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Ohio State Football: Fun facts all Buckeye fans must know

By Steven Koesterman

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes and his team prepare to take the field before a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 23: Head Coach Ryan Day of the Ohio State Buckeyes and his team prepare to take the field before a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium on November 23, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) /
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St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace defends against forrmer Ram teammate Grant Wistrom of the Seattle Seahawks during 37-31 loss at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri on Sunday, October 9, 2005. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace defends against forrmer Ram teammate Grant Wistrom of the Seattle Seahawks during 37-31 loss at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri on Sunday, October 9, 2005. (Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images) /

The Ohio State football team is in the national spotlight year after year due to the success both on the field and on the recruiting trail. It has become the norm for the Buckeyes to beat that Team Up North, win the conference title and compete for the National Championship. 

Here are a few fun facts every Buckeye fan should know. Let’s first look at how Ohio State football players have had success after wearing Scarlet and Gray.

Ohio State No. 3 in NFL Hall of Famers

Tied with Michigan with 10 NFL Hall of Famers, only Notre Dame (13)  and Southern California (12) rank above Ohio State with more players in Canton.

The 10 Hall of Famers are Cris Carter, Sid Gillman, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Dick LeBeau, Orlando Pace, Jim Parker, Ed Sabol, Paul Warfield and Bill Willis.

The Buckeyes have the 3rd most overall No. 1 picks in the NFL Draft

With 3 players drafted No. 1 overall, Ohio State ranks 3rd among all colleges with the most top NFL Draft picks. Notre Dame (5), Southern California (5), Oklahoma (5), Auburn (4), Georgia (4) and Stanford (4) are the only schools who rank higher than the Buckeyes.

Orlando Pace was drafted 1st overall in 1997 when he was selected by the St. Louis Rams. Pace would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Rams. Arguably one of the most decorated Buckeyes of all time, Pace was a 7x Pro Bowler, 3x First Team All-Pro and Super Bowl XXXIV Champion.

In 1994, DT Dan Wilkinson was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals 1st overall. Wilkinson would go on to have a 13-year NFL career with the Bengals, Redskins, Lions and Dolphins. He started in 182 games during his career totaling 390 tackles and 54.5 sacks.

Tom Cousineau is the most recent Buckeye selected #1 overall when he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 1979 NFL Draft. Although he didn’t play a game for the Bills, Cousineau would go on to become the Grey Cup Most Valuable Player for the Montreal Alouettes in 1979 before spending the rest of his pro career with the Browns and 49ers.

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