There are 48 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to sleep I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.

Don Scott was Ohio State's first All-American at quarterback.

NO. 48 DON SCOTT, HB/QB (1938-1940)
High School: Canton McKinley
Died: 1943 (England)

OHIO STATE CAREER:

• The Buckeyes were 14-9-1 with Scott on the team.
• 1939 Big Ten Title.

HONORS:

• 1939 All-American.
• 1939 All-Big Ten.
• 1940 All-American.
• 1940 All-Big Ten.
• 1943 Ohio State's airport is re-named Don Scott Airport.
• 1988 Inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
• 2000 Named to the Ohio State All-Century Team.
• Stark County High School Hall of Fame.
• Canton City School's track is named after Scott.

NFL DRAFT
Round 1 to the Chicago Bears with the 9th pick of the 1941 draft.
 

Don Scott's Ohio State career per ohiostatebuckeyes.com:

A two-time All-American, Don Scott was the first Ohio State quarterback to earn such an honor. On the football field, he was considered one of the most talented and versatile players in OSU's history. Coach Esco Sarkkinen credits him with superbly masterminding the undisputed 1939 Big Ten Championship team. Scott also played on the 1939 basketball team that won the Big Ten and played in the first ever NCAA finals. Scott also played baseball and track for Ohio State.

Scott had to decide between the NFL and WWII per Wikipedia:

Scott was ninth overall selection in the 1941 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Chicago Bears. Scott decided to volunteer to fight in the war in Europe.

Scott had participated in the Civilian Pilot Training Program, sponsored by the Civil Aeronautics Administration, while at Ohio State. When he entered the United States Army Air Forces it was as a commissioned pilot.

Don Scott volunteered to fly in WWII rather than play in the NFL as a 1st round draft pick.

Don Scott and WWII per library.osu.edu:

When World War II broke out, many OSU students immediately signed up to join in the fight, suspending their studies for a much greater cause. Probably none of them was more well-known than Don Scott, the archetypical Big Man on Campus.

[...]

After enlisting, by May 1941, Scott, along with other OSU athletes were stationed in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for Air Corps Training Detachment. By October, Scott had completed training and had advanced to get his wings and commission in the Army Air Corps. He was eventually promoted to a Captain.

Unfortunately, on October 1, 1943, at the age of 23, Scott was killed in a bomber crash over England. This marked the 100th alumnus or former student to give his life in World War II. One week after his death, on October 8, his wife gave birth to their child, Don Sands Scott.

The creation of Don Scott Field per library.osu.edu:

Soon after Scott’s death, President Bevis presented a resolution to the Board of Trustees that read, in part:

[Scott] was one of the nation’s great athletes; he was a sportsman in the finest sense of that term; he was a thorough gentleman, beloved by all who knew him; his life brought great credit to his alma mater. … As a fitting commemoration … I desire to propose to this Board that the airfield now owned and operated by the University be designated ‘Don Scott Field.’

The board approved the resolution and the newly named Don Scott Field was used by the Navy until the end of the war, when OSU transferred its focus to a civilian aviation curriculum.

For more information on other players who wore No. 9 go here.

Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide, ohiostatebuckeyes.com, library.osu.edu and Wikipedia
 

ALL PLAYERS COVERED TO DATE