Ohio State Buckeyes

The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, the Ohio Buckeye – Aesculus glabra. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. The Ohio State Buckeyes men's ice hockey program competes in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and its women's hockey program competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. The school colors are scarlet and gray. Ohio State's mascot is Brutus Buckeye.

The Ohio State University is one of only four universities to have won a NCAA national championship in baseball, men's basketball and football. Ohio State has also won national championships in men's swimming & diving, men's outdoor track & field, men's volleyball, men's golf, men's gymnastics, men's fencing, co-ed fencing, and synchronized swimming. Since the inception of the Athletic Director's Cup, Ohio State has finished in the top 25 each year, including top 6 finishes in three of the last five years. During the 2005-2006 school year Ohio State became the first Big Ten team to win conference championships in football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same season. They repeated this feat in the 2006-2007 season, which also included a February 25, 2007 men's basketball game which saw the Buckeyes defeat the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten's first one-versus-two basketball game.

A few of the many outstanding sports figures who were student athletes at Ohio State include Jesse Owens, “The Buckeye Bullet,” (track and field), John Havlicek, Jerry Lucas, and Katie Smith (basketball), Frank Howard (baseball), Jack Nicklaus (golf), Archie Griffin (football running back, the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner), and Chic Harley (three-time All-American football running back). Hall of Fame coaches at Ohio State have included Paul Brown and Woody Hayes (football), Fred Taylor (men's basketball). Notable sports figures in Ohio State history may be inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame.

Football

 * National Champions: 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002
 * Big Ten Champions: 1916, 1917, 1920, 1935, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
 * Leaders Division Champions: 2012
 * OAC Champions: 1906, 1912

Men's basketball
The Ohio State men's basketball team has played in 10 NCAA Final Fours, winning the championship in 1960, when they were led by Basketball Hall of Famers Jerry Lucas, John Havlicek, and Bob Knight off the bench. A Buckeye has been named first team All American 23 times, including five two-time All Americans and one three-time All American. Between 1960 and 1964 Ohio State won five consecutive Big Ten championships, an achievement that has yet to be matched.

In 2004, The Ohio State University fired men's basketball coach Jim O'Brien for recruiting violations and self-imposed a one year penalty, including a ban on post-season play and reduction of scholarships. In light of these University self-imposed penalties, the NCAA Division I Committee on infractions merely placed The Ohio State University on three years probation for the violations, and gave heavier penalties to Coach O'Brien and a former assistant coach. The lightness of this judgment was seen as encouragement for schools to be proactive in responding to violations. Nevertheless, O'Brien successfully sued Ohio State for improper termination. Thad Matta, the current coach of the Buckeyes, took over O'Brien's spot in 2004. Ohio State recruited such talents as Greg Oden, and Mike Conley, Jr. to start the 2006-2007 year. The Buckeyes finished the season with a 27-3 record; won the Big Ten tournament, and earned a number 1 seed for the NCAA tournament. After a very close game with state rival Xavier, and a thrilling 20 point come from behind victory against the Tennessee Volunteers, the Buckeyes managed to hold off Georgetown Hoyas 67-60 to reach the Championship Game for the first time since 1962, which they lost to defending NCAA champions Florida Gators, 84-75. The Buckeyes ended the 2006-2007 season with a record of 35-4. In the 2009-2010 Season, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten Championship. In the 2010-2011 season the Buckeyes won the regular season Big Ten Championship, and the Big Ten Tournament Championship going 32-2 overall, and winning 20 straight home games, receiving honors of the #1 overall seed in the NCAA March Madness Tournament in the East Region. The Buckeyes were defeated by the University of Kentucky in the Sweet 16, 62-60. On December 10, 2011, the Buckeyes stepped into Allen Fieldhouse, without the top-ranked player in the country Jared Sullinger, and narrowly lost to the Kansas Jayhawks 78-67.

Women's basketball
Currently coached by Jim Foster, the Ohio State women's basketball team plays its home games in the Jerome Schottenstein Center, which they moved into in 1998. Prior to 1998, they played at St. John Arena. They have won 10 Big Ten titles, which is the most in the conference and have 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the most recent being in 2007. In 1993 they lost to the Texas Tech Lady Raiders 84-82 for the National Title, while they captured the NIT title in 2001, beating the New Mexico Lobos 62-61. Notable alumni include former All-Americans Katie Smith and Jessica Davenport.

Golf
Ohio State's two golf courses, the Scarlet and the Gray, were completed in 1938. The Scarlet was designed by architect Alister MacKenzie, who designed the Masters course at Augusta National. However, his original design was not implemented fully, and the greens were the only part of the course that truly resembled his designs. Golf magazines annually rate the Scarlet Course as one of the top collegiate courses in the nation. The Scarlet recently underwent a $4.2 million renovation under the supervision of Jack Nicklaus. Ohio State has won the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships in 1945 and 1979. Five times, Buckeye men have won the NCAA golf individual championship: John Lorms in 1945, Tom Nieporte in 1951, Rick Jones in 1956, Jack Nicklaus in 1961 and Clark Burroughs in 1985.

Baseball
Ohio State has played baseball since 1881, winning a national championship in 1966 along with 14 Big Ten regular-season titles and eight Big Ten tournament titles. The Buckeyes baseball team was the first Ohio State sports team. The team is currently coached by Greg Beals and play their home games at Bill Davis Stadium, which opened in 1997. Going into the 2008 season the Buckeyes all-time record is 2228-1427-38. Notable alumni include Frank Howard, Nick Swisher and two time All-American Steve Arlin. The team is currently coached by Greg Beals.

Synchronized swimming
In the team event, Ohio State has won 24 collegiate championships between 1977, the first year of the collegiate national championships, and 2004. Head coach Mary Jo Ruggieri led the team to 17 wins between 1977 and 1995, and Linda Lichter-Witter added seven more since 1996. Ohio State also has taken 61 individual honors in that span, including 11 by Karen and Sarah Josephson.

Men's Gymnastics
The Ohio State gymnastics team has won three national titles and nine Big Ten titles, and has produced 4 Nissen Award winners (The Heisman Trophy of Men's Gymnastics). The team is currently coached by Rustam Sharipov. The Buckeyes have all their competitions at St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Some of the more notable Buckeye alumni include Don Perry, the first OSU All-American in the sport (Trampoline - 1954 - 4th place), brothers Seth and Noah Riskin - Co-national Champions (Parallel Bars - 1985 - 1st place), and Mike Racanelli - Ohio State's first Nissen winner in 1990. Racanelli also went on to win Gymnastic's first Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year Award that same year, given out annually to the athlete who displays the best performance in his sport (regardless of grade).

Following later in Racanelli's footsteps were other Nissen winners Kip Simons (1994), Blaine Wilson (1997) and Jamie Natalie (2001). Blaine Wilson (1995, 1996, 1997) and Jamie Natalie (2000, 2001) also went on to win Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year. Raj Bhavsar was the only other Men's Gymnast to win Ohio State Athlete of the Year which he accomplished in 2002.

On the Olympic and World Championship stage, OSU Men's Gymnastics is well represented, by gymnasts and coaches. The Olympian list includes: Miles Avery (asst coach 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008), Peter Kormann (Athlete in 1976, Head Coach 1996, 2000), Raj Bhavsar (2004, 2008), Jamie Natalie (2000), Gil Pinto (1988), Kip Simons (1994) and Blaine Wilson (1996, 2000, 2004).

Two gymnasts who trained at the Ohio State facilities under coach Miles Avery, but were not NCAA Athletes due to eligibility rules, were Paul and Morgan Hamm - twin brothers from Wisconsin. Paul later went on to win the first ever Olympic Gold medal in the Men's Gymnastics All-Around competition for the United States.

In 2011, Senior co-captain, Brandon Wynn, won his second national championship on rings. Brandon Wynn, Ty Echard, Kris Done and Jeff Treleaven earned All-America honors. In all, the seven All-America honors tie the second-best single-season performance in program history and are the most laurels since the 2005 campaign.

Ice hockey
Ohio State men's ice hockey team was established in 1961 and played at the OSU Ice Rink until 1999 when they moved into Value City Arena. The Buckeyes will compete in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) until the 2013-2014 season, when with the addition of Penn State hockey the Big ten will have enough teams to field its own hockey conference. They have won one conference championship in 1972, the first year of the CCHA, and the tournament in 1974 and 2004. The Buckeyes have made it to the NCAA tournament in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2009, and went to the semi-finals in 1998. They have only retired one number, #22 Paul Pooley.

The OSU women’s ice hockey team was started in 1999 and competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The Buckeyes have yet to make an NCAA post season appearance. Notable Buckeye alumni include Olympians Emma Laaksonen, Tessa Bonhomme, and Lisa Chesson.

Tennis
The Men’s and Women’s Varsity Tennis teams have showed success both individually and as a team. Both the men's and women's teams share the outdoor tennis facility, the Stickney Tennis Center, dedicated in 1993. When the weather takes them indoors, both teams play at the Varsity Tennis Center, which was recently completed in November 2007. The outdoor facility has 12 courts and the indoor has six courts and are both located in Columbus, Ohio.

Men's Tennis - Big Ten Championships - 1915 (co-champions), 1943, 1991, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. NCAA Men's Tennis Tournament Team Appearances (since 1977) - 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010. The Men's tennis team has 23 NCAA Singles Appearances, 11 NCAA Doubles Appearances and eight All-Americans.

Women's Tennis - Big Ten Championships - 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 - Note: The Big Ten officially began sponsoring championships for women with the 1981-82 season. Since then, Ohio State has yet to win a Big Ten Championship. NCAA Women's Tennis Tournament Team Appearances - 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009. The Women have five NCAA Singles Appearances, four NCAA Doubles Appearances and two All-Americans.

Olympians And Track
Ohio State has produced over two hundred Olympic athletes, most notably Jesse Owens who won four Olympic gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and is one of the greatest Olympians in history. In all, 48 Ohio State athletes have combined for a total of 77 Olympic medals which includes 33 gold, 28 silver and 16 bronze medals. Ohio State's track team is coached by Ed Beathea, and hosts home meets at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes' track team is also famous for being the first Buckeye team in any sport to win a national title.

Rugby
Founded in 1966, the Ohio State University Rugby Football Club plays college rugby in Division 1-A in the Big Ten Universities conference against traditional Big 10 rivals such as Michigan. The Buckeyes are led by head coach Ron Bowers, who played rugby as a Buckeye, earning All American honors in 1991. The Buckeyes best performances were in the 1990 and 1991 seasons, when they finished third in the nation in both seasons.

More recently, Ohio State has appeared in the Collegiate Rugby Championship, a tournament broadcast live on NBC, finishing 7th in 2010 and 14th in 2011. The Buckeyes were led in those two tournaments by Nate Ebner, who was named to the competition's All Tournament Team in 2010 and 2011, before entering the 2012 NFL draft and signing with the New England Patriots. The Buckeyes finished the 2010-11 season ranked 23rd in the country. Ohio State finished third at the 2012 Big Ten 7s, missing out on qualification to the 2012 USA Rugby Sevens Collegiate National Championships.

National Championships
The Ohio State University has 57 National team titles.
 * Men's
 * Baseball: 1966
 * Basketball: 1960
 * Fencing: 1942
 * Football: 1942, 1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970, 2002
 * Golf: 1945, 1979
 * Gymnastics: 1985, 1996, 2001
 * Swimming & Diving: 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1962'''
 * Outdoor Track & Field: 1929
 * Volleyball: 2011
 * Women's
 * Synchronized swimming: 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011
 * Pistol: 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009
 * Coed
 * Cheerleading: 1993
 * Fencing: 2004, 2008, 2012
 * Pistol: 2000

All are NCAA Championships except Pistol (which is a WCN sport)

Men's

 * Baseball: 1917, 1924, 1943, 1951, 1955, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2009
 * Basketball: 1925, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1946, 1950, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1971, 1991, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012
 * Cross Country: 1923
 * Football: 1916, 1917, 1920, 1935, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1949, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
 * Golf: 1928, 1945, 1951, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2004
 * Hockey (CCHA): 1972, 2004
 * Gymnastics: 1983, 1985, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
 * Indoor Track: 1942, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1993
 * Outdoor Track: 1942, 1948, 1992, 1993
 * Soccer: 2000, 2007, 2009
 * Swimming: 1938, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 2010
 * Tennis: 1915, 1943, 1991, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
 * Volleyball (MIVA): 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
 * Wrestling:1923, 1951

Women's

 * Basketball: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1993, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009
 * Field Hockey: 2006
 * Golf: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005
 * Gymnastics: 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
 * Rowing: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2011
 * Soccer: 2010
 * Softball: 1990, 2007
 * Indoor Track: 2011
 * Outdoor Track: 2011
 * Swimming: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
 * Volleyball: 1989, 1991, 1994

Media
On April 2, 2009, Ohio State signed a 10-year media-rights agreement with IMG College and RadiOhio, worth nearly $128 million, the largest such agreement in college sports.

The Ohio State University Marching Band
The Ohio State University Marching Band (nicknamed "The Best Damn Band In The Land" ) is currently under direction of Jon Waters. This all brass band has 225 members, and was first formed in 1878. The band has traditions including a field march that forms a "Script Ohio", during which, a senior sousaphone player gets to "dot the i" in the word Ohio.

School colors
The Ohio State school colors of scarlet and gray were chosen by a committee of three students (Curtis C. Howard, Harwood R. Pool, and Alice Townshend) prior to the school's first graduation ceremony in 1878. The committee's original recommendation was to be orange and black. The committee soon discovered that Princeton already used the colors, however, and changed their recommendation. For this reason some references claim that Ohio State's original school colors were orange and black. This claim is not quite accurate, in that the committee never filed the original report with that recommendation.

Pageantry

 * Team Colors: Scarlet and Gray
 * Outfitter: Nike J. America
 * Fight Songs: Across the Field, Buckeye Battle Cry
 * Often Played Songs: Hang on Sloopy, Le Regiment
 * Alma mater: Carmen Ohio
 * Nicknames: Buckeyes (officially adopted in 1950 ), The Bucks, The Silver Bullets
 * Mascot: Brutus Buckeye
 * Rivalries: Michigan Wolverines, Illinois Fighting Illini, & Penn State Nittany Lions
 * Marching Band: The Ohio State University Marching Band, known as TBDBITL, or The Best Damn Band In The Land. Famous for "Script Ohio" and the "Ramp Entrance". The dotting of the "i" in "Script Ohio" by a sousaphone (tuba) player who high-kicks out and does a giant bow to the crowd was voted the #1 greatest sports tradition ever, in Athlon Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated.
 * Radio Network: The Ohio State Buckeyes Radio Network; WBNS (AM) 1460 The Fan and 97.1 FM for
 * Announcers: Paul Keels (Play By Play); Jim Lachey (Color (football)); Marty Bannister (Sideline (football)); Ron Stokes (Color (basketball))