Football program cover, 1968
How often have you said you’re going to go watch the Buckeyes play [fill-in-the-blank-sport]? Though the term “Buckeye” has been around for hundreds of years, the nickname for Ohio State athletic teams has a much shorter history.
The nickname in English derives from the Native-American term, “Hetuck,” which can be translated as eye of the buck. Native Americans apparently first made the reference when they saw a procession of settlers in 1788. Ohioans have been referred to as Buckeyes as far back as when William Henry Harrison was running for president in 1840.
And here at OSU, in terms of sports, “Buckeye” has been used as an intramural sports team name since about 1900. A short article in a 1902 issue of The Lantern concerns an intramural baseball game in which one team apparently was less than experienced at the sport:
“The Buckeye and Columbia clubs played a game of ball on the University diamond Saturday afternoon, and as a result the former now heads the Boarding House League. The score was 8 to 4. The victory was mainly due to the fact that a number of the Columbia players failed to understand the various hits sent in their direction, all these misplays being in evidence in the score.”
1975
The first time “Buckeyes” shows up in The Lantern when talking about Varsity sports isn’t until 1951 when, again, baseball is the subject:
“The Buckeye baseball team treated home fans to a double victory over the week end with wins over Dayton University and Bowling Green. Friday the Buckeyes trounced the Flyers, 15-1, and followed with a win over the Bowling Green Falcons in a Saturday game.”
So it might be surprising that “Buckeyes” has been used regularly for only about 60 years, but is it really hard to believe that the first Lantern article in which it appears is about not just one but two OSU victories?
You may play sports for OSU, cheer the teams on or you might not pay any attention to them at all. It doesn’t matter. Being a Buckeye can mean different things to different people, but it still means a lot. We hope you have enjoyed this season’s version of “Twelve Days of Buckeyes,” and that your new year is a happy and successful one.
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