There are 89 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to sleep I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.
DeCree was a two-time All-American and was named All-Big Ten twice.
NO. 89 VAN DeCREE, DE (1972-74)
Born: 1954 (Warren, Ohio)
High School: Warren
OHIO STATE CAREER
- The Buckeyes were 29-4-1 with DeCree on the team.
- Won three Big Ten titles.
- Won the 1974 Rose Bowl.
- Went 2-0-1 against That Team.
HONORS
- 1973 All-American.
- 1974 All-American.
- 1973 All-Big Ten.
- 1973 All-Big Ten.
- 1990 Inducted into the Ohio State Football Hall of Fame.
- 1999 named to the Ohio State All-Century Team.
NFL DRAFT
Not selected in the NFL Draft.
OFF-FIELD TROUBLES
From Buckeyextra 9-25-2013:
Former Ohio State All-American Van DeCree has begun serving a seven-month prison term after pleading guilty to violating the terms of a sentencing program, The Vindicator of Youngstown reported.
DeCree, 59, of Warren, tested positive for cocaine while undergoing treatment for drug addiction this year and later committed several probation violations, including providing a phony urine sample to a probation officer. He received his sentence on Monday.
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | |
| BIG TEN MVP | |
| TEAM MVP | |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 8 |
| CAPTAIN | |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 6 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | |
| LETTER | 0.75 |
| TOTAL | 14.75 |
For more information on DeCree and other players who wore No. 88:
Sources- buckeyextra.com and Wikipedia
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | 8 |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | 8 |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | 4 |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | 3 |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | 1 |
| LETTER | 0.25 PER YEAR |
