Trivial Pursuit – The Ohio State Football Way

Game Day Saturday, December 31st  - Chapter 7 - How I did, and what I learned. 
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Chapter 7: No Air Zone: I had no idea who this chapter was about. I had to finish the questions and answers first. No Air Zone – those are the players who break up passes or make interceptions – the defensive backs.  When I found the picture below, I wasn’t sure who was trying to catch the ball, and who was trying to intercept or break it up. 

I figured I’d do worse this time . . . no one remembers the defense, but I lucked out with a few good guesses. Eight, WOOHOO!

I did about the same on name recognition. I knew 10 but failed on the other 16.

Here are this week’s Pick 3. Sorry, they turned into a Pick 8. The first 3 questions are about one defensive back, and the other 5 are about another.

                                 8.  Which Ohio State defensive back is one of the namesakes for the
                                         Big Ten’s award for the best defensive back of the season?
                                    A. Shawn Springs    B. Mike Doss   3. Dick LeBeau   4.  Jack Tatum

And the answer . . . Jack Tatum. I got it right! YAY! Good guess! I knew it wasn’t Shawn Springs. He came to OSU much later.
 
                            11. Who was Ohio State’s first first-team All-American as a defensive back?
                                   A. Jack Tatum   B. Ted Provost   C. Arnie Chonko   D. Mike Sensibaugh  

I missed it! I guessed Jack, but it was Arnie. I would have NEVER guessed him . . .  I didn’t know his name.
 
                                13. In which season was Jack Tatum named the national defensive player
                             of the year and unanimous All-American?   A. 1971   B. 1970   C. 1969   D. 1968
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                                                           Yay! I got it right! I picked the middle answer, 1970.

And Jack Tatum . . . he came to Columbus as a running back, at least that’s what Woody Hayes had planned. Then Lou Holtz took a peek. He talked Woody into turning Jack into a defensive back. Jack was fearsome. Lou put him in to challenge the other team’s top receiver. To do linebacker duty too. It worked!
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Jack was first team All-Big Ten for 3 straight years. Then an All-American in 1969 and 1970. He was the national defensive player in 1970. In fact the Big Ten’s defensive back of the year award is named after Jack. What a pity – he has to share it with Charles Woodson, from that Team Up North. Blech!

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                                     Now that other player . . . and his 5 questions . . . He was that good!

                                 2. Who holds the Ohio State record for most interceptions in a career?
                             A. Shawn Springs   B. Bradley Roby   C. Mike Sensibaugh   D. Craig Cassady

                             I missed it! I guessed Shawn Springs, but it was Mike Sensibaugh. Shucks!
 
                               5.  Who sits atop the Ohio State record book for career pass breakups?
                         A. Bradley Roby   B. Ahmed Plummer   C. Antoine Winfield   D.  Shawn Springs

              Another miss! All because Shawn was the only one I knew. The answer – Bradley Roby!
 
                               7. Who was Ohio State’s second winner of the Jim Thorpe Award?
                      A.   Antoine Winfield   B. Shawn Springs   C. Mike Doss   D.  Malcolm Jenkins 

                  Again?! At least I guessed someone new, Mike Doss. The answer, Malcolm Jenkins.
 
                             8. Which Ohio State defensive back is one of the namesakes for the
                                      Big Ten’s award for the best defensive back of the season?

I already put in this question/answer – Jack Tatum, but I repeated it because Shawn was one of the choices. Wow! He’s in 5 questions/answers.
 
                             10. Shawn Springs was the first defensive back to be named the Big Ten
                                                    Defensive Player of the Year.          A. True   B. False
The only one I got right! I picked False because I figured someone else had already made Big 10 Defensive Player of the Year. Now I know who – Jack Tatum!


​Shawn was born to be a Buckeye. His dad – Ron Springs, was once a running back, but Shawn almost went the wrong way. He was scheduled for a visit to that Team Up North, but he cancelled. He signed with the Buckeyes a few days later. He made a HUGE impact during his 3 years on the team, especially in 1996. That’s when he was a consensus All-American, even though he never had an interception, and he only made 39 tackles. Why? How? He broke up 15 passes – they never happened. The result – he gave the Buckeyes an edge!
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The End of the Season:  December 31st was the last game for my Buckeyes. They lost in the run-up to the National Championships. They played #1 Georgia, and I dreaded this evening after the Michigan game, but they showed up, BIG TIME! They led twice during the game, and if they’d scored a field goal in those last 8 seconds, they would have won. AND, they deserved it! WOW! What a game, for Georgia, and for my Buckeyes!
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I’ll see you next year for the last five chapters of OSU Football Trivia. BAM! Here’s to those Buckeyes!

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