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Greatest Buckeye Walk-on?

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FCollinsBuckeye

FCollinsBuckeye

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Former Game Champion
    • Okay, after reading over the James Aston thread, I got to wondering. Who has made the greatest impact as a walk-on player at Ohio State?

    I've never been much of an encyclopedia when it comes to Buckeye football, so I'm somewhat at a loss to name any walk-ons, let alone real contributors. Also, for Mili's benefit, I tried a few BP searches to see if this has been covered and didn't find anything.

    So, any thoughts or opinions about this stuff? :wink:
     
    Terry Glenn is the best I know of. I think he had grade problems before he even got to Ohio State, he missed the 1992 season because I believe he was prop 48 and also missed the 1994 Washington game.

    Bobby Olive was also a pretty good for a walk on. Caught the game winning touchdown passes in two comback wins against LSU in 1988 and Iowa in 1990.

    1988 - 25 rec 370 yds 14.8 yds/rec 2 TD
    1989 - 23 rec 379 yds 16.5 yds/rec 1 TD
    1990 - 41 rec 652 yds 15.8 yds/rec 7 TD
     
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    Without a doubt Terry Glenn had the most talent and the most to overcome of any walk-on at OSU.

    I also like the story of Andy Groom because he toiled behind BJ Sander and persevered until Coach Tressel came aboard and recognized his talent.
     
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    I remember an Ozone article about the story of three walkons: Brubaker, Ferrelli and Tomko. I doubt that Dick Brubaker was the most succesful walkonat Ohio State but it's a good read.

    "Brubaker, Ferrelli and Tomko had very different careers, but there were some things they all shared. For one, they all were goal oriented, and their level of satisfaction with their football experience was tied not to whether they were on scholarship, but whether they were meeting goals.
    Brubaker met his, and he was thrilled with his career despite never earning a scholarship. Ferrelli never became the starter he wanted to be, and even though he earned a scholarship and lettered, still feels like something was missing. Tomko also feels like he could have done it better, by sticking out that last year and maybe earning that letter.

    What they also have in common is an extraordinary drive to not just play the game of football, but to play the game of football as a Buckeye, and that is one goal they all met. When Brubaker said he would have paid to play, he meant it, and even Ferrelli was happy with the big picture when all was said and done."

    http://www.the-ozone.net/football/2004/walkons.htm
     
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    Terry Glenn and Greg Simpson were in my Freshman English class, whichever one it was. It was a mandatory class for all Freshmen. Anyway, both of them had already been at Ohio State for a year. It was my first quarter of school.

    It was obvious that the 22-year-old Grad Student teaching the class had been given instructions to give one-on-one attention to Terry. I take it that he might have been a walk-on because of academic issues and what-not, but he was clearly "preferred."
     
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    Awesome read about Terry Glenn. I was too young then to know anything other than stats and jersey numbers, but I knew Terry Glenn was a good one. 1400 yards and 17 TD's in what amounts to your first chance is unheard of at a school like tOSU. What I definitely didn't know was pretty much everything in that Tom Silverstein article. Really got my eyes opened up, because you should hear the things some people I know complain about. They have no idea. I'm not completely innocent either!

    I do remember Jayson Gwinn playing for the Buckeyes. Without looking, (I think I was 7th grade when he died) let me guess: OLB #49? I could be so far off but please quit laughing at me. Another thing, didn't his cousin Anthony Gwinn play at OSU a year or two later, and display A.J. Gwinn on his nameplate to honor Jayson? Again, just my best recollection. Someone please get me off the hook here.
     
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