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Digging Deeper: Players Who Wore No. 64

Matt Gutridge's picture
June 29, 2018 at 8:47am
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In 64 days Ohio State opens the 2014 against Oregon State. Below you will find a list of the 31 players who have worn No. 64 for Ohio State. Today's featured players are Aurealius Thomas, Mike Ingram, Bill Lukens and Jim Lachey.

Today's Trivia Question

Who is Jim Lachey's radio partner for Ohio State football games?

Players Who Wore No. 65 At Ohio State
PLAYER WORN B1G MVP TEAM MVP AA CAPT. 1R NFL ALL B1G AC AA NFL DRAFT AC B1G LETTER
James Robinson 1936                    
Stephen Kipach 1937                    
Tim Taylor 1942                    
Robert Hall 1943                    
Thomas Snyder* 1944                   1944
Joseph Barns 1945                    
George Mattey 1948-49               1950   1948-49
Thor Ronemus 1950-51                   1950-51
David Williams 1953-54               1955   1953-54
Aurealius Thomas 1955-57     1957     1957   1957   1955-57
Mike Ingram 1959-61       1961   1961   1961   1959-61
Larry Snider 1962-65                    
Michael Kafury 1966-67                    
Theodore Kurz 1968-69                   1968-69
Thomas Rabatin 1970                    
Bill Conley* 1971                   1971
Larry Wiggins 1972                   1972
Bill Lukens 1974-76       1976   1976 1976   1976 1974-76
Jim Lachey 1981-84     1984 1984 1985         1981-84
Ed Schaeger 1984                    
Mike Kuri 1988-89                   1988-89
Mike Dully 1991-94                   1993-94
Benjamin Gilbert 1996-99                   1996-99
Larry Kinnard 2000                    
Adam Olds 2001-03                 2002, 2003 2003
Josh McDaniel 2001                    
Nick Lembech 2004                    
Jim Cordle 2005-09                 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 2007-09
Bill Caplan 2010                    
Ivon Blackman* 2011-13                 2011, 2012, 2013 2011-13
Jack Wohlabaugh 2016-17                 2017  

*Wore another number at Ohio State
Did not earn a varsity letter while wearing No. 65

Aurealius "Reedy" Thomas, OG and DT (1955-57)
Born: 
1934 (Mukogee, Oklahoma)
High School: West (Columbus)

Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 22-6 with Thomas on the team.
1957 National Champions.
1957 Big Ten Title.
1955 Big Ten Title.
Defeated Oregon 10-7 to win the 1958 Rose Bowl.
Went 2-1 against That Team.

Honors
1957 All-American.
1957 All-Big Ten.
1989 Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
1992 Inducted into the Varsity O Hall of Fame.

Miscellaneous
Selected in the 22nd round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Steelers.

Aurealius Thomas' path to Ohio State per westhighalumni.com:

Thomas almost didn't get to play at OSU, but legendary West coach M.E. "Mack" Pemberton intervened and personally took him to meet Coach Woody Hayes. 

At the time, Thomas played both offensive and defensive tackle and weighed only 190 pounds. Coach Hayes liked his tackles to weigh about 250 pounds and be taller than Thomas. Hayes turned him down, but Thomas attended the summer football camp where he impressed the coaching staff so much with his skills and performance that Hayes changed his mind, and the rest is history! 

Aurealius Thomas after football per footballfoundation.org:

After graduation, Thomas taught and coached seven years. In the first year he was an assistant on the Woody Hayes staff at Ohio State. Then he coached East High School in Columbus. His last team at East, in 1964, had a 9-0 record. 

He left coaching as a winner and started a career with New York Life Insurance. After 16 years, he left to start his own insurance brokerage in Columbus, Ohio.

Thomas had a long list of credits for community service - past president, Columbus Recreation Board; adviser, Small Business Group for Southern Ohio; trustee, Ohio State Varsity "0" Association; trustee, Ohio State University Student Loan Foundation; president, Columbus Leadership Conference; volunteer agent, United Negro College Fund.

Michael Ingram, OG (1974-76)
High School:
 Bellaire

Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 18-7-2 with Ingram on the team.
1961 National Champions.
1961 Big Ten Title.
Went 2-1 against That Team.

Honors
1961 All-Big Ten.
1961 Captain.

Miscellaneous
Selected in the 20th round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Redskins.
Selected in the 31st round of the 1962 AFL Draft by the Patriots.

Ingram's bio per The Ohio State Team Guide:

5-9, 219...from Bellaire...led the squad in playing time last year with 334 minutes...is an excellent linebacker with exceptional lateral movement...is a fine offensive guard, with this department of play showing the greatest improvement...an excellent tackler.

Won 13 high school letters in four sports...married...plans to coach football after graduation...has a jovial, friendly manner which adds to his popularity...called "Tank" by his teammates...will doubtless be one of the top guards in the Big Ten.

Bill Lukens, OG (1974-76)
High School: 
St. Xavier (Cincinnati)

Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 30-5-1 with Lukens on the team.
1976 Big Ten Title.
1975 Big Ten Title.
1974 Big Ten Title.
1977 Orange Bowl victory.
Went 2-1 against That Team.

Honors
1976 All-Big Ten.
1976 Captain.
1976 Academic All-American.
1976 Academic All-Big Ten.

Lukens' bio per The Ohio State Team Guide:

6-1, 233...from Cincinnati...played in the Rose Bowl game with a painful shoulder injury...an operation followed on January 16...missed all of spring drills but Buckeye coaches are confident Lukens will be full-go this fall...elected offensive captain this year...a fine technician who rarely makes a mistake in his blocking adjustments...has added 22 pounds since entering Ohio State...will be one of the top guards in the Big Ten.

An honor student in the College of Agriculture...will enter the College of Veterinary Medicine...played offensive guard and defensive tackle at St. Xavier High...father is an accountant...from a family of five...hobbies are hunting and sports.

Jim Lachey (1981-84)
Born: 
1963 (St. Henry, Ohio)
High School: St. Henry

Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 36-12 with Lachey on the team.
Ohio State went 9-3 every year Lachey played.
1981 Big Ten Title.
1984 Big Ten Title.
Defeated Navy 31-28 to win the 1981 Liberty Bowl.
Defeated BYU 47-17 to win the 1982 Holiday Bowl.
Defeated BYU 10-7 to win the 1985 Citrus Bowl.
Went 3-1 against That Team.

Honors
1984 All-American.
1984 All-Big Ten.
1987 Pro Bowl.
1989 All-Pro.
1990 All-Pro.
1990 Pro Bowl.
1991 All-Pro
1991 Pro Bowl.

Miscellaneous
Defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24 in Super Bowl XXVI as a member of the Washington Redskins.
Selected in the first round (12th pick) of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Chargers.
Coached the Columbus Destroyers to Arena Bowl XXI in 2007.

Lachey's bio per The Ohio State Team Guide:

6-6, 274...from St. Henry, Ohio...Has won three letters at Ohio State...has played in 30 games, including four starts...saw action in 170 minutes in 1983...an unusual athlete for his size, blessed with speed and strength...the fastest interior lineman on the squad.

Twice won all-Ohio honors as a tackle at St. Henry High...won 11 high school letters and captained the football, basketball and track teams his senior year...started at center on a state championship basketball team in 1979.

A snippet from an article written by Joe Beale of Eleven Warriors:

In 1984, Lachey became a full-time starter at LG as Lowdermilk was moved to center. He was a well-established mainstay on a veteran offensive line that would be the anchor for the team. After the shaky start against Oregon State, the offense rolled along behind the experienced leaders on the line.

Byars rushed for 1,764 yards and 22 TDs, and amassed a school-record 2441 all-purpose yards. Byars and Lachey were both named first team All-Americans, and Byars finished 2nd in the Heisman Trophy voting. Lachey played his entire career at guard for Ohio State, but in the NFL his future would be on the outside. 

No. 64 In The NFL Draft
NAME YEAR ROUND PICK POSITION TEAM
GEORGE MATTEY 1950 23 290 OG PACKERS
DAVE WILLIAMS 1955 28 330 G STEELERS
AUREALIUS THOMAS 1957 22 257 OG STEELERS
MIKE INGRAM* 1961 20 269 OG REDSKINS
JIM LACHEY 1985 1 12 OT CHARGERS

*Mike Ingram was also selected by the Boston Patriots in the 31st round of the 1962 American Football League Draft.

Today's Trivia Answer

Who is Jim Lachey's radio partner for Ohio State football games?

Answer: Paul Keels, "The voice of the Buckeyes".

Previous Numbers
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89 88 87 86 85 84 83 82 81 80
79 78 77 76 75 74 73 72 71 70
69 68 67 66 65 64        

147 days until The Game.

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