Sure, there are the memorable wins, the remarkable players, the iconic coaches.  

But, ultimately—at least for me—rooting for Ohio State is about a father-son bond and a passion passed on to me by dad, even though I have never lived anywhere near the state of Ohio.

My dad was born in New York City and wound up at Ohio State in the 1940s because a good buddy of his was going.  

He loved his time on campus.  This was perhaps best exemplified by when my dad returned to New York City from serving in the Pacific in World War II and was able to resume his studies at Columbia while living back at home.  But, instead of graduating from Columbia—which he could have—my dad ultimately opted to go back to Columbus and finish his degree at Ohio State.  

When I was around seven, my dad bought me my first 45 record: it was the Ohio State Marching Band.  I can still visualize the gray interior label with scarlet writing listing songs such as “Script Ohio,” Across the Field,” and “Round on the End.”

I immediately became enamored of those songs and I played that 45 on my portable record player countless times in the bedroom I shared with my older brother.  And I’m pretty sure I was the only kid in my neighborhood in Queens who would go around singing: “Round on the end and ‘hi’ in the middle, tell me if you know...”

Back in the 1960s, it was a rarity to see Ohio State football on TV in the New York metropolitan area.  Even the 1968 game between the #2 Buckeyes and #4 Michigan was not broadcast in the New York area (although I recall somehow managing to pick up a radio station broadcasting the game).

Basically, the only way to follow the team back then—and a lot of sports events, for that matter—was reading accounts in the next day’s newspapers.

But one constant that we could see on TV year in and year out was the Rose Bowl.  And, fortunately, six times in an 8-year period from 1969-1976, Ohio State could be seen live, in living color—or, in our house for much of that time, in black & white because my parents didn’t get a color TV until after I went away to college in the early 1970s.

So, it became a New Year’s Day ritual: my dad, mom, and I gathered in our wood-paneled den to watch the Buckeyes attempt to vanquish a PAC-8 opponent and, in most of those games, try to end the season with a national championship.

My dad loved Woody Hayes.  Actually, I should repeat for emphasis that my dad LOVED Woody Hayes, so I did as well.  And, while I ended up going to an Ivy League school and playing varsity soccer there, if I could have been a field goal kicker for Woody, I would have chosen to do that in a heartbeat.

There was no small talk during the action on the field; we were very much caught up in those Rose Bowl games.  And my dad insisted on complete undivided attention when the marching band performed the Script Ohio at halftime—and, yes, they normally televised the entire performance of the Script Ohio back then.  My dad had us standing in our den along with the Buckeye fans at the Rose Bowl.  

There were unquestionably some real moments of heartache during that Rose Bowl run from 1969-1976 but there were the high points too, most notably the victory by the top-ranked Buckeyes over #2 USC in the ‘69 Rose Bowl at a time when it was very rare to have the two top-ranked teams meet in a bowl game. 

Six times in eight years.  With the optimism and perhaps innocence of my youth, I assumed those good times would go on seemingly forever.  And I just knew that at some point down the road, my mom, dad, and I would see a Rose Bowl in person together.  

Well, as we all know, prior to this year, the Buckeyes made it back to the Rose Bowl only four more times over more than 40 years since 1976.  

Far more significantly, my dad died unexpectedly in 1984.  For those who have experienced it, you know what it feels like to suddenly lose a parent—and I won’t begin to try to describe it for those who haven’t.

But my dad has lived on with me in many ways since his death—and especially when I watch Ohio State football.

I am now living in southern California and will be seeing my first Rose Bowl game in person in just over a week.  I’m sure so many memories will come back as I enter the stadium.  And, one thing I know for sure: I will be standing when the marching band performs the Script Ohio and I will feel the spirit of my dad  standing right beside me.

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