What player, past or present, best embodies the spirit of Ohio State Fotball?

[mooktarr]

Rufus Mayes
Randy Gradishar
Tom Campana
Rex Kern
Jim Stillwagon
Marcus Marek

 

[Bleed S & G]

A lot of good ones in here..

2 more for discussion:
Justin Zwick
Mo Wells

 

[buckeyes_rock]

A lot of good ones in here..

2 more for discussion:
Justin Zwick
Mo Wells

You could throw McMullen in that category as well, no?

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

A lot of good ones in here..

2 more for discussion:
Justin Zwick
Mo Wells

You could throw McMullen in that category as well, no?

...and Thomas Matthews if I'm remembering his name correctly. Great athlete, great student, great Buckeye...

May very well have ended up in the NFL if he hadn't been caught in a log-jam of talent.

 

[GoBucks89]

The question says player (singular) and so if I have to pick only one it would have to be Chris Spielman.

 

[C-busBuck]

All the previous mentioned are awesome choices.

Jack Tatum
Joey Galloway.. Big time homer

 

[cjmik_75]

There are so many great Buckeye's already mentioned I couldn't help but notice none from the current roster. (oops Mo Wells - my bad) So here goes:

Brian Hartline

simply put he's a football player


:osu:

 

[leroyjenkins]

before or after he fired a gun outside a night club?

Ummm after I guess. No matter what he does/did it still doent change the love he had for the Buckeyes in his heart. His unselfishness, IMO led directly to a National Champoinship.

Joe Montgomery also comes to mind, when I think of people who absolutely loved this university.

 

[generaladm]

There are a ton of great kids on this years team. Anyone who would rather play one more year at OSU than be drafted in the NFL is a true Buckeye. Tressel has done a great job emphasizing academics and character to his players. Cooper had a lot of players with great character, but also let guys slide with being cocky. Tressel has brought back the level of class that was instilled by Woody Hayes.

 

[bluechillj]

A couple more recent names to throw in are Gonzo and Mangold.

 

[BuckeyeTillIDie]

Present

- Beanie Wells --- Playing with a broken wrist and sprained ankle the entire season while rushing for 1600 yards... beast.

- A.J. Hawk would be my defensive choice. His career speaks for itself.

Past

- Archie Griffin --- synonymous with Ohio State football
- Chris Spielman

 

[briegg]

Recent Past:

Jamar Martin - A fantastic talent at an unhearalded position, but seemed to just love that role.

Distant Past:

George Jacoby - I never saw him play (my tOSU history is about 25 years deep), but I met him recently. One of the nicest, most humble men you could meet. Had a deep love for the university and the opportunities that football had given to so many kids. Couple that with being an All American and giving up an NFL career to take care of his pregnant wife / family (the NFL didn't pay much back then, and was lots of travel), and I think you've got the epitome of tOSU football.

 

[RugbyBuck]

Troy Smith. Came in an athlete, worked hard, "trusted the coaches" and eventually, well, you know. Beat the holy crap out of scUM. Even the rules problem he had became a lesson in how to be a Buckeye. He didn't bitch and become a locker room distraction. Instead, he sucked it up, took the penalty and came back better. The halftime interview during the last NC game with Troy and Jamarcus Russell just showed what we've known. Class, period.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

I know it's the obvious choice and he's been mentioned, but:

Archie Griffin.

 

[mercer_buckeye]

Troy Smith. Came in an athlete, worked hard, "trusted the coaches" and eventually, well, you know. Beat the holy crap out of scUM. Even the rules problem he had became a lesson in how to be a Buckeye. He didn't bitch and become a locker room distraction. Instead, he sucked it up, took the penalty and came back better. The halftime interview during the last NC game with Troy and Jamarcus Russell just showed what we've known. Class, period.

I agree 100% with this, I remember somewhere I saw an interview with Troy where they asked him, "What did your time at Ohio State do for you?" He answered, "The Ohio State University made me a man." I think that pretty much says it all.