5 Things You Didn’t Know About The Ohio State University

The Ohio State University is one of the most cherished sources of tradition and spirit in the Buckeye State. From football games to daily campus life, there’s a lot to love.

We were able to spend a whole weekend with Ohio State’s cheerleaders as they competed at the 2017 UCA College National Championship in Orlando, Florida. They were loud; they were proud and full of Buckeye spirit.

Here are 5 things we learned about The Ohio State University:

1. Ohio State is among the schools with the “happiest freshmen,” according to CBS MoneyWatch.

2. Other universities brought live animals to the games as mascots. But bringing an actual “buck” deer to games would have been problematic, so they chose a buckeye nut to represent Ohio State.

3. At games after every victory, the Alpha Pi Omega fraternity rings the victory bell that hangs in the Ohio Stadium. You can hear it from 5 miles away!

4. A Buckeye tree is planted at the Ohio Stadium Buckeye Grove for each player who earned All-American status the previous season.

5. Why is it called THE Ohio State University? Some say it was to distinguish Ohio State from Oklahoma State University and others sharing the “OSU” acronym, but it was actually first used in a piece of state legislation when the university was renamed in 1878.

Find out more about The Ohio State Buckeyes in a Varsity TV documentary premiering March 15.