The Buckeye Tradition

As a Buckeye living outside of the midwest, I am often asked "What exactly is a Buckeye?"

Technically, a Buckeye (Aesculus glabra) is small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch that comes from the official state tree of Ohio, the buckeye tree. According to folklore, the Buckeye resembles the eye of a deer and carrying one brings good luck. “Buckeyes” has been the official Ohio State nickname since 1950, but it had been in common use for many years before.

Commonly, a Buckeye refers to an Ohioan. The first recorded use of the term Buckeye to refer to a resident of the area was in 1788, some 15 years before Ohio became a state. Col. Ebenezer Sproat, a 6’4" man of large girth and swashbuckling mannerisms, led the legal delegation at the first court session of the Northwest Territory in Marietta. The Indians in attendance greeted him with shouts of "Hetuck, Hetuck" (the Indian word for buckeye), it is said because they were impressed by his stature and manner. He proudly carried the Buckeye nickname for the rest of his life and it gradually spread to his companions and to other local settlers. By the 1830s, writers were commonly referring to locals as “Buckeyes.”

For those of us who are Alums of the greatest university in the world, being a Buckeye is a label we wear with pride that represents the traditions of our beloved Alma Mater.The term Buckeye also refers to the round white decals, about the size of a quarter, with a green depiction of a buckeye leaf applied to Ohio State football helmets for big plays and consistency on the field. This tradition started in 1968 when Woody Hayes and longtime athletic trainer Ernie Biggs changed the look of the Ohio State uniforms. Many of the sports at Ohio State incorporate Buckeye Leaves into their equipment and uniforms.

Finally, Buckeyes are also a candy made to look like the Buckeye nut though unlike the nut, they are delicious instead of poisonous...these yummy confections are the heart of a family tradition that began many years ago.

In 1992, my sister and I were living in a small apartment just off High Street at the edge of the Ohio State campus. She was in her second year of medical school and I was in my second year of undergrad. We had grown up on a small farm in Ohio and had been raised to love the Buckeyes. That was the year, without knowing it, we started what would become our “Michigan-week” tradition. In our small kitchen we baked a single recipe of our beloved Buckeye candies and each took half of them to work with us on Friday – her to share with her med school mates and mine to the Ohio State Athletic Training Room. The tradition has continued every year since then even after we moved to different corners of the state or country and seemed to get bigger every year – that first year we made about 50 Buckeyes total; In recent times, some years have seen us well over the 500 mark between us. The tradition has been carried through Ohio, Kentucky, to California for a couple years and even all the way to Hawaii. Now years later, it’s not just her and I carrying on the tradition: Her 6 year-old son and 10 year-old twin daughters know the process of rolling the peanut butter balls and dipping them in chocolate by heart and my wife, now already in her fourth year of the tradition has her own special touches she likes to make to the recipe. This was Juneau and Nova's first of what will be many years of making Buckeyes during "Michigan Week".

So, for 17 years now, my sister and I have been bringing Buckeyes to work with us the Friday before the Ohio State – Michigan game and sharing some Buckeye spirit.

Juneau "helping" roll peanut butter balls

Juneau dipping her first Buckeye

It looked too good to share with everyone

Nova dipping her first Buckeye

Juneau testing out this year's batch to make sure they were safe to share

Obviously, Juneau approves of the family tradition but I'm not sure she realizes she has to wait a whole year until the next batch.

“Time and change will surely show, how firm they friendship, O-HI-O” - from "Carmen Ohio" (The Ohio State Alma Mater)

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Go Bucks!!! Beat Michigan!!!