Ohio State Football Forum

Ohio State Football Forum

Ohio State football fan talk.

Countdown: 92 Days Until Ohio State Football

Matt Gutridge's picture
May 31, 2019 at 9:00am
5 Comments
Dayton Dunbar

Recruiting is said to be the lifeblood of college football. This series will countdown the top 100 high schools in Ohio that have provided the Buckeyes with football players. The rankings are based on how many times a player from each high school has been listed on Ohio State's roster between 1970 and 2018.

No. 92, Dayton Dunbar

Qualification

Four players from Dayton Dunbar have been listed on 11 Ohio State rosters. The first Wolverine (man, that word feels dirty to write) to wear an Ohio State uniform was defensive player, Otha Watson. He was on the roster in 1978 and 1979 and was listed as both a corner back and linebacker. Watson earned a letter as a freshman with his special teams play, but left the team after the '79 season. At Dunbar, Watson ran for 1,200 yards and scored 12 touchdowns as a senior. 

Michael McCray was a linebacker for the Buckeyes and was on the roster for five seasons. During the 1987 Cotton Bowl, McCray filled in for an injured Derek Isaman and played well enough in the win to earn his varsity letter. McCray started his high school career at Dayton Roth and during his sophomore year, he won a state title in basketball with Keith Byars.

In 1991, "Big Daddy" Dan Wilkinson redshirted as an offensive tackle for Ohio State. He was switched to defensive tackle in 1992 and the move paid "big" dividends for him and the team.

The Buckeyes went 18–4–2 with Big Daddy on the roster and the defensive tackle earned All-American and Big Ten honors in 1993. Wilkinson was also named to the All-Big Ten team in 1992 and was given the Bill Willis Award in 1993. The Bengals selected Wilkinson with the first pick of the 1994 NFL Draft.

The last Wolverine to be listed on Ohio State's roster was DT Lonnie Woodard. He made the list in 1998 and 1999, but did not return for his junior season. 

Back To School

Dayton Dunbar is located in Montgomery County and is a member of the Dayton City League. The team currently competes in Division III, Region 12.  The Wolverines made the playoffs in 2017 and defeated Goshen, 28-27 in the first round. Trotwood-Madison demolished Dunbar, 64-26, the following week. Since 2010, the program has made the playoffs twice.

Notable

The school is named in honor of poet Paul Laurence Dunbar and is the only historically African-American high school in Dayton.

Dunbar has 16 OHSAA state titles and 7 OATCCC championships. The boys' track team leads the school with 10 state titles (2017, 2015, 2014, 2012, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1964, 1963, 1948). The boys' basketball team has five championships (2012, 2010, 2007, 2006, 1987) and the girls' basketball team won a title in 1991. The boys have won the Indoor State Championship in seven of the last eight years (2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011).

Famous Alumni

Some names you may know: former Ohio State and NBA basketball players Mark Baker and Daequan Cook, NFL players Na'Shan Goddard and Jerry Jones and Mr. Irrelevant Kelvin Kirk

Explanation of the Rankings
School "A" had 14 players appear 16 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" had 11 players appear 20 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" will have the higher ranking. Why? Even though school "B" has less players, those players played for more years. 

If two or more schools have the same number of appearances, the tie will be broken by the school with the highest average of roster appearances per player. If there is a tie in the average, the tie breaker will be the school with the most prominent Ohio State player. 

Top 100 Ohio High Schools
100 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 62 61
60 59 58 57 56 55 54 53 52 51
50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41
40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31
30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

2,743 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
182 days until The Game.

Are you a former player, graduate, live near or have something to add about today's featured high school? Please share your story with us in the comments. What makes the 11W community unique is the amount of great information everybody is willing to share.

This is a forum post from a site member. It does not represent the views of Eleven Warriors unless otherwise noted.

View 5 Comments