Getting shouts of “Woody” from passers-by is a common occurrence for Roger Thomas. Buckeye fans have seen more and more of him the past two years, somewhere between Champions Lane Avenue and Ohio Stadium. To them he is more than just a common man standing on the corner before a home football game; he is a window into the history and tradition of OSU.

“He definitely gets a lot of attention,” Thomas’s friend, Tom Jackson said. Jackson is usually along for the trip and takes pictures for fans with Thomas.

Thomas, a Woody Hayes look-a-like, can be seen at the marching band Skull Session in St. John Arena as well as being greeted with open arms by tailgaters and fans seeking photo opportunities. No matter where he is, he’s bringing a smile to someone’s face.

When Thomas stands tall wearing a red neck tie with his white shirt tucked neatly into his pressed gray trousers, his wire-rim glasses squarely on his nose and peeking out below his old fashioned “Block O” baseball cap, it’s hard not to take a look at the 64-year-old and wonder whether Woody’s spirit is re-incarnated on football Saturdays.

“I thought I died and saw Woody again,” former OSU quarterback Cornelius Green said. “He looks just like him.”

Many of the people Thomas has gotten to meet include former Buckeyes such as Jim Stillwagon, John Hicks, Champ Hanson and a list of others from the past. Thomas often can be seen making an appearance at fund-raisers around the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe, and for the most part that is where he gets to meet what he refers to as “true heroes” from OSU’s past. According to Thomas, Stillwagon leaned over to him and whispered, “You even walk like the old man.”

When Thomas started doing his Woody Hayes impersonation it was only for a few friends, former OSU alumni who lived in his area around Tipp City, Ohio. People often would invite him to parties in order to entertain and have something to tie into OSU while watching a sporting event.

Over the years he and his wife of 36 years, Sandy, who he met while at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, have made it to between one and three games a year, often traveling to Indiana, Northwestern or Cincinnati. About two years ago they decided to start coming up to Columbus for a Saturday home game or two, the twist being Thomas in his Woody Hayes persona. One or two games developed into as many home games as possible because the two life-long Buckeye fans fell in love with the atmosphere.

“I am still astounded at the influence that Woody still has,” Thomas said. “I’m very careful not to do anything to depreciate or bring shame to his memory.”

On one occasion a woman came up to Thomas and began to tell a story about what Woody Hayes had meant to her. During her story the woman could not hold back and burst into tears as she continued to talk about how much Woody meant to her. It’s stories like these that Thomas has been piling up for the past few seasons.

About five years ago Thomas, who graduated with a degree in business from Miami, was at work in Tipp City where he serves as a futures broker. A customer had set up an appointment and upon entering Thomas’s office immediately turned around and returned from his car with a picture of his father and Woody Hayes. Thomas sat and listened as his customer told him how his father had coached Woody years ago and how much Thomas had reminded him of the famous OSU coach.

“I looked at a picture of Woody when he was 16 years old and one of me when I was 16,” Thomas said. “I didn’t think we looked very much alike back then, so that tells me one thing. Either I got uglier or Woody got a lot better looking as he aged. I’d like to think it’s the latter.”

Hayes and Thomas both share an interest in some of the same things. For instance, both of them were fans of famed American general George Patton. Thomas, who served as a part of the 316th Special Forces and saw time in Europe as a part of a select group that trained with the British SAS, also enjoys studying the history of World War II and tracing his family history.

Before the Bowling Green game, as Thomas sat outside St. John Arena – near where the team walked from the Skull session to Ohio Stadium – he got to meet defensive linemen Tim Anderson’s mom.

Thomas has big dreams for what he is doing now as a look-a-like. He said he hopes someday he may be able to work with the OSU cheerleaders and stir the crowd in the Shoe by walking out onto the field. He said he also hopes that, sooner or later, someone will make a movie about the life of Woody Hayes and he will get the opportunity to play the lead.

“Woody is an institution,” Jackson said. “He will live on forever at OSU.”

With the help of people like Roger Thomas, it’s not hard to see why.