With all of the Urban Renovation going on in Columbus, we wanted to bring you Chris’ take on the matter. Be sure to follow him on twitter at @wvabuckeye !
There seems to be a growing sentiment among on lookers that we as Buckeye fans have completely moved on and have “forgotten” everything that Jim Tressel did for the program AND the University during his tenure. On the contrary, the Urban Meyer hire has done remarkable things for the fans of THE Ohio State University and its players. It’s provided a bit of closure to what felt like a long YEAR when in fact it had only been six months.
Nobody wants to go back to Memorial Day and relive the horror of Coach Tressel’s resignation in the face of accusations that he cheated and an article by SI that was to be very damaging. Of course the article turned out to be crap at best, however; we had to still face the music that our beloved coach was gone and the that the worst was yet to come. The lie he told to protect players that he cared for as if they were his own children, wasn’t a punch thrown during a bowl game(which ironically we’re playing in for the first time since said punch), but it was just as devastating. Losing Coach Tressel that day was a very long day for myself and several 100’s of thousands Buckeye fans as it started the longest six month’s of our lives.
Buckeye fans have a passion like no other fan base in the country. I believe that a lot of our fervor comes from being hated so much by just about every other fan base in the country, a lot more than any other. The reason that hatred has grown over the past decade was because of the success that we enjoyed because of Coach Tressel. In spite of the last season that was vacated, he led us through the most dominated era in modern B1G history which included a winning streak against TSUN that may go unmatched, even with Urban Meyer in place. We fans have endured the worst that any fans have had to go through. From all the haters that have spewed their venom on national TV through ESPN, and the writers who have taken EVERY opportunity to slam the program, we have hung tough.
The season wasn’t the greatest. It was a long season that had its ups and downs and was led by what I believe was the PERFECT choice to lead us considering everything that the coaches and players had been through. If you don’t agree, just imagine if they had done a search for a hire and the possibility of getting Coach Meyer then would not have happened BEFORE the season. Finished the regular season with a record of 6-6 and at one pint after upsetting Wisconsin at home were IN the driver seat to play in the B1G Championship. The three game losing streak to end it wasn’t what the players, coaches or ANYONE wanted, but it is what it is.
What has occurred since Coach Meyers hire on November 28th is remarkable. As much as all of the haters were enjoying feasting on our rotting carcasses during the past 6 months. They now have a new found reason to hate us. We have the best coach in the country, AGAIN, and he is taking the B1G by storm. Literally kicking tail and taking names from other B1G schools. Pardon the cliché, but he is shooting first and asking questions second. In just TWO short weeks, he has managed to take a bunch of disheartened buckeye fans and staff and players, and has done MORE than just give them hope. He has rejuvenated a barely sleeping giant and has sent a message to the rest of the country. Sorry, but Ohio State football “is not broken”! Buckeye Nation needed a new sheriff in town and they got it in Coach Meyer. The message we fans want to send isn’t that the new sheriff isn’t better than the previous sheriff, he’s just different.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
