When junior Doug Hochberg began producing a video as a tribute to those who serve in the armed forces, he had no idea the sort of support and recognition his work would receive in the weeks leading up to the Buckeyes’ opening game against Navy on Sept. 5.
Hochberg got the idea for the video from a coworker, but his father had always told him to root for the armed services team. Along with his colleague, Hochberg decided to create a tribute to the Navy football team.
“They deserve some sort of tribute to the service that they provide for our country to keep us safe,” Hochberg said.
What came of their efforts is a video titled “Ohio State’s Take the Field Tribute for Navy – 9.5.09” that has taken off on Facebook and other social media sites.
Hochberg’s video urged Ohio State fans to cheer for the Navy football team as they would for the Buckeyes, and it honors men and women who serve the United States military, something that the video states is more important than football.
The video was debuted on YouTube on Aug. 19, and has now been viewed more than 340,000 times.
Fans weren’t the only people paying attention to the video — Hochberg was quickly contacted by the Department of Athletics asking for his permission to play parts of the video on the JumboTron screen at the Ohio Stadium during the game against Navy.
“Ohio State has kind of gotten a black eye in the past couple of years, and we really know that Ohio State fans are good people, good patriotic people that can stand together for this one cause,” Hochberg said.
Hochberg said he is surprised by the recognition the video has gained, but he says he is proud to have spearheaded the movement to support the armed services.
The last time a service academy played in Ohio Stadium before the Sept. 5 game was in 1931.
