After 64 years Block O continues to put school spirit into the hearts of Ohio State students and football fans.
Block O began in 1938, when OSU football cheerleader Clancy Issac saw a similar group during an away game and decided OSU needed its own student cheering section.
It was made up of about 15 OSU male cheerleaders, and they had to use colored paper for their stunts (words and letters students hold up during the game), said Andrew Brown, secretary of Block O.
Today Block O is a 1,200 student cheering section responsible for keeping the crowd in the game by starting chants such as O-H-I-O and the wave, besides doing the usual stunts.
It’s the job of Block O to keep the crowd into it and make football an enjoyable experience, said Jarrod Weiss, president of Block O.
It seems to be working as people turn to Block O to increase the noise and energy levels inside the stadium.
“There’s definitely a positive reaction from outside, people come up to us and say, ‘Wow you guys were so loud!’,” Weiss said. “When Block O gets loud so does the rest of the stadium.”
Aaron Lasseigne, a senior in computer science, agrees Block O is a good idea to help charge the atmosphere in the stadium.
“It’s a good concept and increases school spirit,” he said.
Weiss said it has become so popular alumni and the general public are also trying to get their tickets in Block ‘O’, but unfortunately the students get there first.
“We have a lot of freshman who check off the box on their ticket application for Block O, it’s a great way to meet new people and become involved.” he said.
The students of Block O get to the stadium an hour and a half before the game starts just to prepare.
“There’s a spirit committee under the south stands and they are there to paint people before the game,” Weiss said. “Some guys come in, strip off their shirts, and paint their entire chest.”
There are no assigned seats, so students are lined up from bottom to top as they come in, students who get there the earliest get better seats, said Weiss.
Getting everyone prepared for the game may be easier though than getting them to cooperate during the game.
“A lot of people get so into the game they don’t want to sit down for the stunts, so we try to do them during a time out,” he said.
Some students are starting to notice when people in Block ‘O’, are paying more attention to the game than to their stunts.
“I think Block O is ineffective because when they hold up the signs you can’t read them,” said Matt Miller, a senior in economics.
While training programs have been discussed for the members of Block O, it would be hard to organize with so many people.
“It’s is hard enough to get people just to come to our activities,” Weiss said.
There is a person on a mike in the section during games to keep everyone involved in the game and remind them of when a stunt is coming up, he said.
Block O is working with the Beat Michigan committee to add some special surprises for the Michigan game.
They’re going to use tailgaters surrounding the area from St. John’s Arena to the stadium to make a human spirit tunnel, that the players will run through on their way to the stadium, said Weiss. Plus there will be a stand set up in front of St. Johns Arena offering to paint any OSU fan.
The cheering organization is performing a double sided stunt for the big game, which is supposedly very difficult, but Weiss has been sworn to secrecy as to what it will say.
“I’m not allowed to tell,” he said.
Block O has been exported to a few opposing stadiums this season.
“We took about 40 students to the Northwestern game and 100 students to Purdue, we try to do at least one long trip and one short trip every year,” he said.
The section has come to include more than just a student cheering in Ohio staduim.
“We are an actual student organization, with an executive board made up of nine students and two staff advisors,” Weiss said. “We are trying to branch out and offer more activities and community service opportunities.”
Students who have a football ticket are not automatically in the organization, they have to pay a $5 membership fee, Weiss said.
The fee doesn’t seem to bother many students since membership numbers have increased in recent years to 730 students.
Organizations like Block O are common among the Big Ten schools.
While most schools have student cheering sections, six out of ten have actual organizations, Weiss said.
The Block O cheering section has also expanded to include the OSU’s men’s basketball team, only this time it is called the “Nut House”.
There has also been discussions of a cheering section at the hockey games and naming it the “Frozen Nuts”, Weiss said.
“We’ll keep expanding as long as there is interest,” he said.
