Buckeye Madness: Great Eras in Ohio State Football »

Wilton Sharpe is a freelance writer and former copy editor for sports department. His articles have appeared in Athlon Sports publications, NFL Insider and GameDay magazines, Athletic Administration, the Cleveland Browns yearbooks, (Tennessee) Titans Exclusive, and on NFL.com. A former columnist for The Nashville City Paper, the one-time Connecticut native currently syndicates a weekly sports content package to community newspapers.

Columbus, Ohio, may be the closest thing to college football’s epicenter, situated as it is in the sport’s “cradle.” And Ohio State football fans have been rocking that cradle for 114 years, exhorting their mighty Buckeyes in the bruising wars of the Big Ten Conference since 1890. From the school’s stable of Heisman Trophy winners to fabled coaches Paul Brown and Woody Hayes to the 2002 national championship team, football rules autumn in famed Ohio Stadium.

Buckeye Madness is the story of Ohio State football. Here are the legendary Chic Harley, Les Horvath, Hopalong Cassady, Archie Griffin, Eddie George, and other stars; eight championship teams; the explosive rivalry with archrival Michigan; the all-time Ohio State team; and the rosters from each national championship team. All of this is in the words of the players themselves, the coaches, opponents, fans, and members of the media. It’s the ultimate three yards and a cloud of dust!