Ohio State Women’s Varsity `O’ To Honor Former Buckeye Athletes – Ohio State Buckeyes
7/22/2002 12:00:00 AM | General
July 22, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Holly Cush, president of the Ohio State Women’s Varsity “O” Association, today announced plans to retroactively award varsity letters to those female athletes that competed on varsity level teams at OSU prior to the 1974-75 academic year.
“This is a cooperative effort by the Athletics Department, the Athletics Council and the Women’s Varsity “O” to recognize those athletes who competed for and represented Ohio State before varsity letters were awarded,” Cush explained. “All of us involved in this project feel this recognition is long overdue. We are excited about the opportunity to finally recognize some of our earliest athletes.”
Cush said research would begin immediately in an effort to put together a list of all former varsity athletes. She estimates the process could take up to two years.
“When we have finished, we plan to invite as many of those former athletes as we can back to campus for a celebration,” she said. “Each athlete that we are able to identify will receive some form of recognition they can display and will show their place in Ohio State’s rich athletic heritage.”
Added Cush, “We really aren’t sure how many athletes are involved, but our initial research shows competition as far back as the early 1940s. Anyone whose name appears on a varsity roster will receive a letter.”
Cush also noted that those women’s teams who won “unofficial” Big Ten championships (before the conference office sanctioned those competitions) would now be recognized by the school and included in all records and media guides.
“Leslie Fine (former chair of the Athletics Council) really got this project off the ground,” Cush said. “Without her leadership this would not have been possible. I want to thank, too, the other members of the committee who assisted with this project, as well as (former associate athletics director) Phyllis Bailey for her counsel.”
