We are now down to 84 days (12 Saturdays) until Ohio State plays Oregon State. Today's piece will feature Jim Houston, Robert Brudzinski and Jeff Graham.
Today's Trivia Questions
When Bob Brudzinski played for the Dolphins, what was the nickname given to the defense?
| PLAYER | WORN | B1G MVP | TEAM MVP | AA | CAPT. | 1R NFL | ALL B1G | AC AA | NFL DRAFT | AC B1G | LETTER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hal Dean | 1941-42, 1946 | 1947 | 1941-42, 1946 | ||||||||
| Carlton Kessler* | 1943 | 1943 | |||||||||
| Mardo Hamilton | 1944 | 1944 | |||||||||
| David Bonnie* | 1947 | 1947 | |||||||||
| Sherwin Gandee | 1948-51 | 1948-51 | |||||||||
| Jack Croy | 1952 | 1952 | |||||||||
| Jerry Trabue | 1954 | ||||||||||
| Jim Houston | 1957-59 | 1958, 1959 | 1958, 1959 | 1959 | 1960 | 1958, 1959 | 1957-59 | ||||
| Keith Smith | 1961 | ||||||||||
| Joseph Housteau | 1962-64 | ||||||||||
| Charles Knight | 1965 | ||||||||||
| Archie Haer | 1967 | 1967 | |||||||||
| James Marsh | 1970 | 1970 | |||||||||
| Scott Jones | 1971-72 | ||||||||||
| Robert Brudzinkski | 1973-76 | 1976 | 1976 | 1976 | 1975, 1976 | 1973-76 | |||||
| Douglas Pauley | 1980 | 1980 | |||||||||
| Russell Gatewood* | 1981 | 1981 | |||||||||
| Henry Brown* | 1983 | 1983 | |||||||||
| James Davidson Jr. | 1985 | 1985 | |||||||||
| Jeff Graham | 1988-90 | 1990 | 1990 | 1990 | 1991 | 1988-90 | |||||
| Craig Powell | 1991-94 | 1995 | 1992-94 | ||||||||
| Jeff Robinson | 1993 | ||||||||||
| Steve Wisniewski | 1995-99 | 1996-99 | 1996-99 | ||||||||
| John Hollins | 2000-04 | 2003 | |||||||||
| Marcel Frost* | 2003 | ||||||||||
| Evan Joablonka | 2005-06 | ||||||||||
| Doug Worthington | 2005-09 | 2009 | 2010 | 2007-09 | |||||||
| Joshua Springer | 2009 | ||||||||||
| Ryan Ross | 2009 | 2014-17 | |||||||||
| Cameron Kinzig | 2013 | ||||||||||
| Corey Smith | 2013-15 | 2014-15 | |||||||||
| Davin Brock | 2016-18 | 2016 |
*Wore another number at Ohio State
Did not earn a varsity letter while wearing No. 84
Jim Houston, Defensive End (1957-59)
Born: 1937 (Massillon, Ohio)
High School: Massillon
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 18-7-3 when Houston was on the team.
1957 won the National Championship.
1957 won the Big Ten title.
19 receptions, 467 yards and 7 touchdowns as a receiver.
Honors
1958 Team MVP.
1959 Captain.
1959 Team MVP.
1979 Inducted into the Ohio State Varsity O Hall of Fame.
2000 Named to the Ohio State All-Century Team.
Miscellaneous
Played both offense and defense at Ohio State.
Led the team in receiving yards in 1959.
1960 selected in the first round (8th overall) by the Browns.
Selected to four Pro Bowls with the Browns.
Bob Brudzinski, Defensive End (1973-76)
Born: 1955 (Fremont, Ohio)
High School: Fremont
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 40-5-2 with Brudzinski on the team.
Won four Big Ten Championships.
Made 214 tackles at Ohio State.
Won the 1974 Rose Bowl 42-21 over USC.
Won the 1977 Orange Bowl 27-10 over Colorado.
2-1-1 record against That Team.
Honors
1975 All-Big Ten
1976 Captain.
1976 Team MVP.
1976 All-American.
1976 All-Big Ten.
2000 Named to the Ohio State All-Century Team.
Miscellaneous
The Los Angeles Rams selected him in the first round of the 1977 NFL Draft.
1977 All-Rookie Team.
A member of the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
From polishsportshof.com:
A native of Freemont, Ohio, Brudzinski played football at Ohio State University from 1973-1976. During his years there he played on four Big Ten Championship Teams and in three Rose Bowls and one Orange Bowl. The 6’4″ 230 pound lineman was named a consensus All-American in 1976 and was a two-time all Big Ten selection.
Brudzinski was a first round draft choice of the Los Angeles Rams in 1977 and played 13 years in the NFL – the first four with the Rams and the final nine with the Dolphins. Switching to linebacker in the pros, Brudzinski played in three Super Bowl games (with the 1979 Rams, the 1982 and 1984 Dolphins).
It was with the Dolphins that he made his mark playing on the famed “Killer Bee” defense. He was Miami’s leading tackler and recorded over 600 career tackles. Brudzinski was named to the Dolphins Silver Anniversary team.
Jeff Graham, Flanker (1988-90)
Born: 1969 (Dayton, Ohio)
High School: Kettering Alter (Dayton)
Ohio State
The Buckeyes were 19-14-2 when Graham was on the team.
Tied for 5th all time with 7 games of 100+ yards receiving.
Career best 144 yards receiving in a 42-2 win at Purdue in 1990.
Honors
1990 Captain.
1990 Team MVP.
Miscellaneous
Could not play for Ohio State in 1987 due to low entrance exam scores.
Selected in the second round of the 1991 draft by the Steelers.
NFL Career: 542 receptions, 8,172 receptions and 30 touchdowns.
Was a First Team All-State basketball player in high school.
That Team's Roy Roundtree is his nephew.
| NAME | YEAR | ROUND | PICK | POS | TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAL DEAN | 1947 | 30 | 283 | OG | RAMS |
| BOB BRUDZINSKI | 1977 | 1 | 23 | LB | RAMS |
| JIM HOUSTON* | 1960 | 1 | 8 | DE | BROWNS |
| JEFF GRAHAM | 1991 | 2 | 46 | WR | STEELERS |
| CRAIG POWELL | 1995 | 1 | 30 | LB | BROWNS |
| DOUG WORTHINGTON | 2010 | 7 | 242 | DT | STEELERS |
*Jim Houston did not wear No. 84 when he was drafted in the first round by the Browns in 1960.
Today's Trivia Answers
When Bob Brudzinski played for the Dolphins, what was the nickname given to the defense?
Answer: The Killer Bees.
| 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 | 90 |
| 89 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 80 |
167 days until The Game and That Team still sucks.
