2004 Ohio State Football Notes – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 23, 2004
Buckeyes Return 42 Lettermen
Ohio State returns 42 lettermen from last year – 20 on offense, 20 on defense and two from the special teams. The Buckeyes have lost 29 letter winners – 17 on defense, 11 on offense and one from special teams.
Ohio State on Opening Day
Ohio State kicks off the 2004 season Sept. 4 against visiting Cincinnati. The Buckeyes have an all-time opening day record of 98-12-4 and have won 25-consecutive home openers dating back to 1978.
Coaching Staff Changes
Dick Tressel is the Buckeyes’ new running backs coach. Tressel, who has served in the football operations department the past three years, takes over for Tim Spencer, now with the Chicago Bears. Tressel, the brother of head coach Jim Tressel and a former head coach at Hamline University in Minnesota, is one of three new faces that will be roaming the OSU sideline this fall. The other two are receivers coach Darrell Hazell and tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator John Peterson. Hazell comes to Ohio State from Rutgers, while Peterson, who played for the Buckeyes in the late 1980s, coached at Miami (Ohio) last year and had moved on to the University of Arizona in January before returning to his alma mater.
The Buckeyes in the Polls
The Buckeyes have finished in the top five of both national polls each of the past two years, finishing first in 2002 on the heels of their national championship and fourth last year. It is Ohio State’s first back-to-back appearance in the top five since 1975 and ’76. The Buckeyes were in the top five – in at least one of the two major wire service polls – each year from 1973 to 1976.
Ohio State All-Time
The Buckeyes head into the 2004 season with an all-time record of 757-294-53 in 114 seasons. Ohio State first fielded a team in 1890, compiling a 1-3 mark in a season that began May 3 with a 20-14 victory at Ohio Wesleyan. The Buckeyes’ first home game was against Wooster the following fall, a 64-0 loss. Ohio State’s first home win came in 1891, an 8-4 decision over Denison on Nov. 28. Since 1890, the Buckeyes have had just 11 losing seasons, finishing .500 or better the other 102 years.
Ohio State in the Big Ten
Since beginning Big Ten play in the fall of 1913 the Buckeyes (who actually joined the league in 1912) have compiled an all-time conference record of 414-157-24. The Buckeyes have 29 Big Ten titles to their credit – 15 outright and 14 shared. The Buckeyes last outright title was in 1984. Their last shared crown came in 2002.
Homecoming Game
This year’s homecoming game will be Oct. 23 against Indiana. Other significant dates on the home schedule include Alumni Band Day (Cincinnati) and Ohio State Hall of Fame Recognition Day (Marshall).
At Home on the Banks of the Olentangy
With an 8-0 record at home in 2003, Ohio State has compiled an all-time mark of 350-101-25 in Ohio Stadium. The Buckeyes enter the 2004 campaign with a string of 16 consecutive home victories, last losing to Illinois in the 2001 home finale.
Harley’s Jersey Number to be Retired
The jersey number of the late Charles “Chic” Harley, Ohio State’s first three-time football All-American, will be retired during halftime of this year’s Penn State game. Harley, who wore No. 47, starred for the Buckeyes during the 1916-17 and ’19 seasons, winning All-America honors each of those years and regularly playing before full houses in old Ohio Field. His spectacular play energized the community and resulted in a campaign to build a new venue to better accommodate the fans. As a result, Ohio Stadium, often referred to as “the house that Harley built,” was opened in 1922. Harley will be the sixth Ohio State player to have his number retired, joining Archie Griffin, Vic Janowicz, Les Horvath, Howard “Hopalong” Cassady and Eddie George. Harley’s No. 47 currently is being worn by junior linebacker A.J. Hawk, who will wear that number until he exhausts his eligibility.
Carolina Bound Buckeyes
Ohio State plays at North Carolina State on Sept. 18, marking the first trip ever to the state of North Carolina for the Buckeyes. In fact, this will be Ohio State’s initial venture into an Atlantic Coast Conference stadium. The Buckeyes have an all-time record of 8-6 against ACC teams.
Bowl MVPs
Linebackers A.J. Hawk and Anthony Schlegel are both coming off MVP performances. Hawk was the Defensive MVP of last year’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl after recording 10 tackles in the Buckeyes’ 35-28 win over Kansas State. Schlegel, meanwhile, was the Defensive MVP of the 2002 Diamond Walnut Bowl in San Francisco, notching 10 tackles in a 20-13 loss to nationally ranked Virginia.
Sander Joins Award Winner’s List
Punter B. J. Sander was last year’s winner of the Ray Guy Award as the best punter in college football. Over the years, the Buckeyes have won 26 major awards, including six Heisman Trophies.
Smith, Allen Win All-America Acclaim
Defensive end Will Smith and strong safety Will Allen both won first-team All-America honors last year, giving the Buckeyes 162 first-team honorees. Smith was named to the Football Writers and the Walter Camp teams, while Allen was selected by the Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp and the Associated Press.
Krenzel Rakes in the Hardware
Ohio State quarterback Craig Krenzel, who led the Buckeyes to a 24-3 record during his two years as a starter, also excelled in the classroom. Krenzel, a molecular genetics major, was one of 13 seniors to receive a National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholarship last fall. At the NFFHF banquet in New York City in December, he was further honored as the recipient of the Vincent dePaul Draddy Award as the most outstanding of the 13 scholarship winners. Krenzel also was selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America as the Academic All-American of the Year in football. Just to make a clean sweep of things, he also received the NCAA’s prestigious Top VIII award.
Buckeyes Set NFL Draft Record
Fourteen Ohio State players were taken in last year’s NFL Draft, the most players ever selected from one school since the league went to a seven-round draft. Three of those players – defensive end Will Smith, cornerback Chris Gamble and split end Michael Jenkins – were first round picks. Seven Buckeyes were drafted on the first day, which also is an NFL record.
They Put in Their Time
Senior cornerback Dustin Fox logged 365 minutes of playing time last year to lead all returning players in that category. Center Nick Mangold is the leader among the offensive returnees with 342 minutes. Other returning players who topped the 300-minute mark last year are linebacker A. J. Hawk (334), safety Nate Salley (333) and defensive end Simon Fraser (301). Fox also is the leader in career playing time with a total of 812 minutes. Fraser is next at 528, followed by Hawk with 434 and Mangold with 414.
Roster Notes
* There are 104 players on this year’s Ohio State roster, representing 12 states and Canada. By state, there are 82 players from Ohio, six from Florida, four from Pennsylvania, three from Texas, two from Georgia and one each from the states of Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York and Virginia.
* There are 14 fifth-year seniors and six fourth-year seniors on the roster.
* At 6-8 and 320, true freshman Steve Rehring is the tallest and heaviest player on the squad. He is one of eight players on the roster to tip the scale in excess of 300 pounds.
* Business, or a related field is the most popular major on this year’s team, with 11 players listing business are their major. Communication is next in line with nine, followed by criminology (7) and consumer affairs (6).
