Navy Tribute Wins Sportsmanship Award
11/23/2009
Ohio State will be recognized by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics for its September 5th Armed Forces tribute during its 2009 season opener against the U.S. Naval Academy. The University's Department of Athletics will be honored at the 2009 AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards at the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis on November 21st.
"We are extremely proud of the great work our student led Sportsmanship Council has done," said Ohio State associate vice president and director of athletics, Gene Smith. "Buckeye fans continue to demonstrate great sportsmanship at home and on the road. We are grateful for this honorable award."
Mike Penner, assistant athletics director for event management at Ohio State, will receive the honor on behalf of the department of athletics. Penner helped direct the athletics staff in paying tribute to all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. The department also will be acknowledged for its efforts leading up to the Navy game in helping to spread the message of sportsmanship and welcome the Midshipmen into Ohio Stadium.
When Navy came out of the tunnel, an opening day record crowd of 105,092 gave a standing ovation. Then both teams lined up in the south endzone and each Buckeye shook hands with each Midshipmen. As Coach Tressel progressed through the line, he looked every Midshipmen in the eyes and thanked them with genuine respect. Then, in a rare, beautiful moment, the teams rushed the field together at the same time to raucous applause.
Before kickoff, a special, armed-forces-themed flyover wowed the crowd. The Fighting Bengals of VMFA (AW) 224 stationed out of MCAS Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina, kicked things off in style. During the break after the first quarter the Ohio National Guard was honored in the south endzone to, of course, a standing ovation.
At halftime, The Best Damn Band in the Land gave a tribute performance to the U.S. Naval Academy. The Navy Fanfare was first, followed by Stars and Stripes Forever, the Navy Hymn, and finally, Anchors Away. In a rare halftime edition of Script Ohio, former Ohio senator and U.S. Navy pilot John Glenn dotted the "I" with the OSU alumni band.
With all of the respect and gratitude towards Navy and their service to America, it's important to note that this was a football game and much of the respect for Navy stems from their football prowess. Navy has beaten BCS schools 13 times, which is more than any other non-BCS school and they're in the midst of six straight seasons of seven or more wins.
"These kids are accustom to exceeding," said Mike Lenice, who played at Ohio State in the 1980s before winning the Rhodes Scholarship and becoming a naval officer. "There are 20-30 thousand applications for 1,000 spots. They're the best of the best. Smart, tenacious football players who never give up."
Lenice, an honorary captain for the Navy game, shared his thoughts on his split loyalties between where he played and where he served. "My loyalties are clearly with the Buckeyes but I'm absolutely thrilled that my two favorite teams get to play each other."
Yet Lenice's dream matchup was almost not to be. Navy's Athletic Director, Chet Gladchuck, initially declined Ohio State's offer to schedule one another. But upon bouncing the idea off his football players and staff, and hearing how excited they all were for the opportunity to play, and the expectation to win, in Ohio Stadium, Gladchuck accepted.
"For these Navy guys, this is a sport. They know there are much bigger things awaiting them on the other side of graduation," said Lenice, who served more than four years of active duty. "As we're watching the game from the comfort of our own home, there's lots of Navy personnel around the world standing watch in the field, doing things most of us can't even possibly imagine. It's an enormous amount of responsibility."
Before beginning its 120th season of football, Ohio State circulated an online video that read: "Buckeyes know there are some things more important than football...service to your country and respecting and appreciating those who serve." The university went further and encouraged other programs that were playing service academies throughout the season to conduct similar tributes. The National Sportsmanship Awards Web site reads the following: "Ohio State showed a great deal of respect, admiration, and gratitude to those who toil on the real battlefields long after football is over."
The 2009 AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards will be televised at 8 p.m., Dec. 16 on CBS College Sports. For more information on the 2009 AT&T National Sportsmanship Awards, please visit http://www.stlsports.org/awards/index.php
Go Bucks!
By Ben Brown, an OSU senior majoring in journalism
