HAYNBUCKEYE
8/22/2006, 04:03 AM
http://photo.the-ozone.net/photo.select.cfm?StartRow=-11&numberofentries=3&SportPTR=4&SessionPTR=9&OponentPTR=457&SortOrder=ASC
Football
Autograph Day Brings Goose bumps to Stadium Visitors
By John Porentas
It's almost impossible to relate to unless you've experienced it first hand.
The fervor for Buckeye football and the esteem for OSU football players around Ohio was evidenced yesterday when the lines for the autograph session reached hundreds of yards in length...outside the stadium two hours ahead of the event.
Fans were lined outside the main entrance as-early-as 9:00 AM. By 4:30, the line wrapped around the front of the stadium and all the way around the west side to gate 7. By 5:30, a second line had formed that reached all the way out to Woody Hayes Drive and then east toward Tuttle Park. People were tailgating, people were anticipating getting a glimpse of their Buckeyes and collecting signatures.
The gates were opened at around 5:30 and the fans hustled into the stadium. They cued up again, this time in front of tables where the Buckeyes would sign autographs. Mind you, not a single player was at a table, but the lines formed anyway. People didn't seem to care who eventually took those seats, just as long as they were players wearing the Scarlet and Gray.
The immediate impression was that Columbus is mad for their Buckeyes, and that would be wrong, because it isn't just citizens of Columbus who were there, but people from across the state who came to the stadium for autograph event.
"I don't care who it is, it's an Ohio State football player," said Doug Clark, a fan from Morengo Ohio who traveled 35 miles into Columbus for the event and was standing patiently in line in front of table at which he had no idea who would sit down. While standing in line, Clark made the acquaintance of Buckeye fans who had traveled to Columbus from Lewisville, Ohio, just North of Canton. Jeff Burns was in line in front of an empty table with a group of seven friends who traveled from Dayton, all of them patiently waiting for the chance to collect a few autographs.
Perhaps the most poignant story we found, however, was that of Jodi Black, a resident of Norman Oklahoma and a life-long Sooner fan who we found standing in an autograph line awaiting the arrival of the Buckeyes to sign autographs.
"My finance is a big Buckeye fan. He's in a line somewhere else in the stadium," Black said.
"I'm a major college football fan, and I'm honored to be here at the 'Shoe," said Black.
Black and her fiance Tracy Davis hadn't come to Ohio Stadium for the express purpose of collecting autographs. In fact, when they arrived at the stadium, they didn't even know there was an autograph day or that there would be an open practice. We were unable to find Davis in the crowd, but Black told us why they came to Ohio stadium and why this was such a special day for him and for her.
"He's in the national guard and he just got called up to go to Iraq," said Black.
"We just came here to drive by and look at the stadium, because he knew he wasn't going to be able to go to any games this year. When he heard they were having a practice, we've been here since noon, we just got out and got in line," Black said.
"It's awesome," said Black. "I love college football and they're ranked number one. I've got goosebumps being here because I love football and this stadium is more than I thought it would be. I didn't really know what to expect, but it's like a coliseum or shrine. It's awesome. Tracy kept telling me about The 'Shoe, The 'Shoe, so I knew it was pretty special, but it's awesome," an obviously impressed Black said.
Black and her fiance were two of nearly 30,000 who attended the event, most of whom stood patiently in long lines to get signatures and rub shoulders for just an hour or so with the Buckeyes. No, it wasn't a game day, but it was a special opportunity for those in attendance to talk to their heroes and collect signatures. For Tracy Davis, it was a chance to see the stadium one last time before heading off to the desert that turned into a golden opportunity to meet and see his Buckeyes, and for Jodi Black, a chance to discover first hand what Buckeye football is about despite the lack of a game. We think both of them will remember the day for a long time to come.
HAYN
Football
Autograph Day Brings Goose bumps to Stadium Visitors
By John Porentas
It's almost impossible to relate to unless you've experienced it first hand.
The fervor for Buckeye football and the esteem for OSU football players around Ohio was evidenced yesterday when the lines for the autograph session reached hundreds of yards in length...outside the stadium two hours ahead of the event.
Fans were lined outside the main entrance as-early-as 9:00 AM. By 4:30, the line wrapped around the front of the stadium and all the way around the west side to gate 7. By 5:30, a second line had formed that reached all the way out to Woody Hayes Drive and then east toward Tuttle Park. People were tailgating, people were anticipating getting a glimpse of their Buckeyes and collecting signatures.
The gates were opened at around 5:30 and the fans hustled into the stadium. They cued up again, this time in front of tables where the Buckeyes would sign autographs. Mind you, not a single player was at a table, but the lines formed anyway. People didn't seem to care who eventually took those seats, just as long as they were players wearing the Scarlet and Gray.
The immediate impression was that Columbus is mad for their Buckeyes, and that would be wrong, because it isn't just citizens of Columbus who were there, but people from across the state who came to the stadium for autograph event.
"I don't care who it is, it's an Ohio State football player," said Doug Clark, a fan from Morengo Ohio who traveled 35 miles into Columbus for the event and was standing patiently in line in front of table at which he had no idea who would sit down. While standing in line, Clark made the acquaintance of Buckeye fans who had traveled to Columbus from Lewisville, Ohio, just North of Canton. Jeff Burns was in line in front of an empty table with a group of seven friends who traveled from Dayton, all of them patiently waiting for the chance to collect a few autographs.
Perhaps the most poignant story we found, however, was that of Jodi Black, a resident of Norman Oklahoma and a life-long Sooner fan who we found standing in an autograph line awaiting the arrival of the Buckeyes to sign autographs.
"My finance is a big Buckeye fan. He's in a line somewhere else in the stadium," Black said.
"I'm a major college football fan, and I'm honored to be here at the 'Shoe," said Black.
Black and her fiance Tracy Davis hadn't come to Ohio Stadium for the express purpose of collecting autographs. In fact, when they arrived at the stadium, they didn't even know there was an autograph day or that there would be an open practice. We were unable to find Davis in the crowd, but Black told us why they came to Ohio stadium and why this was such a special day for him and for her.
"He's in the national guard and he just got called up to go to Iraq," said Black.
"We just came here to drive by and look at the stadium, because he knew he wasn't going to be able to go to any games this year. When he heard they were having a practice, we've been here since noon, we just got out and got in line," Black said.
"It's awesome," said Black. "I love college football and they're ranked number one. I've got goosebumps being here because I love football and this stadium is more than I thought it would be. I didn't really know what to expect, but it's like a coliseum or shrine. It's awesome. Tracy kept telling me about The 'Shoe, The 'Shoe, so I knew it was pretty special, but it's awesome," an obviously impressed Black said.
Black and her fiance were two of nearly 30,000 who attended the event, most of whom stood patiently in long lines to get signatures and rub shoulders for just an hour or so with the Buckeyes. No, it wasn't a game day, but it was a special opportunity for those in attendance to talk to their heroes and collect signatures. For Tracy Davis, it was a chance to see the stadium one last time before heading off to the desert that turned into a golden opportunity to meet and see his Buckeyes, and for Jodi Black, a chance to discover first hand what Buckeye football is about despite the lack of a game. We think both of them will remember the day for a long time to come.
HAYN