Many young Ohioans have dreams of one day playing in the Horseshoe. For the 6-foot, 190-pound wide receiver Chad Cacchio, his dream has become a reality. “Growing up as a kid, my biggest dream was to become an Ohio State football player,” Cacchio said. “I grew up an Ohio State fan, my family are Ohio State fans. It was something I always looked forward to doing.” Growing up in Upper Arlington, Cacchio played high school football just miles from campus and was a walk-on at OSU in the fall of 1996. After three seasons of hard work, dedication and commitment Cacchio earned an athletics scholarship last year and wound up playing a major role in the receiver rotation.”It`s been a lot of fun,” he said. “This is my last year and when I approached the season I wanted to make it as fun we possibly could and I think I`m doing that well.””Chad has done a great job for us,” said OSU head coach John Cooper. ” He came here and worked hard. He is probably as productive as any receiver we have had on our team all year. We call him the money guy. If somebody wants a key pass caught, we throw it to No. 13.”Cacchio feels he has been practicing the same as he does every year. In his eyes it`s a matter of opportunities and making plays on those opportunities. Tim Salem, OSU`s receiver coach, said he is a very coachable player who has really stepped up this season.”At the start of the year we thought he was going to help us and contribute and he has proved himself by doing that,” Salem said. “Chad has made big plays and big catches.”Many may wonder what No. 13 is like off the field. Good friend and teammate Scott McMullen, quarterback from Granville said, “Chad is a really funny guy, who is extremely outgoing with a good sense of humor.” McMullen feels Cacchio is a class-act guy who works hard.”The five years he`s been here he really put his time in and it has all paid off this year,” McMullen said.Cacchio, an Academic All-Big Ten selection and OSU Scholar-Athlete, obviously takes his education seriously.”I think football is great, but you can`t play football your entire life. You need to set up options in your life and that is what education does, it opens up doors for you,” Cacchio said.Cacchio will be receiving his degree in finance this year and is hoping to be accepted into the Ohio State Dental School. As for the future, Cacchio is not sure where his football career is headed.”I`m trying not to look back on my career right now, I realize I have accomplished a lot and I`ve accomplished a lot of my goals. I`ll probably sit back, think about it, and take it all in when I`m done.”