Mother would have been 95 years old today. Our birthdays are one week apart, always part of our Buckeyes’ football season. I miss her most in autumn; we always talked after an Ohio State football game.
Ohio Stadium is home as much as any place here on earth for me. My maternal grandparents would travel via the interurban from Chillicothe north to Columbus to attend games in the “new” stadium in the 1920s. Grandma Irene once said she didn’t care if the Buckeyes lost every game in the season as long as they beat That Team Up North. My paternal grandparents and other family members, including me once while in high school, attended games via my uncle’s four season tickets in the 60s and 70s. Woody Hayes and my maternal grandfather greatly resembled one another; perhaps they were distant cousins as they were both born in Southern/Southwest Ohio.
My college years were marked by consistent attendance at Ohio State games, including both football and basketball. Indeed, I celebrated my 18th birthday at Ohio Stadium. My Buckeyes won, slaughtering TCU 62-0. It was a pattern I loved continuing each year until I graduated.
I last attended a game with my mother; it was pouring and we bought rain suits at Long’s Bookstore before walking to the stadium. It was such a good time together. Our shared delight in another Buckeye win and our mutual history as alumnae marked our relationship throughout my adult life. My love for college football has never waned. After I was born again in 1978, I had to put it on the altar to be certain it was not an idol in my life. That last game with Mother pointed out to me how many people did worship in Ohio Stadium. Putting God first in all things restored perspective; I still love college football generally, and my Buckeyes in particular, but I know Jesus has first place.
Tomorrow, we play Miami University, where so many coaches began or advanced their careers including Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, Weeb Ewbank, Paul Brown, and Sid Gillman. For those of us of a certain age, nostalgia will be at the fore, remembering the joy football has given us over so many years of our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.
While my family heritage includes The Ohio State University and the Buckeyes, it is overwhelmed by the multiple generations of believers in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for our sins. I can rejoice in the simple pleasures here knowing that I will see those loved ones who have gone before when I join them.
In the meantime, OH-
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