In nine Saturdays, Ohio State will host Oregon State to start the 2018 season . After the brutal winter we suffered through, Central Ohio is being rewarded with another day in the 90s. Today's article will list the 31 players who wore No. 63 for Ohio State. Featured players are Jim Reichenbach, Doug Adams, Kirk Lowdermilk and Michael Bennett.
Today's Trivia Questions
Can you name the Hall of Fame player that Jim Reichenbach coached at Glenwood High School?
What B1G school did Kirk Lowdermilk's son play cornerback for?
| PLAYER | WORN | B1G MVP | TEAM MVP | AA | CAPT. | 1R NFL | ALL B1G | AC AA | NFL DRAFT | AC B1G | LETTER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Hull | 1937 | ||||||||||
| Paul Vittek | 1938 | ||||||||||
| David Mires | 1940 | ||||||||||
| Angelo Gaudio | 1946 | 1946 | |||||||||
| Richard O'Hanlon* | 1947 | 1947 | |||||||||
| George Endres | 1950 | 1950 | |||||||||
| Richard Tice | 1951 | ||||||||||
| Jim Reichenbach | 1951-54 | 1954 | 1952 | 1951-54 | |||||||
| Bill Jobko* | 1955 | 1955 | |||||||||
| Ernest Wright | 1958 | 1958 | |||||||||
| Aaron Swartz | 1960 | 1959-61 | |||||||||
| Robert Vogel* | 1960 | 1960 | |||||||||
| Albert Parker | 1962 | ||||||||||
| William Eachus | 1965-66 | 1965-66 | |||||||||
| Brian Clark | 1967 | ||||||||||
| Doug Adams | 1968-70 | 1970 | 1969 | 1968-70 | |||||||
| James Kregel* | 1971-72 | 1971-72 | |||||||||
| Darryl Weston | 1974-75 | ||||||||||
| Scott Burris | 1978-80 | 1978-80 | |||||||||
| Kirk Lowdermilk | 1981-84 | 1984 | 1984 | 1981-84 | |||||||
| Bill Krill | 1984 | ||||||||||
| Dedrick Howard* | 1985-86 | ||||||||||
| Roy Nichols | 1989-90 | 1989-90 | |||||||||
| Neil Hawkins | 1992-93 | ||||||||||
| Jason Cook* | 1995 | ||||||||||
| Kurt Murphy | 1996-99 | 1997, 1998, 1999 | 1996-99 | ||||||||
| Adrien Clarke | 2000-03 | 2000-03 | |||||||||
| Ben Person | 2004-08 | 2005-08 | |||||||||
| Ivon Blackman* | 2010 | ||||||||||
| Michael Bennett | 2011-14 | 2014 | 2014 | 2012 | 2011-14 | ||||||
| Kevin Woidke | 2015-18 | 2017 |
*Wore another number at Ohio State
Did not earn a varsity letter while wearing No. 63
Jim Reichenbach, OG (1951-54)
High School: Massillon Washington
Death: May 2009 (Massillon)
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 26-9-2
First freshman offensive lineman to start at Ohio State.
1954 National Champions.
1954 Big Ten Title.
Defeated USC 20-7 in the 1955 Rose Bowl.
Went 2-2 against That Team.
Honors
1954 All-American.
1952 All-Big Ten.
2005 Inducted into the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame.
Miscellaneous
Was Dan Dierdorf's high school coach at Glenwood.
Jim Reichebach's Ohio State career per an article on indeonline.com:
After graduating from Washington High School, Reichenbach arrived on Ohio State’s campus and almost immediately stepped foot into the Buckeyes’ starting lineup. During the early 1950s, freshmen were eligible to play for the varsity team due to the Korean War.
So, when starter Thor Ronemus suffered an injury during the preseason, Reichenbach was right there waiting for the chance. And when the Buckeyes opened the season against Southern Methodist at Ohio Stadium – in Woody Hayes’ first game as head coach – Reichenbach made history as the first freshman offensive lineman to start at the school.
“It was very exciting to say the least,” Reichenbach said in a 1994 interview with The Independent. “Chuck Mather and the other coaches told me I could play and I did.”
He would be joined that season in the lineup by another former Tiger teammate and classmate, Jerry Krisher. Krisher, who also lettered four years for Ohio State from 1951-54, played at the other guard spot.
[...]
Reichenbach and Krisher were sandwiched around another former Tiger, Mike Takacs, at center.
“They called it the ‘Massillon Wall,’” Krisher recalled.
The Buckeyes won the national championship in 1954, the final year for Reichenbach and Krisher in Columbus. After graduation, Reichenbach went into the Air Force and was elevated to captain before leaving the service and returning to Massillon.
Jim Reichenbach's life per an article written by Todd Porter of cantonrep.com:
Long after Jim Reichenbach finished plowing fields and defenders for Howard “Hopalong” Cassady, he still plowed the fields. Reichenbach, who farmed 125 acres while he was raising Stark County football players as one of the area’s best coaches, died Monday morning after a six-year battle with Alzheimer’s. He was 76.
Not many freshmen started for Woody Hayes at Ohio State. Reichenbach did. He was prepared to play early at Washington High School under Chuck Mather during one of the greatest periods in Tiger football.
With Reichenbach at one guard and Jim Parker the other, they paved the way for Cassady and helped Hayes earn fans. Hayes struggled a bit in his first three years, until 1954.
Reichenbach was an All-American on Ohio State’s ’54 national championship team.
After his playing days, Reichenbach coached briefly at Baldwin-Wallace College under Lee Tressel. Then he returned to his Stark County roots and coached and taught high school football here for nearly 30 years until 1988. He coached at Glenwood, McKinley, Tuslaw and Dover.
“You grow up, and I don’t think I’ll ever change very much from when I was 16 years old playing for Coach Reichenbach,” said Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf, who played at Glenwood for Reichenbach. “I was deathly afraid of him. He looked to me ... to be eight feet tall. He was an imposing guy.
“He got me ready to play for Bo Schembechler. (Reichenbach) was such a taskmaster ... but he wasn’t stern. He wasn’t mean. When I played for him, I preferred he didn’t know my name.”
Dierdorf laughed ... but at 16 years old, it wasn’t a joke.
Glenwood players were well aware of their coach’s background. They knew he was an All-American for the Buckeyes. They knew he played for Hayes.
What they didn’t know then, however, was just how hard their head coach worked.
He maintained a beef farm during his coaching career and up until 1997. Typical work days, his son Jim recalled, started at 6 in the morning and often didn’t end until 1 or 2 in the morning after watching game film.
“We were a hard-working family,” Jim Reichenbach said. “We were very busy during football, and dad never got out of farming. We did it together. There were a lot of late nights, but football was the priority.
“I developed my work ethic from him. I couldn’t have asked for a better father.”
Reichenbach was inducted into the Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame in 2005. In his three years playing at Massillon, the Tigers lost just two games.
Doug Adams, Linebacker (1968-70)
High School: Xenia
Died: 1997
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 27-2 with Adams on the team.
1968 National Champions.
1970 National Champions.
1968 Big Ten Title.
1969 Big Ten Title.
1970 Big Ten Title.
Defeated USC 27-16 in the 1969 Rose Bowl.
Went 2-1 against That Team.
Honors
1970 Captain.
1969 All-Big Ten.
Miscellaneous
Selected by the Broncos in the 7th round of the 1971 NFL Draft.
Doug Adams was killed at the age of 48. A tired driver hit Adams while he was riding his bike in 1997.
The Doug Adams Fitness Center opened in 2000 in his honor.
Adams' bio per The Ohio State Team Guide:
6-0, 214...from Xenia...has been a regular the past two years...one of the most punishing tacklers on the squad...can play either linebacker positions but figures to start at the open side...calls the defensive signals...has unusual lateral movement...has not had a poor game at Ohio State.
Was an all-Ohio and all-America selection in high school...hobbies are hunting and fishing...member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity...does construction work during the summer...in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Ben Person honors Doug Adams per an article by The Columbus Dispatch:
Other Ohio State players will wear jersey No. 63, no doubt, but when guard Ben Person takes the field for the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 5, Armic and Edna Adams might feel a twinge of emotion.
It will be the final game of Person's five-year career, and the final chance to honor Armic and Edna's late son Doug, a Xenia schoolboy star who went on to play for Ohio State, just like Person. Doug Adams was one of the famous "Super Sophs," a starting linebacker who helped lead the Buckeyes to the 1968 national title.
He was killed in a bicycle accident in 1997, and when Person signed to play for OSU in 2004, he chose to wear Adams' old number in memoriam to his hometown hero.
"It meant a lot to us," Edna Adams said of Person's tribute. "It was so nice for Ben to do that." ...
But it also has produced more than its share of good football players.
Doug Adams was one of those. An undersized overachiever -- barely 6 feet tall and maybe 200 pounds -- he threw himself into workouts and made the most of his abilities.
He started for three seasons at OSU, helping the Buckeyes compile a 27-2 record. He then spent four years with the Cincinnati Bengals before retiring at age 25 and going back to OSU for a dental degree.
He was a dentist in suburban Cincinnati when he was hit by a car while riding his bike. He was 48.
Kirk Lowdermilk, C (1981-84)
Born: 1963 (Canton)
High School: Salem
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 36-12 with Lowdermilk on the team.
Ohio State went 9-3 every year Lowdermilk 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 Captain.
1984 All-Big Ten.
Miscellaneous
Selected by the Vikings in the 3rd round of the 1985 NFL Draft.
Lowdermilk's bio per The Ohio State Team Guide:
6-3, 262...from Salem, Ohio...The most versatile lineman on the Buckeye squad...has played a different position each year...a second team all-Big Ten guard in 1983...will start at center this year...one of the strongest and most competitive members on the team...adapted quickly to the center position...one of the top offensive linemen in the Big Ten.
A good student in engineering...has wrestled for Ohio State the past two years even though he gets a late start because of bowl play...hobbies are lifting weights and cars.
Kirk Lowdermilk's recruitment and Ohio State career per vindy.com:
Despite being dominant as a two-way lineman, the overlooked Lowdermilk says he had exactly one Division I offer after his senior football season in 1980.
“My only choice was the University of Toledo until after wrestling season,” Lowdermilk said.
A friend from Salem, Dr. Henry Maxim, tipped off his friend in Columbus, then-Ohio State coach Earle Bruce.
“Dr. Maxim called him and said, ‘You might want to take a look at this guy.’ So they came and watched me wrestle at the state tournament,” Lowdermilk said.
Lowdermilk dominated, winning the heavyweight division at St. John Arena on Ohio State’s campus.
He had earned his offer, thanks to the wrestling prowess he credits with enriching his football abilities.
“You learn about balance, especially for linemen and linebackers,” Lowdermilk said. “It’s probably the best thing for football. You learn about leverage and how to use it.”
He signed a letter of intent before he and his family left Columbus, then returned in the fall.
Lowdermilk anchored the Buckeyes’ offensive line for four seasons and earned All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 1984. That same season, he helped Ohio State to a berth in the Rose Bowl.
“The experience, as you can imagine, was fabulous,” he said.
Michael Bennett, DT (2011-14)
Born: 1993 (Dayton)
High School: Centerville
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 44-10 with Bennett on the team.
2015 CFP National Champion.
2015 Sugar Bowl Title.
2014 Big Ten Title.
2014 Big Ten East Title.
2013 Big Ten East Title.
2012 Undefeated Season.
2012 Big Ten Leaders Title.
Went 3-1 against That Team.
Honors
2014 Captain.
2014 All-American.
2012 Academic All-Big Ten.
Miscellaneous
Selected by the Jaguars in the 6th round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Became the first (and only) Buckeye selected by the Jaguars in the NFL Draft.
Played in 13 games during the 2015 season and made 10 tackles and half a sack.
Injuries limited him to only 1 game and 1 tackle between 2016 and 2017.
Bennett is still on the Jaguars' roster.
Bennett's bio per The Ohio State Team Guide:
6-2, 288...from Centerville, Ohio...Michael Bennett is an outstanding young man, a force as an interior lineman and a thoughtful, team-leader off the field...the son of parents who each graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Bennett is a true senior who has played in 34 games and has started 14 times, a figure that is second-most among Ohio State defenders.
His 70 career tackles include 17.5 tackles-for-loss, totaling 90 yards...he also has a team-high 11 quarterback sacks entering the 2014 season.
He is majoring in family resource management and has been named an OSU Scholar-Athlete. Was a first-team Division I all-Ohio performer who played in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl...a two-time GWOC player of the year, he was a team captain for coach Ron Ullery's 2010 Centerville team that went 9-3 and reached the regional semifinals...also competed in track and field.
| NAME | YEAR | ROUND | PICK | POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RICHARD O'HANLON* | 1950 | 8 | 105 | T | EAGLES |
| BILL JOBKO** | 1958 | 7 | 80 | OG | RAMS |
| ERNEST WRIGHT | 1961 | 15 | 200 | OT | RAMS |
| BOB VOGEL*** | 1963 | 1 | 5 | OT | COLTS |
| DOUG ADAMS | 1971 | 7 | 165 | LB | BRONCOS |
| JIM KREGEL**** | 1974 | 10 | 243 | OG | STEELERS |
| KIRK LOWDERMILK | 1985 | 3 | 59 | C | VIKINGS |
| ADRIEN CLARKE | 2004 | 7 | 227 | G | EAGLES |
| MICHAEL BENNETT | 2015 | 6 | 180 | DT | JAGUARS |
*O'Hanlon wore No. 74 when drafted
**Jobko wore No. 65 when drafted.
***Vogel wore No. 73 when drafted. Selected by the Patriots in the 3rd round of the 1963 AFL Draft.
****Kregel wore No. 62 when drafted.
Today's Trivia Answers
Can you name the Hall of Fame player that Jim Reichenbach coached at Glenwood High School?
Answer: Dan Dierdorf.
Dierdorf on Reichenbach per the cantonrep.com:
“When I was a kid, I tried to never make eye contact with him,” Dierdorf said. “He wasn’t mean, but he was stern. He taught us a lesson, and it was the first time I learned that how you practice the game is a direct correlation to how you play it.
“Later on, when I got to know him, he was the type of guy who would look you in the eyes when he asked a question, and he wasn’t just making cocktail talk. It was because he wanted to know something about you.”
More than anything, Reichenbach was an honest man. He never tried to steer Dierdorf to Ohio State or sway his decision to attend rival Michigan.
But it wasn’t a choice Dierdorf had to make. Ohio State never made him an offer.
“How do I thank him? By going to Michigan,” Dierdorf said, laughing. “He and I were always at peace with that decision because Ohio State didn’t offer me. But I was always glad I never had to sit across from him at a table with a Michigan offer in one hand and an Ohio State offer in the other. Honestly, though, I think he would have looked at me and said, ‘Dan, it’s your decision.’ And I know he would have convinced me it was my decision, and he wouldn’t have tried to steer me to Ohio State. He was bigger than that.”
What B1G school did Kirk Lowdermilk's son play cornerback for?
Answer: John Lowdermilk played for Iowa.
| 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 | 90 |
| 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 | 63 |
146 days until The Game.
