A star-studded class of 14 Buckeye greats officially became Ohio State Athletics Hall of Famers on Friday night.
Former Ohio State football stars Braxton Miller, Jeff Logan and Matt Wilhelm, basketball star Greg Oden, athletic director Gene Smith and Olympic gold medalist wrestler Kyle Snyder were among 14 Ohio State sports legends enshrined in the OSU Athletics Hall of Fame as members of its 2024 class on Friday at OSU’s Covelli Center.
Eleven Warriors caught up with each of Miller, Logan, Oden, Smith and Snyder before the event, and you can hear what all five of them had to say in the videos below.
Braxton Miller
“It means a lot, man. Being able to be here and put this nice red jacket on, being able to showcase it and being able to grow up and watch the guys that was before my time playing outside with my friends and mimicking what they do, and I was like ‘I’m going to be there one day.’”– Braxton Miller on becoming an Ohio State Athletics Hall of Famer
Jeff Logan
“It is hard to grasp, just the idea of being involved in this event for so many years as the master of ceremonies and now all of a sudden being included in this deal on the other side. I have sat up there on the stage and seen men and women that have achieved so many things that I'm just blown away with athletically or academically be humbled by tonight, being a part of what is a very unique group of people. I don't know that there's a better Hall of Fame in all of college athletics.”– Jeff Logan, who typically emcees the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, on becoming an OSU Athletics Hall of Famer himself
Greg Oden
“Another great group of people going into the Hall of Fame, and I'm just happy.”– Greg Oden on being a part of OSU’s 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame Class
Gene Smith
“It's such a great, great honor. But having this group of athletes that are being inducted and being a part of this ceremony with them is phenomenal. Particularly, I think there's seven of them that were here as athletes during my tenure. So that's really special.”– Gene Smith on becoming an Ohio State Athletics Hall of Famer
Kyle Snyder
“the Ohio State Athletic Department is so strong and there's so many great athletes and just during my time here, I remember how many teams won national championships and how many individual championships there were. so to be honored as one of the best to ever compete here is something I'm very thankful for.”– Kyle Snyder on becoming an Ohio State Athletics Hall of Famer
During the ceremony itself, each of the 12 members of the class who were in attendance for the event participated in a roundtable discussion with longtime Ohio State reporter Clay Hall in which they reminisced on their time as Buckeyes and talked about their lives since their Ohio State careers. Eleven Warriors captured the final three-fourths of that roundtable featuring Logan, women’s volleyball star Marisa Main, baseball great Brian Mannino, Miller, cross country and track runner Kathy Monard, Oden, men’s lacrosse goalie Tony Russo, Smith and Snyder.
Ohio State’s 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame class also includes former men’s volleyball star Christy Blough, men’s tennis standout Chase Buchanan, women’s soccer legend Tiffany Cameron and track and field jumper Michael Hartfield. Cameron was unable to attend Friday’s ceremony because she is currently playing professionally in Spain while Wilhelm missed the ceremony to attend his son’s high school football game, though he will be in attendance on Ohio Stadium on Saturday when the 2024 Hall of Fame class is recognized at halftime of Ohio State’s football game against Iowa.
Congratulations to our Hall of Fame Class of 2024 #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/BvqNSvgnNF
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) October 5, 2024
