A Day I’ll Never Forget

By Warren Schorr
Sports Director

I have always wondered what it feel like to witness your favorite team win a championship. I always watch the trophy presentations each year and get extremely jealous hoping that one day my teams (Browns, Cavs, Indians) will reach the mountain top. On January 12th I got to experience that feeling as I watched Ohio State University win their eighth national championship when they defeated University of Oregon 42-20 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Growing up in Ohio the Buckeyes is a part of you even if you don’t go to school there. Saturdays were spent at local establishments, family or friends’ houses watching the Buckeyes or a trip down to Ohio Stadium to take in a game. With the game being played in Dallas where I currently reside and classes not starting until January 20th, it was all a perfect storm for me to attend the game. The only expense I had to worry about was a ticket, I just wanted to be in the building so I would get the cheapest ticket available.  I ended up getting a standing room only ticket  and had a great spot for the game. Behind the Ohio State end zone 2nd level with a bunch of Buckeye fans around. The only downer to this was I didn’t get to watch the game with my Dad, who was also at the game but had seats. I’m not complaining, I was just happy to be there.      Waiting to head to the stadium was the worst as anxiety and nerves set in. The conversations between my Dad and his friends centered around “No way Urban will let the Buckeyes lose tonight” to “We are from Cleveland so maybe we should be prepared for anything.” Once we finally arrived at the monstrous AT&T Stadium it finally set in that I was at the first Playoff Championship and the Buckeyes were in it. It was a sea of Scarlet and Grey wherever you went which made it even better. The standing room only ticket is a survival of the fittest competition, getting in the stadium first was a necessity so you could get a front row spot and have no obstructions. When the gates opened at 5:30 pm, two hours before kick-off, I ran to get my spot and successfully got the spot I wanted. I stood next to a couple former Ohio State Band Members and we saved each others’ spots if one needed to go the bathroom or get refreshments. Waiting for kick-off wasn’t as bad as I expected, I always enjoy watching the players warm-up and then when “The Best Damn Band in The Land” came out for their pre-game performance which included Script Ohio, I was ready for the game. My psyche was fragile once Oregon scored a touchdown on their opening drive in which seemed like a blink of an eye. Like all Ohioans, the Buckeyes rallied and dominated the rest of the game. If it weren’t for the four turnovers they committed, the 42-20 scoreline would have been much worse. The atmosphere was electric; 70% of the crowd was wearing Scarlet and Grey, the band played Hang On Sloopy, and as the O-H-I-O chant rained throughout Jerry World no words could describe what it felt like to be there. As the final minutes ticked off the clock all I could do was look around and bask in the glory with 55,000 of my closest friends and finally experience the feeling I’ve wanted to feel.

As confetti rained down and strangers hugged strangers, I made my way over to my Dad so we could celebrate together. Due to my way with words the elevator lady let me up where he was sitting. Right as Urban lifted the trophy above his shoulders, I put my hand on his shoulders and, to his surprise, I was there and after a nice embrace we got to experience that feeling we have longed to feel. After all that emotion we poured into our sports teams over the years, we finally received the reward and it was glorious. Pictures and videos don’t do it justice but they’re nice to have. Now I hope to do this all again next year in Arizona.