More on Fostoria 2003
Six Kramb Brothers Honored
(Veterans of U.S. armed services)
From Fostoira Focus Oct. 26, 2003
Article by John Montgomery
------------------------------------------------
Carl Kramb can remember the day he and about 15 others
left Fostoria on a bus to join the Navy during World War
ll in late Octover 1943.
As he boarded the bus at the Center Street Restaurant,
he heard a parade forming around the corner. Kramb thought
people in town were getting together for a send off for
the group, but he was mistaken.
"I thought it was for me and the other guys"
he said "We found out later it was the Halloween
Parade."
Now nearly 60 years later, his mistake will become reality.
Sunday, Oct.26, 2003 Kramb and his brothers, all veterans,
will be the special guests at the town's
annual Halloween Parade, sponsored by Fostoria Focus and
WFOB 1430, when it steps off down Main Street at 5 p.m.
"It's quite an honor, and I'm real pleased that whoever
is sponsoring the parade, is reconizing veterans,"
Ed said. I think that's great.
"I feel honored to be involved, but I think it's
great that the parade is honoring all the veteran."
he said.
Five of the six Krambs --- Bill, Carl, Walt, Ed and Tom
--- will take part in the parade. Bob, the oldest passed
away in the mid 1980's
Bob, Bill, Carl and Walt all served during World War ll
while Ed and Tom served during the Korean War.
Tom said he can remember his Mom, Anna, being upset when
Bob becarme the first to leave home. But he said she and
their father, Lewis, were very proud of their sons.
"I do remember when I was still in school that the
front window (in the home) down there on College Avenue
had four stars. Mom and dad were both very proud of that,"
he said .
"Dad, worked at the Carbon, and they tell me he was
very proud of his sons in the service." he said.
-------------------------------------------
That service began when the Army drafted Bob in February
1942, and turned the 1936 St. Wendelin High graduate into
a tank sergeant and forward observer for the 69th artillery
Battalion of the 3rd Armored Division.
He was wounded by shrapnel in the Battle of Mons in the
fall of 1944 and received the Purple Heard. Bob rejoined
his unit just after Christmas that year and saw action
in the counterattack of the Battle of the Bulge.
He was in the fourth tank to enter Cologne.
Bob returned home in the late summer of 1945 and he and
his wife Elloise, rasied five children and saw the birth
of several grandchildren.
Bob also held several jobs, including a partnership in
the B&B Cafe in Bettsville. He contracted polio in
1956 and sold his part of the cafe and later went to work
for a credit union in Fremont.
He died in the Mid-1980's
----------------------------------------
Bill, the valedictorian of the St. Wendelin High class
of 1941, followed his older brother into the service in
late 1942.
He became a pilot and first lieutenant for the Army Air
Corps in the South Pacific and flew C46's and C47's to
transport troops and supplies.
He served with the 433rd Troop Carrier Group in the 69th
Squardron and saw action in New Guinea , the Philippines,
Iwo Jima and Japan.
Bill returned home in early 1946, went to college for
a couple of years and began a career at Excello.
He and his wife, Maxine, married in 1949. They raised
seven children and have 21 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
He retired from Excello in 1986.
-------------------------------------------------
Carl admits he was sort of the black sheep of the family.
An Army draftee like many others, he went to Toledo for
his physical, where physicals for the other branches of
the armed services were also being held. "That's
when thing's got switched."
"When you got to a certain point, they asked you,
What do you want to be in?" And I said. "Well
I guess it doesnt' make any difference what the heck I
want to be in." Carl said.
He was told that they needed people in each branch. So
he responded. "I guess the Navy will be all right."
The 1942 SWHS graduate joined the Navy in 1943 and became
a plank owner of a troop transport ship USS Gen. M.L.
Hersey. A plank owner is a seaman who is part of the original
crew of a new ship.
He was assigned to the ship in January 1944 as a radioman
second class, but had to wait until that July before the
ship ws completed and commissioned. He and others on the
ship spent "World War ll transporting troops back
and forth across the Pacific.
Carl was discharged in April 1946 and went to college
at Xavier for a few years before joining the workforce
at Atlas. He retired from Atlas in 1983.
He and his wife, Jeannie who he met at Xavier, raised
eight children before she passed away. They also have
15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
------------------------------------------
Walt, a 1944 SWHS graduate, served as a radioman in the
Army Air Corps from February 1944-August 1946.
In fact, he was such a good radioman, that the Army Air
Corps turned him into a instructor and he spent his entire
tour of duty in the United States.
After earning his discharge, he went to work for the Fruth
Machine & Tool for a while before working 25 years
for the Post Office and retiring in 1986.
He married twice. His first wife, Joan, passed away after
46 years of marriage. His second wife's name is Jenny.
Walt has five children and he and Jenny have a combined
30 grandchildren. 16 of which are his.
----------------------------------------------
Ed, who graduated from SWHS in 1949, attained the rank
fo first sergeant in the Army, serving from February 1951
- February 1954.
As a section leader in a mechine gun platoon of Dog Co.
in the 32st Infantry Regiment of the 7th Infantry Division,
he saw fronline acton in Korea for a little over nine
months and took part in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill and
the Battle of Old Baldy.
Among his hornors for his service, Ed received the Bronze
Star.
When he returned home, he took advantage of the G.I. Bill
and earned a degree in electrical engineering from the
University of Detroit.
Ed. and his wife, Evelyn raised six children and have
12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He retired in 1993 after 34 years of working in the electrical
industry in Cincinnati. He has since turned his attention
to history and writing, and recently published the book
"Buckeye Battlefields' about military conflicts that
took plave in Ohio.
--------------------------------------------
Tom, the youngest of the Kramb bunch, graduated from St.
Wendelin High in 1950.
In 1952, he left his job at Union Carbine and went into
the Army in 1952 and was sent to Korea as part of the
Army medical corps in April 1953.
There, the corporal was part of the 37th Preventative
Medical Co. of the 8th Army, attached to the 7th Division.
A lot of his duties involved helping fellow soldiers deal
with mosquitoes and a type of mite that caused hemorrhagic
fever.
He was discharged from the Army in September 1954 and
worked at Union Carbide until he retired in 1988.
Tom married his wife, Carrie, in 1956. they raised three
children and have four grandchildren.
History of the Black Cat Restaurant
"The place to take your best girl !"
From R/t Oct 23, 2003
Article impart by Gene Kinn.
The Black Cat is Fostoria's oldest eating establishment
and is the only full-service bar and restaurant within
the city. It was originally opened in 1928 by Mr. and
Mrs. J. B. Burkhart, and their son, Cecil. Then it was
a small barbecue stand. It had carhops, severed milkshakes,
and sold gas.
Following the repeal of prohibition in 1933, the first
license for the sale of 3.2 beer in Fostoria was granted
to the Black Cat.
The business was closed in 1943 when Cecil entered the
armed forces and his parents retired. Following the war,
Cecil and his wife, Helen opened the Hays Bar in downtown
Fostoria and operated it until 1950 when they reopened
the Black Cat.
The facility was later sold to Orville and Zip Twining.
They divorced and Zip continued to operate the restaurant.
Following her death ownership passed to Sip Orians, long-time
Black Cat bartender, as stipulated in Zip's will. After
several years, Orians sold to Jim McDermott. Later a group,
including Terry Swartzwelder and Bruce Theobald, Jr. purchased
the facility.
Leah Hipsher bought the Black Cat in 1981 and operated
it for nearly 18 years, later in 1998 turned the operation
over to her son, Ron.
Earlier this month (Oct. 2003), Hipsher completed and
extensive renovation of the dinning area, The re-do includes
new wooden dividers, new tabletops and booths, new carpet
and paint. A gas-burning fireplace and new ceiling fans.
"We wanted to brighten it up and bring it more up
to date." he said.
State legislation could quiet Fostoria's trains
From;Tiffin Advertiser-Tribune
Sept. 19, 2003
FOSTORIA - The city soon may have safer rail crossings -
without train whistles - if State Rep. Jeff Wagner can add
Fostoria to a pending bill.
At a recent city council meeting, Wagner (R-Melmore)
and Mayor John Davoli offered an update on the proposed
quite zone legislation that would eliminate the day and
night train whistles.
Davoli says he gets calls on train whistles more than any
other complaint from city residents. The city has 23 grade
crossings accommodating 200 trains each day. He said he
believes that as "Train City USA," Fostoria qualifies
as the perfect test project for this legislation. He vowed
to "keep on making noise" until this legislation
is passed.
For over one and half years, U.S. Rep. Dennis
Kucinich (D-Cleveland) and the Ad hoc Committee on Quiet
Zones have been working on the quite zone legislation which
would cover several cities in the 10th Congressional District
(Brooklyn, Brooke Park, Berea, Olmstead Falls and Olmstead
Township.)
These cities were selected as pilot projects
to test the feasibility of quite zones and ascertain the
safety criteria. Davoli said at first it was thought to
cost almost $350,000 to update each railway crossing, but
new information now shows there are other ways to develop
safer crossings without whistles that wouldn't cost as much.
From R/t Aug. 12, 2003
Article by Gene Kinn
Cline wins Two Gold Medals
Fostoria-area resident Dan Cline recently won two gold medals
in table tennis at the Ohio Senior Olympics in Hudson Ohio.
Cline won his division (50-54 year olds) by defeating Jimmy
Taylor of Akron in straight sets. He then partnered with
Paul Lawrence of Lima to win the doubles medal. They defeated
Rich Takas of Toledo and Jim Mills of Indiana in straight
sets.
Cline, 50 was participating in his first Senior Olympic
competition. He won the privilege of playing in the state
tournament by winning the regional competition at Lima
Some Ball History in Fostoria as I know it.
By William "Bill" Cline
How Meadowlark park came into being.
To get the whole picture of the events that took place as
to how and why Meadowlark Park was purchased and built one
must go back some 50 years to what was then the only decent
playing ball field in Fostoria, the Wire Mill Field, which
was located North of the B & O tracks (now called CSX)
and East of Vine Street.
For many years this field provided entertainment
for Fostoria ball fans, whether it be baseball or fast pitch
soft ball. Slow pitch was not popular at this early time.
The field was small and for years had no fences or lights.
Fans would park their cars behind left field just off Vine
St. and the bigger the attendance the smaller left field
became. Many of the hits in that direction became home runs
or triples while the left fielder retrieved the ball from
under or between cars. Eventually through the efforts of
several citizens. "Red" French, & J.D. Lyons
as I recall, and a few other concerned citizens, collected
money and material so a fence and even lights for night
ball could be installed. Down the right field line and to
the alley was 150 feet, plus or minus 10 feet. In this area
there were many balls hit over the alley and into the gardens
that residents along West Tiffin Street had planted making
for some unhappy citizens. Many times when baseball games
were played here there were windows broken in the homes
on Tiffin Street, some of the heavy hitters would clear
the homes on the South Side of Tiffin Street, of course
they were home runs. That was then.
I can recall attending games at the Wire
Mill field in the mid 1930's when fast pitch softball was
popular. On Sundays baseball games were played here. Over
the years when this was the only decent playing field in
Fostoria many teams played here until 1951 when Wire Mill
reclaimed their field for needed employee parking . Some
of the teams I recall playing here, were: Peggs Paint a
local traveling team, and teams from Wire Mill., Autolite
Foundry, Autolite Sparkplug, Moose, American Legion, Bersterd
Mfg. VFW, Superette, Miller Drug, Edison Drug, K of C, YMCA,
Carbon Works, Fostoria Screw Co., Some teams from City Park
Recreation, Area Village Teams, and many Church teams,
Wire Mill Field Lost.
After the 1951 season with the hiring of more employees
for the increase production at the Wire Mill it became necessary
for the plant to recover the field in order for the employees
to park their cars; this left Fostoria without a ball field
for some years. The Softball Association at this time had
some $400 in their treasurer, but no ball field. In 1952
a group of ballplayers from Fostoria that had played with
a traveling team, Peggs Paints , and now sponsored by Stahls
Texaco, of Wayne Ohio were playing in Findlay as a host
team, playing the feature games on Wed. and Sunday nights,
taking on all opponents in the area, plus any traveling
team, this team along with Knights of Columbus and Fostoria
Merchants comes to mind, decided it was time to bring fast
pitch softball back to Fostoria.
Field Found
When the underpasses were built in Fostoria,
some of the unwanted material was dumped on a property own
by Payne Brothers Green House at the end of Banister St.
This property was offered to the organization, on lease
for a $1.00, a year if they wanted to build a field. Looking
back at this property with all the old broken up sidewalks
and other material that was moved here, one wonders if this
was a good site to build a ball field. Another minus would
be a Greenhouse behind center field fence if the field was
laid out having the sun behind the batters back. Payne Brothers
(Bless their Souls) not only offered to repair free any
broken glass that occurred while playing ball here, plus
they would give the batter $1.00 for his effort. The organization
decided to build.
Donations from Local Merchants, Industries,
Ohio Power Co. Dick Danner, and with Payne Brothers equipment
and gasoline for it, construction began. The light poles,
underground cable, concession stand and bleachers, from
the old Wire Mill Field were moved to the new Payne Field,
all by volunteers. (Fostoria Heating and Pluming is located
here now)
In 1954 fast pitch softball was back in Fostoria,
and opening night featured a game between the Findlay Moose,
the Findlay league leader, and Stahl’s Texaco a Traveling
Team, later called "Dick's T.V". Mr. Stahl who
was sponsoring the Stahl's Texaco traveling team, believe
that a local sponsor was appropriate since Fostoria now
had a ball field.. Dick Danner had been waiting for this
opportunity.
How City Recreation became Involved
Early in the 1950's slow pitch softball came
into play, as an old man's game. At that time there was
an age limit, you had to be over 30 years of age. However
the lack of quality fast ball pitchers, in the area prompted
the younger players to find sponsors and form Slow Pitch
teams, with no age limited. At this time almost any player
could pitch. Slow pitch teams exploded in Fostoria, City
Recreation, YMCA, Churches, Industries, Merchants some ladies
teams, plus little League baseball . The request for lighted
Payne Field was in great demand.
The fast pitch league was using the field
Tuesdays through Thursdays, The rest of the time was open
to the public. However, a mater of who would pay for the
lights when used came into play? The softball association
was paying for lights and umpires via donation taken at
the games, (Umpires were paid $2.00 for the bases, an $3.00
behind the plate) and from the concession stand profits.
At that time it cost an average of $15.00 a night with a
curfew that no inning would start after 11:00 p.m. The City
was asked to pay for all the electric used on the field,
as city recreation was using it along with other organized
local teams on the nights fast pitch was not scheduled.
City Council approved it.
According to one source, at one time there
were many teams (approx. 60) playing in Fostoria on any
open field that would accommodate four bases, and an outfield.
Fostoria needed a park with more playing fields
Farm Bought for Meadowlark Park
Some ground became available at the south
edge of Fostoria (seeking more information on this. In early
50's Fred Wilch was city recreation director.
By William "Bill" Cline
(Past President of Fostoria
Fastpitch Softball Association)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Farm Bought for Meadowlark Park
Below part of R/t Gene Kinn article
July 25th 2003
In July of 1953, the city purchased the W.J. Sheely farm,
an 82 1/2 acre spread in Loudon Township, just south of
the city, at a cost of $50,000. Much of the land was rented
out to an area farmer until the entire facility could be
developed. A contest was conducted in 1965 to name the new
park and Mary Bugner was declared the winner with her suggestion
of Meadowlark Park. Actually, of the 196 entries, there
were two other Meadowlark offerings, but Mary's was postmarked
first.
A planning study was completed in 1964 calling
for a lighted softball field, lighted baseball field, six
Little league ball fields, a swimming pool, four tennis
courts, two basketball courts, three badminton or paddle
tennis courts, a children's playground, amphitheater, flower
gardens a lagoon for boating, fishing and ice skating 12
shelters, picnic areas, camping area and a nine hole golf
course.
In 1983, then President of Council, Barbara
Marley referred to the public affairs committee a request
to rename the facility Schlatter Park in honor of two local
brothers, Lt. Gen. David Schlatter and Brig. Gen. George
Schlatter. The committee decided not to change the name.
More recently (2003), Councilpeson, Arlen
Lowery has suggested changing the name to John Jacobs Field
in honor of a local resident who has spent countless hours
at the park over many years.
2
of Areas Finest Softball Pitchers Fondly Remembered
From
R/t July 19, 2003
(Article
by Gene Kinn)
Two area fast pitch softball pitchers made their marks in
the 1940's and 1950's. Both died within the past several
years.
Richard H."Rip" Riley Sr. was born in 1924 in Wayne.
He began playing softball because the small Wood County
high school wasn't big enough to field a baseball team.
His softball career record included nearly 1,500 wins and
approximately 300 losses with nearly 200 of the victories
being no hitters. A veteran of the army during World
War ll, he played and pitched in the European softball finals,
Later, while playing in Colorado his team won three national
championships, in 1950, 1951 and 1952. "Rip" was selected
to the All World First Team and was named Most Valuable
Player in each of those three years. In 1950 the 6-foot
five 205-pounder was ranked No. 4 in the world at a time
when softball players were rated.
"Rip" remembered Northwest Ohio as a softball Mecca in the
'40's and 50's. He played with the Ansberg-West Mortuary
club and the Schmidt Beer club of Toledo. At one time,
when he was 18, Riley pitched for six different teams.
In 1956, he pitched for the Dick's TV State Tourney Team
of Fostoria.
"Rip" and his son, Dick Riley Jr. are in the Ohio Softball
Hall of Fame, one of only two such duos to achieve that
high honor.
From all that pitching, "Rip's" right arm was an inch and
three-quarters larger in circumference and no wonder..he
used to warm up from second base. One of his catchers
used to put a steak inside his mitt in hopes that the added
padding would take the sting out of "Rips" fastball, which
was clocked at 104 miles per hour. That fastball resulted
in an average of 17 strikeouts a game.
At age 12 Dick Jr. stepped into the spikes of his father
and became a softball "slugger." He ended up making
10 championship tournament appearances and received All-American
honors three times over. He retired from the game
in the early 1990's.
In later years, "Rip" worked at the Faultless Rubber Company
in Ashland O. including eight yeas as it's business
manager. While there, he was named president of the
Ashland Umpire Association from 1966 to 1970.
Richard H. "Rip" Riley died Feb. 18, 2002.
----------------------------------------------------
Peter
"Big Pete" DiCesare Sr.
Peter "Big Pete" DiCesare Sr. was born in Fostoria May 15,
1924. When he was seven, he fell from a cherry tree
and suffered a compound fracture in his right arm.
It had to be reset a few days later. This resulted
in a crooked right arm that was six inches shorter than
his left. After the injury, he carried a tennis ball
which he would squeeze constantly. He also played
with a rubber ball on a string. He admitted that his
special advantage in pitching fastball softball was his
strong delivery due to the crooked arm.
Pete attended St. Wendelin Schools and was a World War ll
army veteran, receiving the Juvbilee of Liberty Medal from
France. He was affiliated with the Fostoria Knights
of Columbus and was a long-time pitcher for their club team.
He began his pitching career at the age of 13 playing for
the West End Wildcats at City Park.
In one year, he pitched seven straight games without giving
up a base on balls. He also chucked a perfect game
for the Knights, whipping the Wayne Merchants 4-0 at Payne
field. He allowed only two fly balls to be hit to the outfield.
It was his fourth perfect game.
During his 23-year career, the 6-foot, 245 pounder, pitched
more than 800 games, winning 536 and losing 274. He pitched
45 no-hitters. His catcher for at least five of those years
was Robert "Bob" Bradner.
Pete retired from the game in 1960, at the age of 36.
At one time, in 1947, he debated trying out with a /Cleveland
professional softball team or remaining in the show repair
trade. he opted for the shoe business, where he remainded
for the rest of his life.
Pete
"Big Pete" DiCesare Sr. died April 13, 2000
Charlie Macias, Bill Cline and Jim Shumaker provided much
of this historical information on two of the area's finest
sport's figures.
Fostoira
2003
Candyland
Restaurant History
From
Review/times April 1, 2003
(Article
by Gene Kinn)
The "For Sale" sign is up at the Candyland Restaurant,
224 N. Main St. It may well continue to
operate as a restaurant, under new ownership.
It may even retain the name, but in any case, another
era will have ended in downtown Fostoria.
Steven Stavoroplulus, a Greek immigrant, established
the Fostoria Candy Works at 110 N Main St., Now a part
of the J. Miller store. Stavoropulus continued
to own and operate the Candy Shop until 1923 when it
was sold to J. Pavlakos, James Pappas and Nicholos Lekras.
The business continued under those three gentlemen,
at that same location, until 1929. The partners later
opened a second store at 124 S. Main St. under the name
of Candyland. The South Main location was
supplied with ice cream and other delicacies produced
at the North Main Street store.
In August of 1929, the Fostoria Candy Works was badly
damaged during construction of the new S.S. Kresge Store
on the corner of Main and Center street, (The old Ohio
Savings & Loan building) and it was impossible to
continue business there. At that time, the partnership
was dissolved. Lekas moved to Detroit, Pavlakos
moved to California, and James Pappas became the sole
owner of Candyland. In 1938, he moved the business
to the present location (224 N. Main St.)
James "Jim" Pappas retired in 1958 and turned the operation
over to his son George and his wife, Mary. They
operated the restaurant until the late 1990's having
expanded into the two buildings north of the original
one. ( in earlier times was Railroad depot.)
George then retired and his daughter Cleo Custer assumed
the management of the facility. Mary continued
to assist with the cooking.
Mary is the Daughter of the late Mike Brown, known for
many years as "Fostoria's Shoe Man."
Local
Lifesaver Honored
From
R/t Jan. 16, 2003
Warren
Overly
Received Lifetime Achievement Award from Fostoria
Chapter Red Cross
The Fostoria Chapter of the American Red Cross recently
honored a local man with a Lifetime Achievement Award
for his blood donations totaling more than 28 gallons
Warren Overly, who died at the age of 76 on Dec. 18 2002
helped save more than 150 lives with his donation beginning
in the 1950s according to Judy Shoemaker executive director
of the local chapter.
Shoemaker presented the award to Overly's wife, Della
this week during the bloodmobile at High Street United
Methodist Church
"He was so proud of (giving blood)," Della said.
" He went all over for it." she said, mentioning that
Warren would call the Red Cross to find out where a bloodmobile
was being conducted every 56 days the required time between
donations. In addition to Fostoria, he'd given blood
in locations including Findlay, Tiffin Toledo, Wapakoneta
and even In Florida.
"And he did (call) like clockwork." said Shoemaker, noting
that Overly is the first recipient she's heard of to receive
a Life time Achievement Award from the Fostoria chapter.
He was among the top 32 givers among about 150,000 across
Northwest Ohio, she said.
"He was dedicated, that's for sure," Della said
with a smile. "He helped a lot of people."
History
making Buckeye Football 14-0
National
Champs 2002
TEMPE, Ariz. Jan 4th -- It was an extraordinary ending to
an extraordinary season.
After all the close calls Ohio State survived this season,
it was only fitting that the national championship game
was settled in double overtime.
And just like the 13 previous contests, the Buckeyes came
out victorious, knocking off the previously top-ranked Miami
Hurricanes 31-24 to claim their first national championship
in 34 years.
One has to wonder if coach Jim Tressel had his trophy acceptance
speech pre-planned, but his post-game comments after ending
the Hurricane's 34-game winning streak were perfect for
the occasion.
"We are so proud of these young men -- these 13 seniors,"
Tressel said. "We've always had the best damn band in the
land, now we got the best damn team in the land."
After Maurice Clarett put the Buckeyes on top in the second
overtime with a 5-yard run, a goal-line stand preserved
the victory. Linebacker Cie Grant forced an errant throw
from Hurricane quarterback Ken Dorsey on fourth-and-goal
from the 1, and Donnie Nickey knocked the pass down as the
predominantly Ohio State crowd erupted.
Miami scored rather effortlessly in its first overtime possession
as Dorsey hooked-up with Kellen Winslow for a 7-yard touchdown
pass.
Ohio State countered with probably the longest overtime
possession in college football history. An 11-play drive
ended in a 1-yard Craig Krenzel run. The Buckeyes twice
converted on fourth downs, the first a 17-yard Krenzel to
Michael Jenkins completion on fourth-and-14. A pass interference
call on the second fourth down kept the game going, despite
premature fireworks erupting over Sun Devil Stadium.
It was a shocking first 30 minutes to say the least. After
struggling with field position throughout the first quarter,
Ohio State converted three Miami turnovers into two touchdowns
and a 14-7 halftime lead.
Just as many of the so-called "experts" predicted, Ohio
State keyed on stopping Miami running back Willis McGahee
to make quarterback Ken Dorsey beat them. McGahee finished
the first quarter losing 2 yards on six carries, yet the
Hurricanes led 7-0.
Miami scored the game's first touchdown late in the first
quarter. After taking over on their own 48, the Hurricanes
drove 52 yards in five plays with Dorsey connecting with
Roscoe Parrish for a 25-yard touchdown. Dorsey avoided the
blitzing Nickey and found Parrish open in single coverage
in Nickey's absence. Todd Sievers added the extra point.
The Buckeyes turned the ball over on the first play of their
next possession as Miami free safety Sean Taylor picked-off
a tipped Krenzel desperation heave at the Hurricane 35.
The miscue proved to be no more than a punt-substitute,
though, as Miami was forced to punt after advancing to the
Buckeye 44.
Ohio State's average starting field position through its
first four drives was its own 14-yard line. But as he had
done numerous times throughout the season, Buckeye All-American
punter Andy Groom single-handedly changed the field position
battle with a towering 58-yard punt that Parrish was only
able to return one yard to the Ohio State 13.
Dustin Fox picked off a poorly-thrown Dorsey pass three
plays later and returned it 13 yards to the Miami 37. The
Buckeyes moved the ball to the Hurricane 18 before lining
up for a field goal attempt. Deviating from the ultra-conservative
play-calling Ohio State has shown all year, Tressel elected
to fake the field goal and send the holder, Groom, scurrying
for the first down. But Groom was stopped a yard short of
the first down as Miami took over on its own 17.
Fortunately for Ohio State, Dorsey was in the giving spirit
once again on Miami's ensuing possession. Five plays into
the drive, Andre Johnson tipped a Dorsey pass directly into
the hands of Buckeye safety Michael Doss, who returned the
interception 18 yards to the Miami 17.
Ohio State didn't squander this opportunity. Krenzel spun
over the goal line on fourth-and-goal from the 1 for the
first Ohio State score. Mike Nugent's extra point tied the
game at 7.
Another Hurricane turnover on the first play of the next
drive resulted in seven more Ohio State points. Kenny Peterson
forced a Dorsey fumble at the Buckeye 14 and fellow lineman
Darrion Scott recovered. Clarett put Ohio State on top two
plays later on a 7-yard burst straight up the middle. Nugent's
PAT made it 14-7 with 1:10 left in the half.
An entire game's worth of momentum swings ended in three
more Ohio State points midway through the third quarter.
A 57-yard Krenzel-to-Chris Gamble bomb gave the Buckeyes
a first-and-goal at the 6. But on the following play, Krenzel
was again intercepted by Taylor, who returned the ball out
of the end zone. Clarett chased Taylor down after a 30-yard
gain and stole the ball away from him as he was applying
the tackle. The double turnover gave the Buckeyes a first
down at the Miami 28.
After gaining just one yard on three tries, Ohio State settled
for a 44-yard Nugent field goal for a 17-7 lead.
Miami cut into the Buckeye lead late in the third quarter
following a rare Groom shank. The 30-yard punt gave the
Hurricanes the ball on their own 46. Three Dorsey-to-Winslow
passes moved the ball to the Ohio State 9, where McGahee
took it in on a sweep right. Sievers' kick pulled Miami
to within three at 17-14.
After a 10-play, 47-yard Ohio State drive took nearly five
minutes off the clock, the Buckeyes came up empty-handed
when the normally reliable Nugent missed from 42 yards out.
Miami nearly drove the length of the field before a fifth
turnover put an end to the drive. On third-and-8 from the
Ohio State 47, Dorsey connected with Parrish for a 29-yard
gain before fumbling at the Buckeye 16. Will Allen pounced
on the loose ball to end the drive.
The Buckeyes ate two more minutes off the clock before the
Hurricanes forced a punt from the Ohio State 36. Parrish
atoned for his previous mistake, nearly returning the Groom
all the way for the score before the Buckeye punter held
him up at the 36.
Sievers' 40-yard field goal three plays later, as time expired,
sent the game into overtime.
