The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Columbus, Ohio, with home games in Nationwide Arena. The team was founded in 1999 as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in 2004. They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of ten seasons of play.
Nationwide Arena is a multipurpose arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Since completion in 2000, the arena has served as the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is one of two facilities in Columbus, along with Greater Columbus Convention Center, that hosts events during the annual Arnold Classic, a sports and fitness event hosted by actor, bodybuilder, and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Thomas C. "Tom" Sawyer is an American politician who represented his hometown of Akron, Ohio on all levels of government for nearly fifty years. Previously, he served in the United States Congress, in the Ohio Senate, in the Ohio House of Representatives and as the Mayor of Akron. He is a Democrat.
Michael B. Coleman is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd mayor of Columbus, Ohio. He was the first African-American to serve as the mayor of Ohio's capital city.
Dana Gillman "Buck" Rinehart was an American attorney serving as the 50th mayor of Columbus, Ohio, from 1984-1992.
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and affiliated companies, commonly shortened to Nationwide, is a group of large U.S. insurance and financial services companies based in Columbus, OH. The company also operates regional headquarters in Scottsdale, AZ; Des Moines, IA; San Antonio, TX; Gainesville, FL; Raleigh, NC; Sacramento, CA, and Westerville, OH. Nationwide currently has approximately 25,391 employees, and is ranked #76 in the 2019 Fortune 500 list. Nationwide is currently ranked #25 in Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For".
Robert Edward "Bo" Rein was an American football and baseball player and football coach. He was a two-sport athlete at Ohio State University and served as the head football coach at North Carolina State University from 1976 to 1979, compiling a record of 27–18–1. Following the 1979 season, Rein had assumed the role as head coach at Louisiana State University, but was killed in an aircraft accident in January 1980 before he ever coached a game for the Tigers. Rein is the namesake of football player awards at Ohio State and NC State.
Bruce Edward Johnson is an American lawyer and Republican politician who was appointed the State of Ohio's 63rd lieutenant governor on January 5, 2005, to complete an unexpired term. Johnson concurrently served as Director of the Ohio Department of Development.
The Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus Marathon is a marathon held in Columbus, Ohio, United States. First run in 1978 and held annually since 1980, it features a flat, fast course which saw nearly 20 percent of finishers qualify for the Boston Marathon in 2010. The event has sold-out in mid-August the past eight years. There are 7,000 runners in the full marathon and 11,000 in the half marathon, making it one of the largest running events in the United States. Proceeds go to Nationwide Children's Hospital. 2018 marks the seventh year of this partnership; so far $7 million has been raised for the Hospital. This includes more than $800,000 contributed since 2012 by the Columbus Marathon Board of Directors.
The Arena District is a mixed-use planned development and neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio. The site was developed through a partnership between Nationwide Realty Investors, Ltd., the City of Columbus and private investors. Interpretation of the boundaries of the district are evolving as the neighboring blocks around the original 75-acre (300,000 m2) site have seen additional commercial and residential development. The Arena District is named for Nationwide Arena.
Charles Christopher Spielman is a former American football player and is a special assistant to the owner and CEO for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played linebacker at Ohio State University, where he was a two-time All-American, and for the Detroit Lions in the National Football League (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'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 currently serves as senior vice president and Athletic Director for Ohio State University.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area includes the counties of Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Hocking, Licking, Madison, Morrow, Perry, Pickaway, and Union. The population of the MSA is 2,078,725 according to 2017 census estimates, making the Columbus metropolitan area the 32nd most populous in the United States and the second largest in Ohio behind the Cincinnati Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Value City Arena is a multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is currently the largest by seating capacity in the Big Ten Conference, with 19,049 seats, which is reduced to 18,809 for Ohio State men's basketball games.
Dustin Erik Fox is a former American football cornerback. 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. He played college football at Ohio State.
Downtown Columbus is the central business district of Columbus, Ohio. Downtown is centered on the intersection of Broad and High Streets, and encompasses all of the area inside the Inner Belt. Downtown is home to most of the tallest buildings in Columbus.
David J. Leland is an Ohio politician, currently a member of the Ohio House of Representatives representing the 22nd House district, and a partner at litigation law firm Carpenter Lipps & Leland LLP in Columbus, Ohio. Leland is the former Ohio Democratic Party Chair, a position he held from 1995 until 2002. More recently, Leland served as the finance chair and senior advisor to the successful 2006 gubernatorial campaign of Ted Strickland, for which Leland helped raise a record $17 million.
Kevin Bacon is a former state senator for the 3rd District of the Ohio Senate, who served from 2011 to 2018. Formerly, he served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2007 to 2010, and as a Blendon Township Trustee. Bacon represents the portions of Franklin County including Westerville, New Albany, Gahanna, Whitehall, Reynoldsburg, Canal Winchester, Obetz, Valley View, Marble Cliff and portions of Columbus.
John Wesley Edward Bowen III was a Republican politician who, in 1966 became the first African American elected to the Ohio Senate from Franklin County.
