There are 15 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to bed I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.

NO. 15 CHRIS SPIELMAN, LB (1984-87)
Born: 1965 (Canton)
High School: Massillon Washington
 

OHIO STATE CAREER

• The Buckeyes were 34-13-1 with Spielman on the team.
• 1984 Big Ten Title.
• 1986 Big Ten Title.
• 1985 Defeated BYU 10-7 in the Citrus Bowl.
• 1987 Defeated Texas A&M 28-12 in the Cotton Bowl.
• 1985 Defeated No. Iowa 22-13 in Ohio Stadium.
• Went 2-2 against That Team.

HONORS

• 1987 Captain.
• 1987 Team MVP.
• 1987 Lombardi Award.
• 1987 All-American.
• 1987 All-Big Ten.
• 1987 Cotton Bowl Defensive MVP.
• 1986 All-American.
• 1986 All-Big Ten.
• 1985 All-Big Ten.
• 2000 Inducted into the Varsity O Hall of Fame.
• 2009 Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

NFL DRAFT
Round 2 to the Detroit Lions with the 29th pick of the 1988 draft.
 

Chris Spielman's Ohio State career per The Ohio State Team Guide:

Chris Spielman is in the Ohio State records book for a number of reasons. He led the Buckeyes in total tackles in 1986 and 1987 and is Ohio State’s all-time leader in solo tackles. He also holds the OSU record for most total tackles in a game. A three-time all-Big Ten choice and a two-time All-American, Spielman concluded his brilliant career in 1987 by winning the Lombardi Award.

But it was not so much what he did as the way he did it. Those people who claim “You can’t measure heart,” never saw Spielman play. Intense and competitive almost beyond description, Spielman played every down of every game as if the national championship were on the line. Few players have ever been as focused on the playing field.

Spielman was a three-year starter and would have been a four-year regular were it not for two sprained ankles that greatly limited his playing time as a freshman. Still, he collected 546 career tackles, a total that places him third on the all-time OSU list behind Marcus Marek (572) and Tom Cousineau (569).

Spielman’s tackle total includes a school-record 283 solo stops. The Massillon, Ohio, native had his best year in 1986 as a junior, recording 205 total stops, including an OSU record 105 solos. His best game that year was a school record-tying 29 total tackles against Michigan.

Spielman’s Ohio State teams won two Big Ten titles. He played in the Rose and Cotton bowls and was defensive MVP in the latter as a senior.

Upon leaving Ohio State, Spielman became recognized as one of the NFL’s top players, finishing his 12-year career in 1999 with the Cleveland Browns. A four-time Pro Bowl selection, he is a 2000 inductee into the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame and a 2009 enshrinee into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Chris Spielman's life after football per chrisspielman.com:

Currently, Chris is a college football analyst with ESPN, a Professional Speaker and his most important role besides being a father of 4, is that of a Cancer Warrior – Chris continues the fight that he and Stefanie started together shortly after her first diagnosis. He found his biggest opponent to be off the field.

Chris’ life has order: Faith, Family and Community – and he lives it daily in that order.

Chris continues the fight against cancer with the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research.

The other charities Mr. Spielman supports:
Pelotonia Stefanie's Team of Hope
The Spielman Family Foundation
Spielman Gridiron Classic
Wings of the Morning
 

A great piece on Chris Spielman from Buckeye Classics:

Spielman and the Ohio State defense create five turnovers in the Buckeyes upset over No. 1 Iowa in the rain:

For more information on other players who wore No. 36 go here.

Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide, chrisspielman.com, ohiostatebuckeyes.com and Wikipedia
 

ALL PLAYERS COVERED TO DATE