Sugar Bowl Notes – Day Four – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/29/1998 12:00:00 AM | Football
December 29, 1998
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Buckeyes have settled into their Sugar Bowl surroundings and aside from some evening team dinners at places like Planet Hollywood and the Praline Connection, they have stayed busy preparing for Friday’s Sugar Bowl matchup with No. 8 Texas A&M. Tuesday morning approximately 25 members of the team visited University Hospital, one of nine hospitals in the state of New Orleans’ chain of charity hospitals for primarily uninsured patients. Among the Buckeyes visiting the children patients were all three starting linebackers – Andy Katzenmoyer, captain Jerry Rudzinski and Na’il Diggs – four of five starting offensive linemen, secondary starters CB Ahmed Plummer and FS Gary Berry, starting fullback Matt Keller, starting split end Dee Miller and starting tight end John Lumpkin.
Dee Miller on today’s hospital visit: “Sometimes we wake up thinking that we have problems, but then you go to see some of the situations that these people are in. It makes you realize how blessed you really areto see people hanging on to life. They haven’t been able to experience the life that we have had. It makes you thank the Man upstairs.”
Na’il Diggs on today’s hospital visit: “It makes me realize just how fortunate I am. It really gives you a reality check, and it certainly takes the edge off the game. It makes you realize the importance of life. This wasn’t my first time visiting a hospital to see patients. I’ve seen rougher places. Visiting these patients makes you realize and appreciate the things you do have.”
Cooper’s back Head coach John Cooper arrived back in New Orleans in time for Tuesday’s practice. He flew in a chartered plane Monday to Knoxville, Tenn., for the funeral of his mother, who died Christmas Eve after a year-long battle with lung cancer. The graveside funeral was Tuesday morning. The flight back, into a stiff head wind, took three hours.
Out of the pads Ohio State, which has practiced in full pads the first three days in New Orleans, will practice in “Buckeye Gear” – helmets, shoulder pads and shorts – for the remainder of their practices. Ohio State gives 230 tickets to kids The Ohio State athletic department today donated 230 tickets back to the Sugar Bowl, which will in turn give them to kids attending the NIKE kids day tomorrow so they can use them and go to the game.
