading the Ohio State Buckeyes to a 9-2 regular season record and a victory in the 2006 Fiesta Bowl.
The linebacking trio was together again Saturday at Southland Mall, only this time they did not have to worry about a big offensive lineman or a shifty running back.
The Buckeye players greeted and signed autographs for hundreds of Ohio State fans at the mall's center court. Fans began lining up at 6:30 a.m., before the doors to the mall were opened, and by the time the players arrived the line extended to the far north side of the mall.
"It was awesome just shaking their hands and seeing them," 10-year-old Eric Bell of Marion said. "I am the biggest Ohio State fan in my class at Liberty Elementary.""It was something special," Brad Bell, Eric's dad, said. "I took Eric to his first Ohio State game last year against San Diego State. It was neat to see them up close after seeing them on the field."
Bill Fegley of Marion is an avid collector of sports memorabilia and autographs and does not miss a chance to add to his collection, especially when it comes to Ohio State football.
"I have Hall of Famers that are special but Buckeye football is my favorite," Fegley said. "I cherish the memories of seeing some of the greatest players."
While Fegley thinks there may have been better individual linebackers at Ohio State, he would be hard pressed to pick another better group.
"They are the greatest three linebackers for the total package," he said.
"It was an awesome experience being together," Schlegel said. "We knew what each other was doing and we were able to feed off each other."
Hawk is expected to be one of the top picks in next month's National Football League draft and recently took part with other Ohio State players in workouts for the NFL scouts.
"There was a lot of pressure on everybody, but really no extra pressure," Hawk said. "We just needed to relax and do what our coaches have taught us."
Carpenter is a little more familiar with the rigors of the NFL.
He is the son of Rob Carpenter, who played 10 seasons from 1979-86 as a NFL running back, mostly with the Houston Oilers and New York Giants. He rushed for 4,363 yards and scored 29 touchdowns.
"We talked a little bit about the NFL," Bobby Carpenter said. "There is a definite change in the difficulty in the NFL. But he told me from high school to college was a bigger jump from a situation of playing against better players."
Carpenter suffered a broken leg in OSU's regular-season finale against Michigan and did not play in the Fiesta Bowl.
"I'm feeling pretty good about my leg," Carpenter said.
Hawk is ready to step up to the next level.
"It's been my dream to play in the NFL," he said. "I know it will be tougher but I'm looking forward to it."
Bob Putman: 740-375-5157 or [email protected]
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