Who Is the Greatest Buckeye "Athlete"?

[cincibuck]

This poll was for the "Athlete" position in football, someone who excels in multiple slots. No one is slighting the other Buckeye athletes.

OK, I accepted that. But Is till see a lot of names here that cannot hold a candle to the performances of Jim Parker, both as a Buckeye, and especially as a pro. I see backs who should not be compared to Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy or Bob Ferguson... or even Tom Matte. Records are skewed by the fact that the team now plays three to four more games a year, goes to a bowl almost every year and you can start as a freshman. (It is also skewed by the fact that many of the great athletes of today play only to or three years before going pro, but to a lesser degree IMHO).

 

[LordJeffBuck]

OK, I accepted that. But Is till see a lot of names here that cannot hold a candle to the performances of Jim Parker, both as a Buckeye, and especially as a pro. I see backs who should not be compared to Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy or Bob Ferguson... or even Tom Matte. Records are skewed by the fact that the team now plays three to four more games a year, goes to a bowl almost every year and you can start as a freshman. (It is also skewed by the fact that many of the great athletes of today play only to or three years before going pro, but to a lesser degree IMHO).

Cinci - as I was the one who created the "Greatest Buckeye Ever" polls, I am in the best position to explain the "Athlete" designation. That category was designed for players who were great Buckeyes, yet did not "fit" into any traditional position (i.e., running back, wide receiver, cornerback, etc.). Hopalong Cassady was a selection in the tailback poll, Bob Ferguson was in the fullback poll, and Jim Parker in the offensive guard poll (Parker made the team; the other two did not). Although most of the selections in the Athlete poll may not have been as stellar as the players you named, they were recognized for their versatility.

BTW, if you follow recruiting, high school players without a definite position are put into the "athlete" category in both the Rivals and Scout data bases; I used the same principle in the GBE polls.

Here is a link to the final poll results:

Greatest Buckeyes Ever

 

[LordJeffBuck]

Bump...

 

[jwinslow]

gamble would be my choice, but his decline at the end of 03 makes it hard to vote for him

 

[tedginn05]

My dad works at a family owned(my family) scuba diving shop in columbus/dublin. Art Baschnagel teaches/instructs scuba diving there. He is the brother of Brian Baschnagel. Never met Brian, but i have met his brother Art. I'll have to ask about his brother next time i see him, never really asked before. Have to ask him about when Woody was recruiting his brother and most likely what it was like meeting Woody.

 

[Taosman]

Warfield, a great multi-sport athlete. Class act. Legend.
Wonder how many people are holding a grudge against Gamble? Would that be a subject for a poll?

 

[jwinslow]

heh, I don't hold a grudge against him for 03. It just prevents him from being the reigning "athlete" in my book.

 

[Bob Buck]

How about Eddie George, Hopalong Cassady, or Archie Griffin? All Heisman recipients and they all had extreme athletic talent... and along that line, what about Terry Glenn?

Man, I will never forget the catch where Glenn broke his clavical laying out for the ball on artificial turf. There has never been a moment for me where I've seen a Buckeye be so selfless and determined to catch a ball.... He had to know it was going to hurt coming back down to Earth after long jumping face first through the air. He made the catch and held onto the ball even as his shoulder broke underneath him. Just awesome athleticism.

 

[Holy Buckeye!]

That an easy one Joey Galloway hands down. His Freshman year was my senior year and on a $50.00 bet Galloway long jumped a car from bumper to bumper, how do I know? $10.00 of that $50.00 came from my pocket.

Biggest athletic freak I've every seen.

Galloway was as fast as TG2 easy and he was one of strongest Buckeye's in the weight during his tenure.

The Guy is still in the League tearing it up.

 

[Onebuckfan]

All those on the list and many others mentioned are great athletes but I will add Jack Tatum. He was the most physically intimidating player of his time. A small shout for Alonzo Spellman.. he had more physical tools than anyone..to bad he never reached his potential!

 

[LordJeffBuck]

"Athete" is in quotes because the term refers to a player who played several positions at Ohio State, and could not be easily slotted into one category (for example, Chris Gamble was a wide receiver, cornerback, and punt returner, and he had some success at each position).

As far as who was the most athletic player ever to play for the Buckeyes, that would be a tough call. Joey Galloway, Alonzo Spellman, AJ Hawk, and several others would certainly be solid candidates....

 

[ScarletBlood31]

I know his career is still young, but i mean if youre talkin about the great "athletes" at OSU, Ted Ginn has got to be atleast mentioned. Originally a CB, now excelling at WR and KR/PR (and didnt he play QB in high school?). I guess he probably still needs to produce a few more great seasons to be considered with the best at OSU but i think he is close to atleast being a worthy honorable mention.