Fans Get Up Close with Buckeyes – Ohio State Buckeyes
8/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
On a sunny Thursday afternoon, Ohio State fans from across the state flocked to Ohio Stadium for an autograph session with their beloved Buckeyes. For the second-consecutive year, Jim Tressel and the Ohio State football program welcomed fans to an autograph session and open practice.
“I’m just bubbling with joy,” Sarah Lee, a lifelong fan of the Scarlet and Gray, said. “I came for my love of Ohio State, the game and the team. I’m still happy from last season and can’t wait for it to start again.”
Others, with similar sentiments, stood in line with footballs, jerseys and helmets to get the “John Hancock’s” of student-athletes such as James Laurinaitis, Chris Wells and Kirk Barton.
“I came to meet Little Animal’ (James Laurinaitis) because I went to a game last season and met his dad,” Jasmine Anderson from Columbus, Ohio, said.
Laurinaitis’ father, Joe, is a former professional wrestler who went by the “stage” name The Animal.’
An affair for the whole family, the autograph session has attracted Buckeye fanatics of all ages. For the second-straight year, Chris Dyer, a Prospect, Ohio, native, brought his son to the open practice and hopes to make it a family tradition.
“It’s a neat opportunity,” Dyer said. “We came last year when my son was 2 years-old, so my wife and I are trying to keep it a tradition.”
Making their first trip to the autograph session, the Ward family from Toledo, Ohio, had plenty of paper to spare to collect as many signatures as possible and a camera to capture the memories that will later go into a scrapbook.
In their first visit to Ohio Stadium, Jessica Ferguson (right) from Hillsborough, Ohio, experienced the new turf firsthand after a morning drive to Columbus.
“The first thing we did was run across the field,” Ferguson said. “We’ve never been to the stadium before it’s amazing.”
After nearly an hour long session, fans found their way to the stadium seats to get a glimpse of what to expect come noon Sept. 1 vs. Youngstown State at the team’s open practice.
After an eventful day, Tom Brandeberry and Brenda Castorano from Columbus, Ohio, summed the experience up in one word “Awesome.”
