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OL Orlando Pace (7-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champion, CFB HOF, NFL HOF)

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Orlando Pace Set for Oct. 26 NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute
Ohio State and the National Football Foundation will jointly honor Orlando Pace, a 2013 College Football Hall of Fame inductee, as Ohio State hosts Penn State.


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IRVING, Texas - The Ohio State University and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor Orlando Pace with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute on Oct. 26 in Columbus during the game between Ohio State and Penn State. Coverage of the game will start at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Pace, who starred with the Buckeyes from 1994-96, was known as the "Pancake Man" for flattening his opponents with his exceptional blocking techniques, Orlando Pace finished fourth in the 1996 Heisman balloting, the highest finish for a lineman since 1980.

"Orlando Pace is not only the best offensive lineman I have ever coached, but he is the best I have ever seen," said John Cooper, the College Football Hall of Fame coach. "Every game was a highlight reel for him. We ran a lot of counter sweeps and a lot of screens, and on many of those plays Orlando had to be out in front of the ball carrier. And we had some pretty good ball carriers... I don't know how you could play the position any better than he did. He was just a fantastic football player. He was the best."

The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program is a hallowed tradition that began with the inaugural class in 1951, and to this day the salutes remain the first of numerous activities in each inductee's Hall of Fame experience. During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each inductee returns to his alma mater to accept a Hall of Fame plaque that will remain on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many inductees cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them one more chance to take the field and hear the crowd roar their name.

"Orlando Pace revolutionized the blocking game," said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. "His pancake blocks led the way for a Heisman Trophy-winning teammate and almost earned Pace a Heisman Trophy himself. It will be a thrill for us to honor him in front of the Buckeye faithful in Columbus."

A two-time unanimous First-Team All-American (1995, 1996), Pace was the first player in history to repeat as the Lombardi Trophy winner, earning the honors as a sophomore and junior. In addition, Pace claimed the 1996 Outland Trophy while leading Ohio State to a share of the Big Ten title. He did not allow a sack during his final two seasons, blocking for Hall of Fame and 1995 Heisman Trophy-winning running back Eddie George as well as NFF Campbell Trophy winner Bobby Hoying. The 1996 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year started every game of his career, and he led the Buckeyes to three straight bowl appearances under Hall of Fame coach John Cooper.

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Big O and family honored at halftime...

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THE FOOTBALL FEVER: Orlando Pace Live on Pregame Show

Former Buckeye Orlando Pace donates to football program


MARK HALL
Ohio State 324-pound, 6-foot-6-inch left tackle Orlando Pace is shown in an August 1995, file photo. AP FILE


ERIC ALBRECHT
Orlando Pace, shown in this 1997 file photo, is among four Buckeyes who have won the Lombardi Award. Pace, who was an offensive tackle for 13 seasons in the NFL, has announced he will donate $250,000 to the Ohio State football program. STAFF FILE
By Doug Harris
Staff Writer

COLUMBUS —

Former Ohio State star lineman Orlando Pace may be happily retired, but his trip back to a sold-out Ohio Stadium on Saturday night gave him a yearning to return to his playing days.

“I was walking to the stadium, and I felt like I did — I hate to say this — almost 20 years ago … The fans, the electric (atmosphere), everything that goes along with it,” he said. “I think I could go out there and give them a series or two.”

Pace was recognized in the first half of the Penn State game for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame this year. And while the former offensive tackle didn’t pancake any defenders for the Buckeyes, he did give the program $250,000 to refurbish the recruiting room.

“Recruiting is such a big competition, and I wanted to do my part and give back. … Once those recruits walk in that room, they’ll see Ohio State is the place to be,” he said.

The former NFL No. 1 pick was impressed with the OSU offensive line, which helped quarterback Braxton Miller and his cohorts gain 686 total yards in a 63-14 win.

“They do a great job of protecting Braxton, and they run the ball well,” he said. “They don’t get talked about a lot, but those five guys up front play really well as a unit.”

He added about left tackle Jack Mewhort: “You’re definitely going to see him playing on Sundays.”

Pace is considered by some to be the greatest Buckeye of all time. He was a two-time Lombardi award-winner and finished fourth in the Heisman balloting one year, a rare feat for a lineman.

He made seven Pro Bowl appearances while playing 12 years with the St. Louis Rams and one with the Chicago Bears.

“I wanted to be the best. I didn’t just want to block a guy, I wanted to destroy him,” he said “I just wanted to be the best at my position so people could talk about it for years to come.

They do.

“Everybody asks me, ‘Who’s the best athlete you ever coached?’ I don’t know. I can’t answer that,” former OSU coach John Cooper said. “But the best football player John Cooper ever coached was Orlando Pace, no question.”
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Catching Up with Orlando Pace
Julia Faron Communications Department Special to Stlouisrams.com

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When Orlando Pace hung up his cleats, he left the game of football changed since the time he started. Pace dominated the field at the high school, collegiate and professional level. He is humbled by the accolades that have come his way, but also sees the defined value of the relationships formed along the way and the importance of keeping those alive.

Pace attended Sandusky High School in Ohio where he was a two-sport athlete for the Blue Streaks. A stand-out player in both football and basketball, Pace pursued football and received many high honors as an offensive and defensive lineman before going on to Ohio State. He was inducted in to the Sandusky Sports Hall of Fame and had his No. 75 jersey retired ahead of their typical timeline to oblige one of the elderly local sports journalists that wanted to see it happen.

At Ohio State, Pace put together an unusually decorated college campaign for an offensive lineman inspiring the term, ‘pancake block’, and eventually finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting. In July 2013, he got the call that he was being inducted into the College Sports Hall of Fame this December.

“It means so much to be recognized by your peers for your body of work in college,” said Pace. “It’s something that was a goal of mine after I left and hoped that I would get the call. It should be a great ceremony with my family and friends, sharing that with them should be really great.”

His college career earned him the No. 1 overall NFL Draft selection afforded to the St. Louis Rams. He was the first offensive lineman to be selected first overall in 30 years. A few years later, Pace and the Rams found themselves in one of the most illustrious Super Bowl runs of all-time, and creating memories that continue to be cherished by St. Louisians.

The Rams hosted many of their ‘Prime Time’ alumni at this year’s Thursday night match-up between the Rams and the 49ers. Though Pace still calls St. Louis home, being in the Edward Jones Dome and honored on the field with his teammates brought back the rush that goes along with a prime time game.

“I remember walking into that Dome just for that Thursday night game, as you’re walking in you can still kind of feel the energy.” Pace said. “It was a nationally televised game, so I was excited not only to see the guys, but I was excited for the game.”

Pace was honored alongside his former teammates as well as some the other great Rams dating back to the L.A. days.

“We don’t get a chance to see Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce and those guys as much, so to share that moment with them and to be on the same field that we won championships on and those types of things - it was a special moment,” Pace said.

“And to see the former players, I was up in the box talking to Jackie Slater and a lot of those guys that played for the L.A. Rams and hearing their stories of how they used to do it back in the day – it was good to absorb that type of knowledge and history,” Pace said.

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I was 12 years old when he was at his prime as a Buckeye...and all I wanted was one of the pancake magnets that were a part of his Heisman campaign. He was larger than life, and with the way the game has evolved could possibly be the last OL seen at a Heisman ceremony. It almost seems silly to think that an OT won the Silver Football.
 
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