With 29 days to go, there are a lot of options for people to honor in our countdown. We’re going to see great things from Jordan Hall, and of course Pepe Pearson holds a warm spot in our hearts. But I’ve got to give a shout-out to the pride of Urbana Ohio, especially since we were in school together (for clarity, I was a lowly freshman when he took the Hillclimbers to the State Championship game, but still).
Starting as a freshman, Greg’s career was exciting to follow, and was one of the reasons I became a Buckeye fan. In particular, three games stand out to me- First, Greg’s two interceptions in the last minutes of the game allowed Ohio State to maintain a 13-13 tie against LSU; his second setting up a game winning field goal attempt that just missed. The following year, Ohio State would win in a come from behind victory against the Tigers (although, according to ESPN and friends, the Buckeyes have never beaten an SEC team).
But #29 played his best against Iowa- first picking off Heisman Trophy candidate Chuck Long in the rainy 1985 upset of the #1 Hawkeyes at Ohio Stadium- of course Vico has the footage:
The following year, Greg returned a fumble 31 yards for a TD in Iowa City- yup, Ohio State was winning there as far back as can be remembered.
Finally, as a nod to our new Nebraskan mates (keeping the peace at home, that’s me), here’s Rogan picking Colorado and setting up the final score of the game by a guy who only catches touchdowns.
After college, Greg given a shot to play with the Cleveland Browns, although that was cut short due to injury issues (if I remember correctly).
Nevertheless, we celebrate his Buckeye career and get that much closer to kickoff- all good reasons to be excited for #29.
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