He was standing in front of the wrought iron fence surrounding Michigan Stadium Looking distinguished, friendly, nicely dressed in scarlet and gray that screamed huge fan, he was obviously a stop for this author. All it took was a Go Bucks and we were engaged in a pleasant conversation.

We had chatted several minutes without even exchanging names as Buckeye fans can easily do. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. There they were. Three pair of small gold pants on a gold chain around his neck, the dangled right in front of me. It dawned on me what I was looking at! I had never seen pair up close. (Man you need a bodyguard I thought.)

“You must be either a former player or a player’s parent,” I said to him.

“I’m a father of a current player,” he told me. He graciously went on to share some wise and interesting thoughts about his son, this team, Coach Tressel and what playing for the Buckeyes means to his family. You will enjoy reading his insights that I hope to include in Stories of the Shoe. Stay tuned.