Big 10 Football Tour

If I learned anything from traveling to sporting venues over the past 3 years, it is that the best teams, the most successful franchises have the best people/employees working for them.  Ohio State is one of those reputable organizations and my interactions with their staff showed me that they are one of the best front offices in all of college football.  They provided me with a press credential for the game.

What I found to be most fun was the seating chart that I saw when I walked in.  You can see a snapshot of part of it about 2 photos down.  I tried to highlight my seat with some red, but if you look closely you'll see all of the Ohio tv/radio stations to the left, Yahoo Sports in the center, and representatives from all of the different bowls on the right.  Below that were representatives from 5 NFL teams, the Iowa media, and then the more notable news outlets such as ABC, ESPN, and such.

After observing all of the food, stopping in at the restroom and saying hello to Gene Smith (director of Ohio State athletics), I made my way down the hallway to the seating area.  I had no idea where to find my seat, but luckily one of the "ushers" helped me out.  As I stepped into the pressbox, I saw a rather amazing sight.  People talking into cell phones, writing on their notebooks, typing on a laptop, and of course eating McFlurries.  Finally I found the laminated pass shown 2 photos below.  Believe me, that thing is going in the scrapbook.

Ok, I tried to approach this in an entirely professional manner...and for the most part, I did act professional.  But come on, I had to indulge a little bit.  In the area behind the press seating, there was all sorts of food.

Most notably was the McCafe where I could have all of the iced coffees and McFlurries that I wanted.  Oh yeah, there was hot coffee, bottled water, bratwursts and all sorts of other sides to participate in.  One of the members of the Iowa media told me that as far as pressbox food goes, that Ohio State set the bar.

After awhile, I decided to see where else the pass would get me to.  I first found a door that lead to the outside and some absolutely gorgeous views of the Olentangy River at sunset. 

Back in my seat, I started to take in the action and write some notes on the stadium and the game.  I did notice that Iowa travels very well to road games.  If you note the photo to the left, there is a large group of Iowa fans behind the flagpole.  In the photo below, you'll notice about 4 full sections of black and gold.

Throughout the pressbox were a number of televisions that showed not only the Ohio State game, but a variety of games from around college football.

Down below, I shot a video of the first time I heard the O-H-I-O chant.  It was here that I became thoroughly impressed with the noise level of Ohio Stadium.  Below that is the "Block O."

At halftime, I decided to head down to the field level, but first I stopped at the photo deck.  I had hoped to get some shots from up here, but as you can see in the photo to the right, the area was packed and as clumsy as I am, I wasn't getting anywhere near those cameras.

I headed down the concrete walkway towards the stadium.  I passed the cheerleaders, the referees, and then even the players.

After the game, I had the opportunity to go into the press conference.  To say the least, everyone being interviewed was in rather high spirits after the game.  In the photo to the left, you'll notice that I showed up late (storming the field and all) and directly in the center is the guy in black with the shirt that reads "ESPN camera guy."  I imagine that such a title would look great on a resume.

As the press spoke to Jim Tressel, defensive lineman #84 Doug Worthington walked in cradling a bouquet of roses.  From the other side came linebacker #38 Austin Spitler and defensive back #4 Kurt Coleman.  Probaly the most interesting part of the press conference was when center #64 Jim Cordle walked towards the podium, dumped a cup of water on his head and yelled, "Wooo, we're goin' to the Rose Bowl!"

Austin Spitler said, "Senior Day. We're going to remember this for the rest of our lives. This is a special moment."  Austin, I too will remember this day for the rest of my life. -Drew