10 Big Ten Stadiums in 10 Years – Ohio State Buckeyes
9/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
By Alex Morando, Ohio State Athletics Communications Intern
As the Buckeyes head to Champaign, Ill., this weekend, a 10-year anniversary of a family tradition is being celebrated.
Across the great plains of the Midwest, family traditions run deeply intertwined with Big Ten football. For four months each Saturday in the fall, people reunite at tailgates, stadium sections, restaurants and bars. Experiences are shared, memories are made and relationships are created because of the sport and school these fans truly hold close to their hearts.
For John Bruns and his two sons, David and Matt (Ohio State ’95), their story is quite the accomplishment – from 2000-2009, the three went to one Ohio State road game each year. The remarkable part about their quest was, in fact, the Buckeyes won every game they went to; 10 Big Ten Stadiums, a perfect 10-0 record.
“We were offered tickets to the Illinois game in 2000 and so we headed to Champaign,” David said. “Even though it was cold, damp and windy day, we came up with the notion of wouldn’t it be neat do a different Buckeye road game at another Big Ten stadium until we visited all the schools?”
And so their journey began. Originally from Bryan, Ohio, these three brave Buckeye fans checked off each of the 10 other conference schools in a 10-year span and one by one the wins started to add up. The three sat through white outs, yellow outs and even a black out during their trips. They became adapted to the hostile environments at some stadiums and were even welcomed with open arms at other venues. New challenges were waiting for them at every corner, but with these, also came surprises.
From No. 10 to No. 1, here are their rankings of the Big Ten stadiums based on their experiences:
No. 10 – Memorial Stadium, Ryan Field, Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Sept. 29, 2001 – Ohio State 27, Indiana 14
Oct. 5, 2002 – Ohio State 27, Northwestern, 16
Oct. 29, 2005 -Ohio State 45, Minnesota 31
“The best place we ate out of all the trips was definitely in Bloomington at Janko’s Little Zagreb Steakhouse,” David said. “They had amazing steaks. Tailgating on Lake Michigan was also a great experience at Northwestern. At Minnesota, we think the overall experience at a college football game will be a lot better at their new stadium on campus, TCF Bank Stadium.”
No. 7 – Ross-Ade Stadium
Oct. 6, 2007 – Ohio State 23, Purdue 7
The Bruns family dealt with the traditional ‘blackout’ in West Lafayette as the Buckeyes took on the Boilermakers.
“We stayed at the same hotel with the guys that ran the blimp during the Purdue game,” John said. “We saw them in the elevator after the game and I mentioned to them how they thought the blackout looked from above.”
“The pilots answered, ’50-50'.”
No. 6 – Memorial Stadium
Nov. 11, 2000 – Ohio State 24, Illinois 21
Almost ten years ago, the first away game for the Bruns family was a learning experience to say the least.
“We didn’t pack well,” Matt said. “By the next morning it felt 40 degrees cooler than we thought it was, but we won with a few seconds on the clock. “We were praying to not let the game go into overtime.”
Ohio State placekicker Dan Stultz kicked the game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired lifting Ohio State to a come-from-behind 24-21 win over Illinois.
No. 5 – Spartan Stadium
Nov. 6, 2004 – Ohio State 32, Michigan State, 19
The Buckeyes rallied for the win by scoring the last 15 points in a 32-19 victory in East Lansing. The three of them began to witness a recurring theme after each win when dealing with the opposing fans.
“The home crowd after that game was dead silence,” David said. “They might have hated us at the moment but we always got a constant comment from the opposing fans,” David said. “They told us to just beat Michigan.”
No. 4 – Michigan Stadium
Nov. 21, 2009 – Ohio State 21, Michigan, 10
The Bruns family completed the 10-0 record up north in Ann Arbor vs. rival Michigan.
“Cheering the O-H-I-O as the game wrapped up in Ann Arbor with the rest of the Buckeye fans was something we will never forget,” David said. “Topping off the 10-year journey in Michigan with a win, it couldn’t have been planned any better.”
No. 3 – Camp Randall Stadium
Oct. 14, 2008, Ohio State 20, Wisconsin, 17
“I think one of the most exciting games was the one verses the Badgers,” John said. “Our record at each stadium was undefeated at that point and we were feeling the pressure of a loss, but it ended up well. Terrelle took us down the field and the rest is history.”
The “Jump Around” tradition at the end of the third quarter with the student section is definitely something to go and experience. Also, they mentioned if you’re in Madison, you have to eat cheese curds, which you can find anywhere from fine restaurants to pizza shops.
No. 2 – Kinnick Stadium
Sept. 30, 2006 – Ohio State 38, Iowa, 17
One of the most interesting experiences the group shared took place during the night game in Iowa City. After finding out they bought fake tickets for a substantial price, the group decided to get into the stadium anyway.
“We planned that trip for three months and after taking a flight we were determined to get into that stadium,” Matt said. “At Iowa, you’re already in the stadium before the ushers check your tickets at the gates. We checked the seats on our fake tickets and they told us we were the fourth different group to try these seats. So we kept walking down.”
David, not letting his family give up, led the group all the way to the endzone and after kickoff happened, they somehow were able to sit on the steps in the front row and nobody told them to move.
“It worked out,” David said. “It was one of those games where everyone stood the whole time because Iowa was hoping for the upset on primetime television. Then the unexpected happened.”
As they sat on the steps, their phones were going off left and right. They noticed that the Woody Hayes look-a-like was on camera right next to them and, surely enough, so was the Bruns family on national television.
“I had 35 messages when I checked my phone later,” Matt said. “We watched a great game and the Buckeyes drilled them from beginning to end and that experience made it one of the highlights of the entire process.”
No. 1 – Beaver Stadium
Nov. 1, 2003 – Ohio State 21, Penn State 20
The No. 1 experience was during the 2003 season, when they traveled to Beaver Stadium and sat in the Penn State season-ticket holders section during the come-from-behind victory after a Michael Jenkins five-yard touchdown pass with less than two minutes remaining.
“It was a crazy night game in the loudest away stadium we’ve been to,” David said. “It was our red shirts in a sea of white in State College, Pa. The people were pretty cool to us. The Penn State fans that were sitting around us were complimenting the Buckeyes and were just very into the football game.”
To Buckeye fans wanting to make the trip to Penn State, Matt said to make sure you bring supplies because once you’re parked, you’re not going anywhere.
“We left our supplies on top of the car or somewhere,” Matt said. “Next thing you know, we are funneled into where we are going to tailgate and all we had were a few beverages, mustard and some relish. We planned to be there for eight hours. We made a decision that once you would leave our site, you couldn’t come back until you brought something to add to our tailgate. It worked out great. The fans were great to us.”
By RV, car or plane, the Bruns family traveled to an undefeated record in a decade span. By the end of the journey, the founding group of three turned into a group of eight people with friends joining in on the fun as the years went by.
Each of them said it was amazing how the Buckeye fans traveled in large numbers to away games, and also mentioned several times that Ohio State does have “The Best Damn Band in the Land.”
As for the Big Ten expansion, the group has already begun preparations for Nebraska in 2011 to finish what they’ve started.
“We will be there,” Matt said. “It will be neat to go there and see what their traditions are like,” David added.
The family learned a lot during its Big Ten journey, and what they did notice most of all is how amazing it is to return to the Buckeye state and see a home football game at the Horseshoe.
“Nothing is better than Buckeye home games,” Matt said. “It made us appreciate coming back to Ohio because this is the best. Nothing can compare to a Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio. It gives you goosebumps because it’s more than just a game.”
