Tennessee football‘s matchup against Ohio State in the first round of the College Football Playoff is an elite nickname matchup.
The No. 8 Buckeyes (10-2) will host the No. 9 Vols (10-2) at Ohio Stadium on Saturday with a chance to face No. 1 Oregon in the quarterfinals next weekend on the line. While Tigers, Bulldogs and Wildcats are extremely common nicknames for college programs, both the Buckeyes and Vols bring a variance to the sport.
While Tennessee fans undoubtedly know exactly what a Volunteer is and its origins, some may be unsure what a Buckeye is, or why Ohio State got the nickname. Tennessee and Ohio State have only played each other once, with the Vols earning a 20-14 win over the Buckeyes in the 1996 Citrus Bowl.
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Here’s an explanation of the Buckeyes‘ nickname, including its origin and history:
A buckeye has two meanings. The first is a “small, shiny, dark brown nut with a light tan patch,” according to Ohio State. The nut comes from the official state tree: a buckeye tree.
According to the university’s Museum of Biological Diversity, the term “buckeye” originated with European immigrants coming to the Americas. Indigenous people noticed that Europeans had larger eyes, similar to those of a male buck deer. Thus, the term “buckeye” was born.
According to Ohio State’s library, Col. Ebenezer Sproat was the first person referred to as a “hetuck,” meaning “big buckeye,” in 1788, 15 years before Ohio State became a state. In 1833, future president and General William Harrison used the term several times to describe a special group of Ohio soldiers during the War of 1812 who had conquered a superior number of enemies.
According to OSU, “buckeye” became more common in describing locals in the 1830s, and even more common during Harrison’s 1840 presidential run.
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According to Ohio State football historian Jack Park, newspapers started referring to the team as the Buckeyes since at least 1919. However, the team did not officially adopt the nickname for the program until 1950, when the state adopted it as its official nickname.
Vols fans may notice several stickers adorning the helmets of Ohio State players. They depict buckeye leaves, and are generally awarded for accomplishments related to both individual and team-wide success, according to a report from the Columbus Dispatch.
However, how and why buckeye stickers are distributed to players varies depending on the head coach.
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Before 1965, Ohio State did not have a mascot. Since then, Brutus Buckeye has been the school’s official mascot. Students Ray Bourhis and Sally (Huber) Lanyon are credited with creating the mascot, a papier-mâché version of the mascot at Pi Beta Phi.
According to the school, the mascot premiered on Oct. 30, 1965, at a homecoming football game against Minnesota. Shortly after the mascot was unveiled, the school voted to choose the new name of the mascot, with the name “Brutus Buckeye” winning.
With his name “BRUTUS” plastered across his chest, the costumed mascot wears scarlet pants, a gray-and-scarlet sweater, and a buckeye for his head. According to his bio page, Brutus also wears a hat that legendary football coach Woody Hayes donned while on the sidelines when he coached at OSU.
