tBBC Fan Post: Ryan Tomlinson; The Next Generation

We would like to welcome Ryan Tomlinson to the fan post world today. Give him a follow on the twitter thing and let him know how he did! The soon to be poppa is all scarlet and gray!

 

Flashback: January 1st, 1997 and my 9 year old self in the family living room, surrounded by my Uncle, who I thought was the strongest man in the world, my cousin, on leave from the Navy, and my mother, all die hard Ohio State fans.

The game: The Granddaddy of them all, The Rose Bowl. Pitting my family’s beloved Ohio State Buckeyes against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

I, young and impressionable, watched in awe as Joe Germaine found David Boston wide open late in the game for the game sealing touchdown. It was the greatest thing I had ever seen. Yes, I had watched, as much as any child under 10 could, every game that season, and the seasons before. But this game, this night, surrounded by these people, was different. It felt different. It felt like I had became a part of a secret community. In the darkness l, outside in Columbus, along with my family, screamed at the top of our lungs in the cold as we witnessed our team win the Rose Bowl. This day, this new year, also signified the start of my unwavering love for this game, and more importantly, this team.

Flash-forward: Today. 2016. My expectant wife is carrying our son, and I think back to that memorable evening in 1997, and think back to 2003 and the double overtime win against Miami, to the entire 2014 season, and to today. I am truly blessed to live in the greatest city, with the greatest college, with the greatest college football team in the country. My son, Jackson, already with a small fortune’s worth of Ohio State gear, will, with all of the help from his father, grow up to become part of the next generation of Ohio State fanatics. I’ll be there to share the memories I have of 20 years worth of Ohio State football. And, I cannot wait until he has his own special memory, much like mine on that New Year’s Day so long ago, where he truly begins to love the game and the team.

Go Bucks!

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