Archie Mason Griffin is an American former football running back who played for seven seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. The only two-time Heisman Trophy winner, he is considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Buckeyes and was the first player ever to start in four Rose Bowls. He also played professionally for the Jacksonville Bulls of the United States Football League (USFL).
Kirk Edward Herbstreit is an American sportscaster and former college football player. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's College GameDay, a television program covering college football, and provides color commentary on college football games on ESPN and ABC and Thursday night NFL games on Prime Video. For his TV work, Herbstreit has won five Sports Emmy Awards in various categories. He appeared annually as a commentator in EA Sports' NCAA Football video game until the series was put on hiatus following NCAA Football 14.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent The Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, the Ohio buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports. The Ohio State women's ice hockey team competes in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA). The school colors are scarlet and gray. The university's mascot is Brutus Buckeye. "THE" is the official trademark of the Ohio State University merchandise. Led by its gridiron program, the Buckeyes have the largest overall sports endowment of any campus in North America.
William Karnet Willis was an American football middle guard and guard who played for eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). Known for his quickness and strength despite his small stature, Willis was one of the dominant defensive football players of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was named an All-Pro in every season of his career and reached the NFL's Pro Bowl in three of the four seasons he played in the league. His techniques and style of play were emulated by other teams, and his versatility as a pass-rusher and coverage man influenced the development of the modern-day linebacker position. When he retired, Cleveland coach Paul Brown called him "one of the outstanding linemen in the history of professional football".
Michael Allen Doss is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning consensus All-American honors thrice and winning the 2002 national championship. He was selected in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, with whom he played four seasons with, including during the team's 2006 Super Bowl season. Doss then spent one season with the Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals each before retiring.
John Harold Cooper is a former American football player and coach. Cooper was an assistant coach at Iowa State, Oregon State, UCLA, Kansas, and Kentucky. Then, he embarked on a head coaching career, as he served as the head coach at the University of Tulsa (1977–1984), Arizona State University (1985–1987), and The Ohio State University (1988–2000), compiling a career record of 192–84–6.
Earle Bruce was an American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tampa (1972), Iowa State University (1973–1978), Ohio State University (1979–1987), the University of Northern Iowa (1988), and Colorado State University (1989–1992), compiling a career college football record of 154–90–2. At Ohio State, Bruce succeeded the legendary Woody Hayes and won four Big Ten Conference titles. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2002. Bruce returned to coaching in 2001 to helm the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League for a season and also later guided the Columbus Destroyers.
Charles Christopher Spielman is an American former professional football player who is a special assistant to the owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes, twice earning All-American honors. He played professional football for the Detroit Lions in the NFL, where he was a three-time All-Pro. He also played for the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns, and coached for the Arena Football League (AFL)'s Columbus Destroyers. He was a broadcaster for Fox Sports and ESPN from 1999 to 2020.
Gene Smith is an American college administrator and former college football player and coach who is senior vice president and Athletic Director for Ohio State University.
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing the Ohio State University in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, since 1922.
Charles Wesley "Chic" Harley was an American football player and athlete, often credited with bringing Ohio State University's football program to national attention. Harley was Ohio State's first consensus first-team All-American selection and first three-time All-America selection. In 1951, he became a charter inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Dustin Erik Fox is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was selected in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings and also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.
Greg Frey is a former American football player.
Robert Joseph Carpenter III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots.
Matthew Wilhelm is a former American college and professional football player and a current radio/TV football analyst.
Stanley Jackson is a former American football quarterback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). He was also the co-owner of the CIFL's Marion Mayhem.
Richard William Van Raaphorst was an American football placekicker in the American Football League for the San Diego Chargers. He also was a member of the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. He played college football at Ohio State University.
Jack Donald Mewhort is a former American football guard who played four seasons for Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Colts in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
The 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship was a college football bowl game played on January 12, 2015, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship, which replaced the BCS National Championship Game, the game determined a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for the 2014 season. Aside from the all-star games following after, this was the culminating game of the 2014–15 bowl season. Sponsored by telecommunications company AT&T, the game was officially known as the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T. The national title was contested through a four-team bracket system, the College Football Playoff, which replaced the previous Bowl Championship Series.
The 2015 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Buckeyes' 126th season overall, the 103rd as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and second as a member of the Eastern Division. The team was led by Urban Meyer, in his fourth year as head coach, and played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They finished the season 12–1, 7–1 in Big Ten play, to finish in a tie for the East Division championship with Michigan State. Due to their head-to-head loss to Michigan State, they did not represent the East Division in the Big Ten Championship Game. They were invited to the Fiesta Bowl where they defeated Notre Dame.
