Happy 39th Birthday to the GOAT Mike Doss! He is one of my favorite players to ever wear the scarlet and grey, and the reason why I had a Steve Bellisari jersey. Back in the day, I ordered a Doss jersey from Eastbay (#2) and when the package came, it was a Bellisari jersey, lol!

Mike Doss was born in Canton, Ohio, where he attended and played for the Canton McKinley Bulldogs. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back state football championships, as well as a USA Today national championship, as a running back, linebacker, and safety. 

He attended Ohio State from 1999-2002, where he was a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection and a three-time first-team All-America as a Strong Safety. As a Senior, he was named the Big Ten Defensive player of the year. (His official Ohio State write up is here.)

For me, he will always be remembered for four things:

1. THIS BADASS MAGAZINE COVER:

I still have my copy and I really need to order the official re-print and get it signed. 

2. Being "moved to tears while announcing his decision to return to OSU for his senior season." I remember my father (when we were still on good terms) telling me how emotional his press conference was. (You can read the Latern article here.)

3. The Fiesta Bowl BCS Championship. My lord, 17 years later and it is still one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. Underdogs, no chance, David vs Goliath...I can keep going, but for those of us who witnessed the 90's, we thought that day would never come. 

4. Being a winner. State Champion, National Champion, and Super Bowl Champion.  He was such a legend, DJ Khaled made a song about him!

Here are some highlights of him:

Again, Happy Birthday Mike!