THE FIRST DAY I WENT WOLVERINE HUNTING

I remember the day well over 50 years ago when my great-grandfather smiled and told me that I was finally old enough now to go Wolverine hunting on Saturday, with him and my father. I ran into the kitchen proudly announcing to my great-grandmother, “Grandpa’s taking me wolverine hunting with him next Saturday”!! She just shook her head, looked at him and said “You already spoiled my only grand-daughter, at least let my 4 year old great-grand-daughter be a little girl”. To which he replied, “Non-sense. Look at her, she’s definitely a BUCKEYE. That brown hair, brown eyes, freckles, and tom-boy attitude. And she already knows how to read, write, and all her numbers – she’s already an OSU shoe-in!!” At the time I wasn’t really sure what all the talk was about, but I was proud to know that I was a BUCKEYE. Something I had heard since the day I was born. And I knew that Buckeyes hated wolverines and wolverines hated buckeyes. And now we were going to go out and hunt them down!!! Maybe grandma would cook them up for Thanksgiving!
Well Saturday morning bright and early, we got up and dressed warm and Dad and I drove up to his dad’s and picked up grandpa Long, and Great-grandpa. Then, over to my Uncle Charley’s; to get him, my Uncle Eugene, and my Aunt Cleo. (my dad's brothers and sister). WOW – those wolverines must be real fighters to take so many of us to hunt ‘em down. Aunt Cleo and I sat in the rear of the panel station wagon, facing towards the back. Aunt Cleo said it was about a 3 hour drive down to Columbus to the big house, and we had to be there well before the noon hour. I only remember just snip-its of the conversation, but I do remember one of my uncles talking about the shot-gun formation and I took a good look around the car, but I couldn’t find our guns. I asked Aunt Cleo, “How are we gonna’ get the wolverines without our guns”? She laughed and told everyone what I said, and my grandpa said, “don’t you worry, our old buddy Woody’s got that all figured out by now”.
Finally we arrived at the Big House. (The Ohio State Stadium, the famous "Horse Shoe"; built in 1922 - Home to 2 Conference Titles, 32 Big Ten Conference Titles, 21 All- Americans, and 7 Heisman Trophy winners, (all current statistics – for those of you who are wondering). WOW, I thought, is this something or what. We passed through the gates, and we were at the football stadium. Then I got my first real lesson in life, football, and the “F” word. Which in Ohio, even in the most religious home you are allowed to use that four letter word – provided it is followed by the name Michigan. And that’s the only time you are allowed to use that “M” word in the Ohio Stadium, and on these hallowed grounds, was when it was prefexed with the "F" word. Yes back in 1958, we held things to a different standard that they do today. It was good game, I learned so much from my uncles, my grandfathers, my dad, and my aunt. You can win every game all year, but you'd better not lose to "M", and you can lose every game all year, but you'd better whip "M's" ass.
The family has a bond that runs deep when it comes to OHIO STATE FOOTBALL, and the score that day; OSU 20, M 14. We came away victorious!! I road home with a tummy full of hot dogs, soda pop, and anything else I could get the adults to buy. When the home team is winning, everyone is generous with their money!! But I also learned that football roots in Ohio run VERY deep, and I passed that on to my own son, who is also a born and breed BUCKEYE fan. And now I live 1800 miles away in Utah, and tomorrow these poor souls will have their little rivalry game between Utah and BYU. But they don’t know true rivalry that has lived and been played at high noon every single years, (during rain, sun, and snowstorm), since 1897. And when the noon hour arrives, (10:00 am our time), I will sit down in front of the television, (as I do every year), and I will fondly remember my Great-grandfather, my grandfather, and all the other family members who passed on this great love of football and the love for this great school to me. Win or lose, I am still a BUCKEYE at heart. And tomorrow when all the Utahans ask whom I’m cheering for, I will just smile, look at them, and just say…