Mike Doss – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Mike Doss
Strong Safety 1999-2002
Mike Doss is the first free safety to be included in this section of the Ohio State football media guide. But his inclusion should come as a surprise to no one. For him not to be would be a grave injustice.
Doss was a three-year starter for the Buckeyes. In each of those years his sophomore, junior and senior seasons Mike won first-team All-America honors. In doing so, he became just the seventh three-time All-American in Ohio State football history.
Doss was an inspiration both on and off the field. At the beginning of his senior year, he was chosen as one of the team’s two co-captains. At the end of his senior year, in his final game as a Buckeye, he was chosen as Defensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl, where Ohio State captured its first consensus national championship since 1968 with a thrilling 31-24 double-overtime victory over Miami.
During his career with the Buckeyes, Mike Doss played in 50 games, starting 40 of those contests and collecting a combined total of 331 tackles. At the end of the 2002 season, he was the eighth leading tackler in Ohio State annals.
Doss started the last two games of his freshman year. From that point on he was a regular. As a sophomore, he finished the season with a team-best 94 tackles and was named to a first-team berth on The Sporting News All-America team.
He also led the team in tackles as a junior with 87 total stops and was again named to a first-team spot on The Sporting News team, as well as the Walter Camp squad.
As a senior, Doss collected a personal high 107 tackles and was named to first-team All-America berths on the Associated Press, Football Writers, Football Coaches, Sporting News and Walter Camp teams.
A three-time All-Big Ten pick, Doss was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. In each of his last two years, he was a leading candidate for the Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football.
At the end of his junior year, Doss elected to stay in school and pursue his dream of winning the national championship. In January of 2003, that dream became a reality for the former all-state player from Canton, Ohio.
