Teams have special things that they do to honor their past and reward a player today. I present to you a short snippet about the Block O jersey at The Ohio State University and it's honor to Bill ...

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/cfb by /u/djsassan on 2023-08-24 03:38:52.

Original Title: Teams have special things that they do to honor their past and reward a player today. I present to you a short snippet about the Block O jersey at The Ohio State University and it’s honor to Bill Willis.

---

Bill Willis was freak of an athlete at the time he played for Ohio State in the 1940s and then then Cleveland Browns in the 1940s and 1950s, leading OSU to a national championship in 1942. He is often credited to be the first African-American professional football player. His #99 was retired some years ago by Ohio State, one of only seven numbers retired by the Buckeyes. After his playing days, he ended up as the chairman of the Ohio Youth Commission and worked hard to help troubled youth for the remainder of his life.

When the NCAA allowed the number 0 (zero) to be used, Ryan Day created a unique way to use the number. The number 0, as it looks like a block O on the OSU jersey, was deemed to be a special honor jersey only to be worn by a player who exemplifies character both on and off the field. Bill Willis was #99, but the Block O jersey has been deemed to be a way to honor him and what he did both on and off the field. It represents Toughness, Honor, and Fight.

Former Block O jerseys were Jonathan Cooper, Thayer Munford, and last year was Kamryn Babb. If you don’t know who Kam Babb is and his tough ass journey, I encourage you to watch this video of when he caught this TD last year late in a game, after going through SIX surgeries total between 2 ACL injuries on EACH knee:

This year’s recipient of the Block O jersey is Xavier Johnson, in his 6th year after starting out as a walk-on. This story here tells of his journey and how he has fought for his time while demonstrating the utmost character to earn the honor of the Block O jersey for 2023.

Hope you enjoyed this quick read, and I would love to hear other unique things school to preserve tradition while honoring a player for who they are today!