Ohio State football: Heroes for a day

Plenty of former Ohio State football players just had one single moment of glory in their careers. We celebrate those players today.

There are lyrics to a David Bowie song that go like this,

"We can beat them, just for one dayWe can be heroes, just for one day"

Throughout the history of Ohio State football, there have been players who made that one play or plays to either heavily influence, or directly affect the outcome of a big game. Some were already well known, some were not. When the opportunity came along, they seized the moment. Here is a look at five former Buckeyes who became heroes for a day.

Tom Klaban – Any discussion like this must begin with the Czech refugee who took kicking tips from his younger sister. Klaban permanently kicked his way into being a Buckeye legend on November 23, 1974. After the Buckeyes fell behind undefeated Michigan 10-0 early in the game, Klaban made good on field goals of 47, 25, and 43 yards to bring the Buckeyes within a point at the half.

Early in the third quarter, he nailed a 45-yarder to put OSU in front 12-10. When Michigan kicker Mike Lantry missed his third potentially game-winning field goal in two games against the Buckeyes with eighteen seconds to play, Klaban’s place in Ohio State football history was secured.

After the game, he was presented with the game ball and Woody Hayes awarded him a scholarship; he had been a walk-on to that point. In an amazing bit of irony, Klaban would one day own a car dealership in Michigan. Watch Klaban’s heroics here.

Thad Jemison – Heading into his final season, Jemison would have just sixteen catches in his Ohio State career. Although he was used much more during his senior year of 1983, he still had just 27 catches through the regular season.

His Fiesta Bowl performance against Pitt was very unexpected. The Buckeyes led the Panthers 14-7 heading to the fourth quarter, but Pitt tied the game on a fumble recovery. Keith Byars returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, but the Panthers would not go away and scored again.

Their failed two-point conversion left them trailing 21-20. They took the lead on a field goal with just over two and a half minutes to play. The Buckeyes would drive from deep in their own territory to just inside the Pitt forty with under a minute to play.

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On third and short from the Panther 39-yard line, quarterback Mike Tomczak found Jemison all alone down the left sideline for an easy touchdown. The Buckeyes survived a frantic comeback attempt by the Panthers to hang on for a 27-23 win. Jemison had a career day with eight catches for 131 yards. You can watch those highlights here.

Larry Kolic – As his team prepared for the 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl against defending national champion BYU, Buckeye head coach Earle Bruce decided to throw a wrinkle at the Cougars high-flying offense. The rugged Kolic was moved from his usual linebacker to nose tackle.

At times, Kolic dropped into pass coverage in hopes of confusing quarterback Robbie Bosco. It did just that. BYU led 7-3 at the half but was backed up deep in their own territory to start the third quarter. When Bosco began to drop back, Kolic took a few steps forward to make it look like he was rushing the Cougar quarterback, before he dropped into coverage.

Bosco never saw him. Kolic picked off the pass and rumbled into the end zone like his days as a Smithville Smithie fullback to give the Buckeyes a 10-7 lead they’d never relinquish. A short time later he batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage just a play before intercepting Bosco again. Kolic entered the game with just one career interception. Watch his heroics help the Buckeyes to their fourth bowl in five seasons here.

Cie Grant – There were those who couldn’t figure out why the Ohio State football team was recruiting the kid from New Philadelphia. Grant would eventually show them why. After starting at cornerback in 2001, he moved to outside linebacker for the next season.

He finished as the team’s fourth-leading tackler and had four sacks, but it was a near sack that put him on this list. The Miami Hurricanes trailed the Buckeyes 31-24, had a fourth and goal in the second overtime of the epic 2003 Fiesta Bowl.

OSU overloaded the left side of their defense. They had a defensive lineman over Miami’s center, guard, and tackle. The only Hurricane player who could block Grant was the running back. When the ball was snapped, that running back took a quick look to see if a blitz was coming up the middle, before taking off to the left as an outlet receiver.

Grant had a clear path to Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey, who had looked at his receivers in the middle of the field and never saw him coming. Dorsey nearly made him miss, but Grant got enough of his jersey to spin him and force a wild throw, and allow the Buckeyes to celebrate their first national championship in 34 years.

It may not be the kind of play that shows up in the box score, but it can make you a hero for a day. Do yourself a favor and take the time to watch the highlights of one of college football’s all-time greatest games here.

Kenny Guiton – In the middle of the 2012 season, the Buckeyes were undefeated and facing Purdue. It was one of those days when an overmatched opponent catches a heavy favorite on the right day. The Boilermakers gave Ohio State fits and were leading 20-14 early in the fourth quarter when Braxton Miller went down with an injury.

The task of keeping OSU’s undefeated season going would fall to Guiton, a redshirt junior from Houston, Texas. Things got worse when the Buckeyes gave up a safety due to a penalty in the end zone. Eventually, the Buckeyes would have the ball at their own 39-yard line with just under fifty seconds to play.

Guiton hit consecutive passes to move the ball to the Purdue fourteen with twenty-eight seconds on the clock. A Purdue pass interference penalty put the ball at the two. Guiton rolled left, stopped and hit a diving Chris Fields for a touchdown with just three seconds left.

The Buckeyes still needed to go for two to tie. Guiton rolled right, stopped, and threw back the other way to an open Jeff Heuerman to send the game to overtime, where OSU would pull out a 29-22 win. Without Guiton’s heroics, the Buckeyes would not have finished 12-0. Watch that Purdue game here.

While I titled this article Heroes for a Day, there is a line in that Bowie song which may be more appropriate,

"We can be heroes for ever and ever."

Tom Klaban, Thad Jemison, Larry Kolic, Cie Grant, and Kenny Guiton have all etched their names in Ohio State football lore forever and ever.