Not only did the 1950 Rose Bowl game mark the first Buckeye victory at the Tournament of Roses in the program’s history, but for one young fan it meant so much more.
On Jan. 2, 1950, a young Jack Park gathered with friends and family to listen to Ohio State take on the California Golden Bears in Pasadena. When OSU kicker Jimmy Hague split the uprights to secure a 17-14 Buckeye win, it was then that Park’s fandom turned into a passion almost unmatched for OSU football.
“I remember listening to that Rose Bowl game on the radio with family and friends,” Park said. “That is a moment that has stuck with me to this day and that was 60 years ago.”
Growing up in the small town of New Lexington, Ohio, about 55 miles southeast of Columbus, Park was raised a Buckeye through and through. The son of a former OSU marching band member, he was exposed to Buckeye football early and often.
From the time he was in fifth grade, Park, his mother and father would make the trek to Ohio Stadium for every home game and his infatuation for the game and the program flourished.
“I really got hooked on Ohio State football and I just really enjoyed it,” Park said. “I would memorize all of the player’s names and numbers and would devour The Columbus Dispatch sports page on Sunday morning.”
When it came time for Park to select a college, some smaller colleges showed interest in Park as a football prospect, but his allegiance to OSU never wavered.
“I knew I wanted to go to Ohio State and I really never considered going anywhere but Ohio State,” he said.
Even as a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, Park would often return to Columbus on weekends to watch his beloved Bucks.
Finishing his master’s degree in 1969, Park began his professional accounting career. Just 10 years later, however, his love and passion for OSU would turn into work as well.
After appearing as a guest to talk OSU football on Columbus’ WBNS radio’s nightly sports talk show a few times in the fall of 1979, Park was offered a small position as a freelance radio talent in 1980.
This proved to be just the beginning of Park’s career as a famed OSU football historian.
In 1985, Park began recording his daily “Buckeye Flashback” for the station, which still airs today. Written and recorded by Park, these daily short OSU football features began airing across the state during football season in 1998.
Park’s work can also be found in the form of weekly columns during football season on the Columbus Dispatch’s buckeyextra.com and suburban newspapers around central Ohio.
Being urged by friends and peers to share his profound knowledge of OSU football, Park came out with his first book in 1992 and has written three more since.
Most notably Park spent six years compiling the complete history of OSU football from its beginnings in 1890 to the beginning of the Jim Tressel era in 2001 when The Official Ohio State Football Encyclopedia was published.
“When I wonder something about Ohio State or have a question about Ohio State football I can always go to that book and look it up and probably get the answer,” said former OSU coach Earl Bruce. “It is very well done and it is a classic.”
While Park is the OSU football historian and his name appears on the books, he maintains that it is really a team effort between himself and his wife, Sue.
“We have done four Ohio State football books and she has played a huge part in those,” he said. “Those four books have had my name on them as the author but it has been almost a co-authorship.”
Aside from his books, Park is an accomplished speaker as well. Park travels to more than 30 states each year to deliver a seminar called The Leadership Secrets of Football’s Master Coaches.
Combining his love for football with his knowledge of business, Park has spoken to companies such as BMW and Microsoft to help managers within these companies become better leaders.
Between his circuit of speeches and array of OSU football responsibilities, Park says his enthusiasm for OSU would remain even without all of that.
“If I wasn’t doing what I do as far as the radio work and the writing and speaking and I was just a fan, I would still be just as passionate watching the games and cheering the buckeyes on,” he said.
Now with more than 30 years as a Buckeye football historian under his belt, Park says he has no plans to stop anytime soon and even has an Ohio State-Michigan book in the making.
