Ohio State recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of Script Ohio and the Block “O” student organization is just two years shy of this milestone.
Block “O” was started in 1938 by Clarence ‘Clancy’ Isaac Jr., a former Buckeye head cheerleader. There have been numerous changes to the organization in its 73 years, but at least one thing remains the same: its devotion to OSU athletics.
Michael Falcon, a fourth-year in finance and Block “O” treasurer, said he enjoys the atmosphere created by OSU students at sporting events.
“Being loud and being crazy and not holding anything back, that’s the best part about being a student at Ohio State and being a part of Block ‘O,'” he said.
Tim Collins, a third-year in sociology and psychology and Block “O” president, said he appreciates that Block “O” and the student section have the possibility to affect the outcome of a game.
“My favorite part about Block ‘O’ is probably just the feeling of satisfaction that you get knowing that you and other students at a game, a football game, soccer game, basketball game, made a difference,” he said. “You always hear about home-field advantage, there’s a reason for that.”
Derrick Black, a fourth-year in marketing and logistics and Block “O” vice president, also welcomes this opportunity.
“If you’re loud and crazy, you can change the game,” he said.
Occasionally, coaches have thanked Block “O” for swaying the game in their favor, Collins said.
The organization has about 2,500 members, making it the largest student organization on campus. Students can join either by purchasing Block “O” student section tickets or by signing up and paying a fee. The fee for joining the group is $10 annually.
Block “O” members have the possibility of attending two OSU football away games this year — at Purdue University and University of Michigan. Forty members with the largest number of “Blockie points” are invited to pay a fee to join the 15 Block “O” executives on a bus and attend the away games, Black said. Members can obtain these points by attending Block “O” meetings and different OSU games.
Collins said the points give members something to work toward.
“It becomes fun and competitive,” he said.
Block “O” is responsible for starting many chants at games. The organization has between 15 and 20 chants it can pull from during a game, Collins said.
Black and Collins both said the “Buckeye Bounce” is their favorite chant to do at games. This is a chant to the song “Seven Nation Army” by the White Stripes.
“The Buckeye Bounce was started by two Block ‘O’ officers two years ago,” Collins said. “Then come the USC game (in 2009), the entire stadium was doing the Buckeye Bounce.”
Collins, Black and Falcon said the Wisconsin game has been their favorite game to attend this season.
“The students were electric,” Collins said. “All 30,000 of us, the rally towels, everything came together. It shows and defines what students can really bring to a game.”
Collins said the organization is looking forward to bringing its “Nut House” energy to the Schottenstein Center this basketball season.
“I believe out of all sports the home crowd can make a difference in a basketball game,” Collins said. “It’s 40 minutes of non-stop action. The students are always engaged.”
