Ohio State football coaches Jim Tressel, John Cooper and Earle Bruce had some special guests at this year's Buckeye Football Spring Kickoff on Wednesday. The coaches were joined by Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Proceeds from the event were donated to The Tressel Family Fund For Cancer Prevention and The Earle and Jean Bruce Alzheimer's Research Fund at the Ohio State University Medical Center.
"Ohio State is great and those championship banners mean a lot," Tressel said, "but if we can be the ones to find those cures then we will be the Super Bowl champions."
Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes."It used to be put on through the Alzheimer's Foundation but this year it is coach Tressel's and coach Bruce's research funds," said Ryan Prestel, a member of the Spring Kickoff Committee. "We had to start from scratch. It's pretty successful despite the economic climate."
Holmes was introduced with a video of his Super Bowl-winning touchdown. He took to the podium to say a few words about what he has been up to and what OSU means to him.
"It's definitely an honor to be here today. It took a lot for coach to get me up here," Holmes said. "I've been running around a lot dealing with off and on the field things from winning the Super Bowl."
But Holmes said he has never forgotten his experience at OSU.
"Everywhere I go, every place I've been, I'm always reminded of something from Ohio State. Whether I see someone with a shirt on or just with the colors on," Holmes said. "I'm always thinking about Ohio State."
LeBeau took the stage next and discussed his time as a Buckeye and in the NFL. He has spent 45 years in the league and has won two Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator.
"This is like a trip back home for me. Coach Cooper and I worked together," he said. "Coach Earle and I have been friends for longer than either of us would like to admit. I never got to work for or play for coach Tressel, but the Lord was smiling down on Ohio State when he brought that man to Columbus."
Representatives from the offensive line, the defensive line and special teams also came forward to talk about the upcoming season.
The event also featured both a live and silent auction, with sports memorabilia ranging from an autographed picture of late coaches Woody Hayes and Bo Schlembechler to an OSU helmet signed by all four living Heisman winners: Howard "Hopalong" Cassidy, Archie Griffin, Eddie George and Troy Smith.
Fans who missed out on the event can look forward to it again next year.
"We plan on running it for the next couple of years. As long as coach Tressel comes to us, we'll be here," Prestel said.
Lauren Ludlow can be reached at ludlow.9@osu.edu.
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