Final ramblings from last week’s Northwestern game: As I stood on the sideline of Ohio Stadium, I thought about how far I, and this project, have come. A year ago during Northwestern week, I was working hard to get this off the ground. Having been to every home game to work the crowd, when Northwestern rolled around I was pretty tired. The thought of sitting in the cold in Evanston at the end of the year with the wind whistling off Lake Michigan was not too appealing. I decided not to go.

The morning of the game I awoke at 4 am. “What are you doing I thought? ....you have to be where the fans are.” So I crawled out of a warm bed, took a shower, and left my wife a note in the kitchen... “Oh by the way honey, I went to the game in Evanston.” By 5 am, I was alone on the road with nothing but a heavy coat and a thermos of hot tea. Six hours later and $75 lighter I was outside Ryan Field and purchasing a ticket on the 40-yard line.

It was a 3:30 start and by beginning of the 4th quarter, it was cold, dark, late, and the game decided. With a 6-hour drive home alone, I should have left. But I was driven to stay, for what I knew was coming due to the game that was to follow.

Sure enough, when the game ended the Ohio State fans owned the stadium and they broke out in unison “We don’t give a damn about the whole state of .....”. If you have ever been to a game there, you know you walk a bunch through residential neighborhoods to get to the distant parking. There have been many magical moments in my following of the Buckeyes, but walking down those streets, a herd of thousands of Buckeyes, singing that song, will forever be burned in my psyche.

I got home about 1:30 am that next morning. The last hundred miles I stopped to doze so I could keep it on the road. I would do it all again in an instant to experience that one magical moment of a memorable season.

This year I am known, the stories are coming, and no, I will not get up at 4AM and drive to Minnesota tomorrow. Things have come a long way.