The picture of Olivea says it all (m)


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By chief wiggum on 12:52:12 01/04/04

If you haven't yet checked out the Fiesta Bowl pics yet, you owe it to yourself to click through 'til you see the one of Shane. Tears in his eyes as he comes off the field from his last game as a Buckeye.

This is what college sports is all about. Young men who devote nearly every second of their free time for 4 or 5 years to this team. And we are the benefactors of this sacrifice! I think we sometimes forget about that when we criticize a player for his on-field performance. Vince Lombardi once said something to the effect of "Our goal is perfection. We will never achieve that goal, but in the constant pursuit of perfection we will achieve excellence."

The seniors on this team are a truly special group. They have struggled through the lowest of lows and the achieved the highest of highs...and they achieved excellence.

When you are a kid, football players are your heroes. When you are in college, football players are your peers (in academics, at least). When you get to be significantly older than college players, they take on a different role. They become your kids.

Celebrate these kids for what they have given us...PRIDE!
PRIDE in the way they have carried themselves with class and dignity.
PRIDE in the way they have performed in the classroom and the community.
PRIDE in the way they performed on the field these last 2 years.
And especially, PRIDE in the way they have performed in the Fiesta Bowl.

Thank you, Shane.
Thank you, Craig.
Thank you, Michael.
Thank you, Alex.
Thank you, Adrian.
Thank you, Will and Will.
Thank you, Darrion.
Thank you, Tim.
Thank you, Ben.
Thank you, Scott.
Thank you, Robert.
Thank you, Freddie.
Thank you, Drew.
Thank you, Bryce.
Thank you, Ivan.
and Thank You to all of the rest of the Buckeyes who played their final game in scarlet and grey on Friday night.

YOU HAVE MADE US ALL PROUD TO BE BUCKEYES!


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