Even though I was braced for it, it's hit me much harder than I could've ever predicted. My initial reaction was fairly reserved; I knew this was coming, he did it all, Buckeye legend, job well done, cherished every moment. Onto a new... Day (har dee har har).

But as I recalled all those great moments, I realized how intertwined they were with my life.

Near the end of the 2012 season, I'd finally found a job after nearly a year of fruitless searching. I'd just graduated last winter, and the months that followed were tumultuous, frustrating, and to be frank; quite frightening. Uncertainty always is.

I remember settling into that new position as I was gearing up for the Ohio State-Michigan game. I work in sports streaming, so we had the game on at work. A few hours later, I'm watching Braxton Miller take a knee and punt the ball up into the air after a Buckeye W, and it hit me; I'm on my feet. I made it. I can provide for myself. I can pay my student loans. I can start planning for my family. And on top of that, Ohio State is back on top of Michigan. All is right with the world.

I got married in September of 2014, and my wife and I moved in together that October. A few months later, I'm watching Ohio State play for the national title, and I'm so nervous I can barely even watch the game. Once Oregon narrowed the gap in the third, I had to go into the bedroom (where my wife was) and have her update me on the game because I couldn't handle it. Pacing back and forth, arms folded. "It's 35-20," she said. I ran back into the living room and watched the rest of the game. Eli Apple intercepts the last pass, Fowler says "And THE Ohio Sta-" and before he even finishes, I'm weeping like a child. My wife runs in and hugs me, smiling. "They did it," I said. "They did it." I wasn't a fan yet in 2002, and didn't find my way to OSU until 2007, so this was the first time I'd ever seen Ohio State win a title.

You can see the Empire State Building from the roof of my building. My mother called me and said "Go up to the roof and look at the city right now."

I ran up there in my pajamas to see the Empire State Building illuminated in a beautiful Scarlet and Gray. I will never forget that moment as long as I live.

These are merely two anecdotes. I have so many more, and I will never forget any of them. Thanks for the memories, Coach.