Eleven Warriors

Meet the Staff

JOE BEALE @Joe11W
Joe has lived most of his life in Central Ohio, and at an early age he watched Archie Griffin run 30 yards for a touchdown to beat That School Up North. At that moment, a love for Ohio State football was born and was nurtured with many trips to the 'Shoe to watch the Buckeyes play. He is a 1989 graduate of OSU and still lives in the area with his wife and six children.

JEREMY BIRMINGHAM @birmbuckeye11w
Jeremy was born in Toledo and spent his formative years defending the border during the Cooper years. He played baseball at Youngstown State University where his AD was Jim Tressel, and it was there that he had his love of all things Ohio State redefined. Now living in Arizona, Jeremy only schedules trips back to Ohio for the year's most important days: the OSU spring game, fantasy football draft, "The Game" and whatever BCS game the Buckeyes find themselves in (unless he's in the stadium).

DJ BYRNES @dj11w
DJ was born in Pasadena, California, in the shadow of the Rose Bowl. Born of two Ohio State graduates, his indoctrination into Ohio State fandom was sealed long before his family re-located to the City of Kings: Marion, Ohio. There, DJ miraculously avoided a heroin addiction and went on to attend the University of Montana for a few years; before coming back to the central plains of Ohio in attempt to finish his academic career. It also took him 3 hours to write this paragraph, making him probably the least interesting man in the world.

COREY CARPENTER @Corey11w
Corey was the third member to join the 11W crew back in the fall of 2006. With a football career that spanned one year in junior high, with 2 touches and 2 fumbles, Corey's skill set is definitely in the basketball arena. He handled all of the hoops previews for the first three years and has been the Chairman of the Houndie award since its inception. His post have been more sporadic over the last couple of years due to real life, but hopefully will always be around to help fill in. He lives in Columbus with his wife and fears kids will cut into his traveling, concert going and sports viewing.

JOHNNY GINTER @johnny11w
Have ever found yourself in bed on a sleepless night, wondering to yourself, 'How does he do it? How does Johnny maintain his position at the top of the blogging world with such style and panache? What can I do to be just like him?' Of course you have, and you'll be happy to know it's naught but a simple three step process. Step one: live in Ohio your entire life, save for one insane year in the far east, and obtain both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree from the finest university in the world. Step two: become a mediocre writer. And I mean REALLY mediocre. Step three: harass and annoy the creators of a semi-popular OSU blog until they give you a writing position out of pity. Coast forever. Success.

DANNY HELFAND @Hesbusted
Danny, an 11W intern, is a junior at The Ohio State University studying strategic communications. He was born in Cleveland, but when it came time to choose where he wanted to attend college, Ohio State was a no brainer, as he has loved Ohio State football since birth. Like every other 21-year old college student, he has no clue what he would like to do after school, but has dabbled with the idea of law school or graduate school. When he’s not pulling all nighters at Thompson Library, Danny enjoys playing pick-up basketball games and attending the occasional fraternity kegger. Danny has also written for The Lantern, Ohio State’s student newspaper.

ALEX GLEITMAN @alex11w
Alex has been a member of the 11w team since January of 2009. He is a two-time graduate of The Ohio State University, earning his B.S. in '09 and his M.A. in '10, both in sport management. Currently residing in New York City, Alex stays on top of the  national recruiting scene and covers football and hoops as well for the site. His favorite Buckeye of all time isn't a football or basketball player like most, but rather Nick Swisher of his beloved New York Yankees.

SARAH HARDY @sarbucks
Even though she was born and raised in Michigan, Sarah has been an Ohio State fan since birth. Her support for the basketball team started early, but it wasn't until Eddie George suited up for the Buckeyes that her sleeping football fanatic was finally awoken. Like her parents, Sarah is a graduate of The Ohio State University. She earned her degree in political science, which qualifies her to, every four years, explain to people what a superdelegate is. Despite an intense hatred for winter that grows stronger with every passing year, she has spent her entire life drifting back and forth between Ohio and Michigan. She can only assume it is the work of a supernatural force, and that one day, she will play a crucial role in a battle between good and evil that will take place near that Uncle Sam statue on US-23.

CHRIS LAUDERBACK @chris11w
In the 11W game since November 2006, Chris has seen the site grow from the longer than necessary breast feeding years into the chill bro that you experience today. A lifelong Columbus resident, his love for Ohio State was instilled at an early age by a Pop that spoke of Ohio State football and basketball with a professor's insight creating a passion now channeled through our corner of the Buckeye blogosphere. Taking advantage of not knowingly having children, Chris spends too much time at the golf course, minor league baseball games and hitting concerts in between spending summers watching the New York Yankees attract more haters.

RAMZY NASRALLAH @ramzyn
Ramzy has written well over 500 columns about college football and related topics, but if you've only read two or three of them, you pretty much get the idea.  He has lived in Iowa City, Chicago, Bloomington and Columbus and got smart at Ohio State, Indiana, Canisius and Xavier.  His first child was conceived in Tempe, AZ in the early celebratory hours of Jan 4, 2003.  His other two children were deliberately conceived so that their births would not interfere with football season.  He likes bourbon and says he is writing a book, but no one can be sure if that's true (the book part, not the bourbon).

JASON PRIESTAS @elevenwarriors
Jason founded the site in late summer of 2006 after his wife grew tired of his constant Buckeye chatter. With a fifth grade command of the English language, it's a minor miracle that people discovered this site, let alone frequent it. He is a software development manager by day and a staunch Ohio State advocate by night, weekends, and any other free moment. He lives in Chicago, but misses the friendly scarlet and gray-clad people of his native Ohio.

ELIKA SADEGHI @steaknstiffarms
Elika was born in Pac-10 Pac-12 country to Buckeye parents and first locked eyes with OSU football on 11/25/95 while her dad sold her on all the benefits of hating Michigan. While the Buckeyes were not victorious that day, she fell hard. Elika spent the next 11 seasons bleeding scarlet and gray in southern California, but longed for a place that wouldn't meet her Tressel and Heisman halloween costumes with looks of confusion, knew how to fill a stadium, and instinctively stood up on 3rd down and stayed through the 4th quarter. She finally packed her bags and spent the next two years getting her MBA from THE Ohio State University. She is currently riding out her quarter life crisis back in Orange County, CA.

LUKE ZIMMERMANN @lukezim
Luke was Texas born, Ohio State matriculated, and mostly had his personal character defined in Glendale, Arizona in 2007, the South Campus Gateway Movie theatre almost a year to the day later, and in living rooms watching other games that will remain unspoken of that involved more rageahol and four letter expletives than is otherwise healthy. He presently resides in Washington D.C. by way of Austin, TX but did enjoy a lengthy cup of coffee in the greater 614-area.