Who Is the Greatest Buckeye Linebacker?

[LordJeffBuck]

Welcome to the twelfth installment of the "Greatest Buckeyes Ever" poll - this one allows you to vote for the best Buckeye linebacker. Every Saturday, we will post a poll on "Who's the Greatest Buckeye" at each of the positions. The last poll, head coach, will open on the day of THE GAME, and close on December 30th. By New Years Day, we will have the Buckeye Planet All-Time Buckeye Team.

All players selected for the poll will be from the "modern era", which we have more-or-less arbitrarily determined to have begun with the hiring of Woody Hayes in 1951. However, there will be special polls for the current Buckeyes and older Buckeye stars, where you will be allowed to choose amongst such greats as Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, Chic Harley, etc.

Please vote on each poll, if you can. Also, please note that each poll will allow you to vote at least twice, as we would like to compile a first and second team. If you vote for "other", please let us know your selection(s) by setting forth the name(s) in a post.

Polls will be posted as follows:

1. Quarterback (CLOSED - Rex Kern is the first team QB, with Craig Krenzel as the second team selection)
2. Tailback (CLOSED - no surprise: Archie is first team, Eddie is second)
3. Athlete (CLOSED - Paul Warfield and Chris Gamble are first team; Cie Grant and Brian Bashnagel are second)
4. Fullback (CLOSED - Pete Johnson first team and Jim Otis second team)
5. Wide Receiver (CLOSED - Cris Carter and David Boston first team, Michael Jenkins and Joey Galloway second team)
6. Tight End (CLOSED - John Frank first team, Rickey Dudley second team)
7. Offensive Tackle (OPEN - Orlando Pace, John Hicks, and Korey Stringer lead)
8. Offensive Guard (OPEN - Jim Lachey and Jim Parker lead, with Rob Murphy also receiving plenty of votes)
9. Offensive Center (OPEN - LeCharles Bentley and Jeff Uhlenhake lead)
10. Defensive Tackle (OPEN - Dan Wilkinson and Jim Stillwagon lead, with Tim Anderson and Jim Marshall closing in)
11. Defensive End (OPEN - Mike Vrabel and Will Smith lead)
12. Linebacker (OPEN)
13. Safety
14. Cornerback
15. Kicker
16. Punter
17. Current Buckeyes
18. "Old Time" Buckeyes
19. Head Coach

So, please vote now for your All-Time Greatest Buckeye Linebacker; please make FIVE selections.

Note: All of the candidates were All-American selections: (Ike Kelly ('64-5); Randy Gradishar ('72-3); Tom Cousineau ('77-8); Marcus Marek ('82); Pepper Johnson ('85); Chris Spielman ('86-87); Steve Tovar ('91-2); Andy Katzenmoyer ('97); Na'il DIggs ('99); and Matt Wilhelm ('02).

Thanks for your participation.

 

[x-michigan fan]

when I first read this I thought of Andy Kat..

he is the best LB that I think I have ever seen in College football... He is no where close in the pros but he was a great great college LB

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Spielman, Gradishar, Cousineau, Katenmoyer, Wilhelm. This is based solely on their performance at OSU and not in the pros.

 

[OilerBuck]

Really surprised Marek hasn't gotten more votes.

I voted Gradishar, Cousineau, Marek, Spielman, Katzenmoyer

 

[CleveBucks]

Oiler,

ditto

 

[StoRMinBrutus]

Chris Speilman !!! Any Linebacker who has 29 tackles against M#chigan is the best in my book. Thats gotta say something. Plus the way he still represents Ohio State and shows his love for the team to this date.

Gradishar, Cousineau, Marek, Katzenmoyer are all greats too and deserve to be right up there.

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

Really surprised Marek hasn't gotten more votes

Ditto... isn't he the all-time tackle leader??

 

[BB73]

I thought of these 4 without looking at the choices:

Spielman, Gradishar, Cousineau, and Katzenmoyer.

I was then pleasantly surprised to see that I got a 5th vote:

Marek

 

[RugbyBuck]

Spielman has to be number one, but I included Grad, Couse, Kat and Wilhelm (who I don't think gets enough respect for the job he did his senior year). Going into his last year, Wilhelm wouldn't have made the top ten list, but based on the job he did helping us win the NC, I've got to include hime in the top five.

 

[osugrad21]

Surprised no Kenny Kuhn-Dog on that list


I'll go with Spiels, Gradishar, Cousineau, Marek, and the Kat for those monster hits

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

SPEILMAN, KATZENMOYER, JOHNSON, COUSINEAU, GRADISHAR

 

[BuckeyeFromHecK]

i went with cous, katz, spielmen, gradishar, and i had to go with Marek not bc i ever saw him play but bc my mom went out with him back in her college days

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

these are some truly great names... and with all due respect, it's not unreasonable to think AJ Hawk could be in this elite class when he's done

 

[Oh8ch]

I voted Gradishar, Cousineau, Marek, Spielman, Katzenmoyer

That would have been my ballot, but I had to leave the Kat off. Just couldn't bring myself to give him help competing with players who completed their eligibility. (If he was head an shoulders above those others I would have had to click his button.)

 

[ScarletArrow]

I threw in Styles - I remeber him being pretty good.