MANSFIELD, Ohio — A sea of scarlet and gray filled the Mid-Ohio Educational Service Center Monday evening for the OSU Alumni Club of Richland County’s 35th annual Beat Michigan Buckeye Bash.
This event always takes place the Monday prior to the Ohio State-Michigan game, said Kathy Russell, president of the OSU Alumni Club of Richland County.
“The tradition of Ohio State versus ‘that other team’–we don’t like to say that word, but you all get it–is very special,” said former OSU football player Tyler Everett, the event’s featured speaker.
Everett, who played defensive back for the Buckeyes from 2002-2005, recalled his experience as a member of the Ohio State football team, saying it was among the greatest times in his life.
He remembers what it was like the week leading up the Ohio State-Michigan game. One of his favorite memories from that time is when the band came into the practice facility and let the football players play their instruments, he said.
And even though he hasn’t played on the team for 10 years, this week is still an emotional time, he said, “because you know what it means traditionally to be a Buckeye playing against the team from up north.”
He voiced his appreciation for the fans, noting, “You guys are there through thick and thin, through wins and losses…It’s very special to know that we have fans like you guys supporting us day in and day out.”
In addition to celebrating the Buckeyes, the event served as the OSU Alumni Club of Richland County’s biggest fundraiser for scholarship money awarded to OSU students in Richland County. “We do one full tuition scholarship, one half tuition scholarship and then usually two $1,000 scholarships,” Russell said.
The event also featured a silent and live auction, as well as a performance by the OSU Pep Band.
With regard to this year’s event attendees, Ohio State Mansfield Dean and Director Stephen Gavazzi commented, “What we’re seeing is our traditional base. Last year we had Coach [Jim] Tressel here and a lot of people came out of the woodwork, people that we had never seen before, which was great that people came out to experience what the Buckeye Bash is all about for the first time.”
The difference this year, he said, is “We’re seeing the core of folks who come year in, year out to celebrate the Buckeyes and to raise money for the scholarships. And at the end of the day, it’s really all about scholarships.
He continued, “One of the things that my board realized very recently is that in comparison to the other regional campuses, we actually have a lot less permanent funding for scholarships so we end up spending a lot more of our year-to-year funding.
“And so this is one of the things that we are really focusing on, especially as we wind up our capital campaign–to develop more permanent scholarships so that we can be sure that the money is going to be given year-in, year-out. Right now it’s a lot of cash that’s going out the door without it being an endowment, so we’re looking to do more endowments.”
