Hand Signed 1973 Football Ohio State OSU Woody Hayes Archie Griffin Pete Johnson

Description

Hand Signed 1973 Football Ohio State OSU Woody Hayes Archie Griffin Pete Johnson
This is a sale for one of the most desirable
Ohio State University Buckeye
items ever offered for sale on eBay! eBay only allows 12 pictures. If you are a serious buyer, we have more pictures available if you would like to see them. Please let us know and we will send them to you.
This is a hand-signed football from the
1973
Ohio State University football team,
one of the greatest football teams in OSU history!
The ball includes hand signatures by the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner,
Archie Griffin, QB Cornelius Greene
, and
FB
Pete Johnson,
to name a few. It also has an inscription written in
Woody Hayes
's own hand, saying: To VFW Post #2953 Yea Ohio! And then it is signed by Woody.
A complete list of the signatures follows at the end of the description.
We also have an email from OSU historian, Jack Park, who confirms that this is an authentic 1973 signed football.
If you want shipping insurance, let us know before paying, and we will figure the cost and add it to the final invoice.
History of the Ball:
We purchased the ball from a man in Evansville, Indiana who had put an ad in the classified section of The Columbus Dispatch in the fall of 1998.
He explained he was involved in the Evansville VFW Post # 2953, which Woody Hayes frequented when he went to Evansville.
He said Woody offered to give them a signed team ball...and how could they refuse? He explained the VFW Post decided not to display it because, as he said, "Why would we want to display on Ohio State University football in Indiana..even if it
is
signed by Woody Hayes and Archie Griffin?!" I guess I couldn't argue with him there. He said the ball had remained locked up in a safe at the VFW ever since they received it.
When we purchased the ball, we put it in a heavy-duty plastic bag and have never opened it until we took the pictures. As you can see from those pictures, the ball is in immaculate condition.
How the Ball was dated:
We verified it is a 1973 ball by checking the signatures against the 1972, 1973, and 1974 team roster lists. There are players' names on the football that were not on the '72 or '74 rosters, but were on the '73 roster, making it a 1973 ball.
For instance, there are players on the ball who were seniors in 1973 and gone in 1974...like Fred Pagac, Randy Gradishar, Greg Hare, Rich Middleton, and Blair Conway...
Also, Assistant Coach Rudy Hubbard signed the ball, and he went to a school in Florida after the 1973 season.
So, it is definitely NOT a 1974 ball.
And there are players on the ball who were freshmen in 1973, who weren't there in 1972, like Pete Johnson and Tom Skledany. Which means it can't be a 1972 ball.
Thus, it
has
to be a 1973 football.
However, there
are
names on the ball that we could not find on any of the rosters. We have listed those names with question marks. In some cases, we can't really read the writing and so don't know how to actually spell the names. For those, we have some spelling options listed with question marks.
Perhaps these unknown names were players who hadn't been given official numbers yet. Or perhaps they were coaches. Rudy Hubbard, John Mummey, and Esco Sarkkinen are examples of coaches who signed the ball.
Tom Battista signed the ball as well, even though he was listed as a senior on the 1972 roster and is not on the 1973 roster at all. We can only conjecture that perhaps he was still in school (a 5th year senior?) but not on the team. Or maybe he was coaching and/or advising at the time. But, for whatever reason, he participated in the signing of the ball.
We're sure many of you will have all the answers to all these questions and will be able to fill us all in on the details. It's like a puzzle waiting to be solved.
Signatures (and class ranking in 1973)
1st Panel
Archie Griffin, So.
Steve Myers, Jr.
Fred Pagac, Sr.
Rich Middleton, Sr.
Cornelius Greene, So.
Woodrow Roach, So.
Carl Kern, Sr.
Bill Ezzo, Jr.
Mike Bartoszek, Jr.
Bob Gentry, Fr.
Elmer Lippert, Sr.
Van DeCree, Jr.
Jim Cope, Jr.
Doug Plank, Jr.
Larry Kain, Jr.
Lou Williot, So.
Brian Baschnagel, So.
Craig Cassady, So.
Blair Conway, Sr.
John Husband, Sr.
Jeff Davis, Sr.
Tim Fox, So.
John Smurda, Sr.
T.L. Marendt, Sr.
David Hazel, Sr.
Pete Cusick, Jr.
Don Coburn
Peter Souch
Joe Hahn ?
Tom Szabo
Doug "Bubba" France
2nd Panel
Jim Cramer, So.
Nicholas "Bobo" Buonamici, Fr.
Ed Thompson, Fr.
Marvin Battle, Jr.
Ted Smith, So.
Dwight King, Fr.
Howard Thornton, Fr.
Pete Johnson, Fr.
Greg Hare, Sr.
Steve Morrison, Jr. (was his nickname Mac? It says Mac Morrison on the ball.)
Randy Gradishar, Sr.
Bob Brudzinski, Fr.
Gary Lillvis, Jr.
Bob Coan, Fr.
Barney Renard, Fr.
David Purdy, Jr.
Bruce Ruhl, Fr.
Rick Applegate, Fr.
Max Midlam, Fr.
Tom Skladany, Fr.
Jim Pacenta, Fr.
Craig Nemitz, Fr.
Rudy Hubbard - Coach
John Mummey - Coach
Jeff Ferelli
Bob Mitchusson?
Jack M…?
Mike Williams
Jeff J…?
Levi Cook ?
Jerry Janson?
John Johnson (he was a graduate assistant coach)
George Hill (he was an assistant coach)
Michael K…?
Mike Sapp?
Steve Regary? Pegary?
Scott Wolery?
Clarence Perry
3rd Panel
Dan Bembry, Fr.
Larry Molls, Fr.
Lou Pietrini, So.
Pat Curto, So.
Esco Sarkkinen - Coach
Greg Lehman ?
Terry Strong ?
Marv Kinsey?
Jeff Kaplan (he was a manager on the 1973 team)
Bill Davies?
Ernest E. ?
John F…?
Mitch V…?
Steve Regary, Pegary?…signed 2nd panel as well
Randy McEndree? McEndrea?
Chuck Bonica
John Doll?
This is a write-up about the 1973 OSU football team, taken from a description of the DVD, "Buckeye Classics, Vol. III…"
The 1973 Ohio State Buckeyes were one of the most dominant and decorated teams in the history of college football. Led by a brutalizing defense that surrendered just 63 points all year, the Buckeyes ran roughshod over every team but one. But that one came in a hard-fought tie in one of the most famous and controversial Ohio State - Michigan games ever. The game prevented the Buckeyes from a perfect season and set the stage for one of the Big Ten's most contentious events, an unprecedented vote by the league's athletic directors to decide who would go to the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes won the vote and made good on the decision, blasting USC in Pasadena, 42 to 21. And while the tie to Michigan cost the Buckeyes the national title, it could not diminish the remarkable achievements of the 1973 Buckeyes. Their record that year was 10-0-1, it was the best rushing team in school history, setting the OSU record with 355.3 yards per game.
Good Luck bidding!
PAYMENTS:
Unless otherwise arranged, we expect payment to be made within 72 hours (3 days) after purchase. So, if you win the bid or purchase the item on Sunday at 8 pm, we would expect payment by Wednesday at 8 pm. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
TERMS OF SALE:
Items are sold "as is" according to the pictures and descriptions. I have endeavored to photograph and accurately describe every item as to its condition and authenticity to the best of my ability. Photographs are part of the description - I take multiple photographs and in most cases, photos are better than what you would find in a Sotheby's catalog. I am happy to answer any questions during the run of the sale. If you are still not sure about the item, please DO NOT bid until you are.
SHIPPING:
If you want to discuss shipping options, let us know before bidding on the item.
We ship on Thursdays only, and only to those people whose payments have been confirmed. PLEASE NOTE: If your auction ends on a Wednesday, and if you want to be included in that week's shipping schedule, we must have your payment in-hand by 9 A.M. EDT on Thursday morning.
COMBINED SHIPPING COSTS:
We do offer a discount on shipping for additional items. The more the merrier!
SALES TAX TO OHIO PURCHASERS:
We must charge 7.5% sales tax to all Ohio purchasers.
INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS:
Before Bidding, we expect you to request a quote for shipping.
Shipping fees for international buyers will vary. Items will be marked as merchandise, and the actual price will be stated on the customs form.
NEW MERCHANDISE: We add many new items each week from estate and tag sales. We hope to see you again and again! Check out our other items! Be sure to add me to your favorites list!
PAYMENTS:
Unless otherwise arranged, we expect payment to be made within 72 hours (3 days) after purchase. So, if you win the bid or purchase the item on Sunday at 8 pm, we would expect payment by Wednesday at 8 pm. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
TERMS OF SALE:
Items are sold "as is" according to the pictures and descriptions. I have endeavored to photograph and accurately describe every item as to its condition and authenticity to the best of my ability. Photographs are part of the description - I take multiple photographs and in most cases, photos are better than what you would find in a Sotheby's catalog. I am happy to answer any questions during the run of the sale. If you are still not sure about the item, please DO NOT bid until you are.
SHIPPING:
If you want to discuss shipping options, let us know before bidding on the item.
We ship on Thursdays only, and only to those people whose payments have been confirmed. PLEASE NOTE: If your auction ends on a Wednesday, and if you want to be included in that week's shipping schedule, we must have your payment in-hand by 9 A.M. EDT on Thursday morning.
COMBINED SHIPPING COSTS:
We do offer a discount on shipping for additional items. The more the merrier!
SALES TAX TO OHIO PURCHASERS:
We must charge 7.5% sales tax to all Ohio purchasers.
INTERNATIONAL BIDDERS:
Before Bidding, we expect you to request a quote for shipping.
Shipping fees for international buyers will vary. Items will be marked as merchandise, and the actual price will be stated on the customs form.
NEW MERCHANDISE: We add many new items each week from estate and tag sales. We hope to see you again and again! Check out our other items! Be sure to add me to your favorites list!
Unless otherwise arranged, we expect payment to be made within 72 hours (3 days) after purchase. So, if you win the bid on Sunday at 8 pm, we would expect payment by Wednesday at 8 pm. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!
_gsrx_vers_837 (GS 7.0.15 (837))