One of the things we like to do here at Buckeyes Wire is debate. We’re good at it, even when we’re wrong. Each Friday, we’ll throw out a topic that seems to be in the news or is a hot topic of discussion and provide a round table forum of discussion. Sometimes it’ll be two writers, sometimes more. Sometimes it’ll be hotly debated, sometimes more civil.
Heck, sometimes it’ll be outlandish, but it’ll fun nonetheless.
You can even get in on the act by going to our Facebook or Twitter page (at the bottom of this article) and providing your own input, but beware — we do like to respond and hash it out, so be ready for some debate yourself.
This week, in honor of Ohio State vs. Michigan week, we’re asking our writers what their fondest memory of The Game is. There are sure to be plenty to choose from, but what sticks out more than any other.
Mark takes us down memory lane first.
Next … Mark remembers
Contact/Follow Mark Russell
So many memories to pull from, but I think I’ll go back to 1987. This is probably the first Ohio State Michigan game I have memories of watching and understanding the the magnitude of this rivalry.
Ohio State entered 1987 with high hopes with a preseason ranking of No. 5 in the country. But things derailed quickly in Columbus. Chris Carter was suspended for taking money from an agent. Tom Tupa, a punter by trade, became the Buckeye starting quarterback. Ohio State would lose to Indiana by 21 points, the first loss to the Hoosiers since 1951, followed by a three game losing streak to Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
Ohio State Athletic Director, Rick Bay, decided to make a change before the Michigan game and informed Bruce that he would be relieved of his duties, but could coach the team against the Wolverines if he liked.
The Buckeyes entered the Michigan game just 5-4-1, but the players wanted to show their love to Coach Bruce. Every player came out wearing white headbands inscribed in red Sharpie with “Earle”. A show of respect and admiration to the man they called coach.
The team would play inspired football with a come from behind victory over the Wolverines and Earle Bruce would be carried off the field hoisted on loving shoulder pads.
In a season that was otherwise disappointing, it would have been easy to mail it in. But… The Game matters regardless of records and it can ultimately change the way a season is viewed.
In 1987, I learned all I needed to know from a 6-4-1 team about the greatest rivalry in sports.
Next … Phil’s reminisces
Contact/Follow Phil Harrison
That’s a great one Mark, but I’m going to go with the hire and subsequent contest that turned the tide in the rivalry to what it is today. Michigan had owned Ohio State in the 90’s when John Cooper was coaching the Buckeyes. It seemed like a yearly tradition for an Ohio State team capable of winning a national championship to get stunned by Michigan in late November.
When Cooper was fired, there were rumors about some pretty big names out there being interviewed and looked at to run the program (Bob Stoops being one of them). Instead, the Ohio State administration settled on a little known 1-AA coach by the name of Jim Tressel.
Tressel embraced the rivalry with Michigan, making his now famous (infamous if you’re a Wolverine fan) speech about Buckeye nation being “proud of the young people in the classroom, in the community, and most especially — in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the football field.”
Then, amazingly, Tressel took his Buckeyes up there and knocked off a heavily favored Michigan team to turn the trajectory of The Game around and send it on the course we’ve been on since then. One where Ohio State beat back the demons of the past and set the dominance we’ve seen over the last two decades in motion.
Do you have goose bumps yet?
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