Ohio State to Retire Baseball Jerseys of Taylor, Arlin and Karow – Ohio State Buckeyes
6/13/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 13, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio –
Ohio State will retire the baseball jerseys of players Fred Taylor (1947-50) and Steve Arlin (1965-66) and player and coach Marty Karow (player 1925-27 and coach 1951-75) next season, Buckeye coach Bob Todd announced Thursday.
Taylor is best remembered as the head coach of Ohio State’s golden era of basketball after his teams made four Final Four appearances and won the 1960 NCAA Championship. However, while a student at Ohio State, Taylor played both basketball and baseball. On the diamond, he wore No. 27 and became the school’s first baseball All-American in 1950. After his junior year, the Pittsburgh Pirates offered him a contract, but he turned it down. After graduation in 1950, he played baseball in the Washington Senators’ farm system for three years.
“Fred Taylor was a great athlete and played in an era when two-sport athletes were common,” Todd said. “His contributions both as a player and a coach at Ohio State are immeasurable. His legacy will be here forever”
Arlin is considered the top pitcher in Ohio State baseball history after posting a record of 24-3 in two his two years as a Buckeye. He held OSU marks for victories and strikeouts (294) until 1999 and his .889 winner percentage is the best in school history. He led the nation in strikeouts as a sophomore with 165. Arlin, who wore No. 22, went 13-2 that year in leading the Buckeyes to a second-place finish at the 1965 College World Series. The next year he went 11-1 and helped Ohio State claim the National Championship. He was a two-time All-American and all-Big Ten selection and still holds two College World Series records.
“Steve Arlin was one of the best pitchers to ever pitch at Ohio State,” Todd said. “He was honored by being the Most Valuable Player at the College World Series in 1966 and just recently was voted on the all-time College World Series Team.”
Karow began his coaching career in 1951 and retired as the winningest coach in the history of the program in 1975 with 478 victories. Karow, who wore No. 13, guided the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship and an appearance in the College World Series in his first season, but his career did not reach its peak until the mid-1960s when the team made three straight appearances in Omaha, Neb. in 1965, 1966 and 1967. The Buckeyes were the runnerup at the 1965 College World Series and returned the next year to win the only National Championship in the history of the program. In addition to the Big Ten title in 1951, his teams also claimed the conference top spot in 1955, 1965, 1966 and 1967. The team had a winning record in 19 of his 25 seasons as the Buckeye mentor.
“I have the greatest respect for Marty,” Todd said of the coach he replaced as the winningest skipper in the program’s history. “He won several Big Ten Championships and is the only baseball coach to ever win a National Championship at Ohio State, which is a tremendous accomplishment. It is great to see him recognized.”
The three jerseys will be the first retired in the Ohio State baseball program and will be retired during the 2003 season.
