Ohio State Celebrates National Title Run With Fans in the Shoe On “THE Celebration of Champions Day”

By Andy Anders on January 26, 2025 at 3:24 pm
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The jubilation surrounding the Buckeyes hasn’t stopped in the six days since they captured their first national championship in 10 years.

On Sunday, the team shared that excitement with students and the city of Columbus with an hourlong celebration in the Shoe.

Festivities opened with a traditional gameday ramp entry from the Ohio State marching band, setting the tone for the tens of thousands of fans gathered in the lower bowl of Ohio Stadium and thousands more students on the field. A chorus of applause erupted as 2024’s best damn team in the land followed the Best Damn Band in the Land. A flag-waving Brutus led the way through a tunnel of high fives on the Shoe’s north ramp.

First-year Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork was the first to address the exuberant masses, excited to be in such a spot as the “new guy” in the athletics department. He welcomed the Buckeyes’ national champion spirit and dance teams. But the day overall was about the football squad's title.

“We're here to celebrate this special team," Bjork said. "A team of young men that love each other unconditionally, a team that had the greatest run to a championship in college football history."

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Columbus mayor Andrew Ginther touched on the “great joy” the Buckeyes brought to the state and city as a whole, and Ginther presented a street sign titled “Champions Way” that will be placed outside the Shoe. DeWine declared Sunday “THE Celebration of Champions Day” in Columbus.

Ohio State University president Ted Carter followed and recapped the incredible nature of the Buckeyes’ CFP run. He pointed out the Buckeyes were the first squad ever to beat five AP top-five teams in one season.

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“I’ve seen a lot of amazing things in my life personally,” Carter said. "I've seen a lot of great sporting events. But to be standing on the sideline with a strip-sack with only seconds to go, Jack Sawyer picking up that ball and running 83 yards for a touchdown to secure that victory – I've been asked about that play personally. I said, 'That man, Jack Sawyer, every sinew in his body speaks greatness.'"

Finally, it was time to hear from the team. A triumphant Ryan Day set the stage for Ohio State’s four captains: Jack Sawyer, TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka and Cody Simon.

Ryan Day

“No matter where you are over the next year across the globe, when you hear someone say, 'O-H,' you say...”

"I-O" the crowd resounded with a thunderclap. Day also gave extended thank yous to his players, his coaches and their families, the support staff, the fans and band, but most especially his own family for their support.

Jack Sawyer

“We just kept fighting. That's what I love about this team, is we really embodied what it's like to be from Ohio. When you get punched in the mouth, you get back up and keep fighting.”

All four players kept things brief in their time on stage, but Sawyer's appearance was a touching moment nonetheless. The lifelong Buckeye fan and native of Pickerington, Ohio, right outside Columbus, has taken as much pride as a person possibly could in spending his career playing for Ohio State. And to him, its CFP run represented what it means to be an Ohioan.

TreVeyon Henderson

“I'm so glad that, when people counted us out and called us weak for following Jesus, God kept us focused on him, who reminded us that we are strong.”

Henderson's faith has been central to his journey as a player, and faith was central to Ohio State's galvanization to win a national title. Regardless of what one believes, there's no denying the impact it had on the Buckeyes' 2024 football team.

Emeka Egbuka

“I just want to thank my brothers. You guys are truly what made these four years so enjoyable and so memorable. There’s nothing I can say that really embodies how I feel about you guys. I don't look at you any different than just extensions of my family.”

Through the fires of four straight Michigan losses to the ultimate triumph as national champions, Ohio State's teammates have forged an unbreakable bond with each other. That's the thing Egbuka will remember most from his time in Columbus.

Cody Simon

“We break down our huddles with 'Fight.' It's not just for a word, it's for a reason. Every day we come to the Woody and we know that every day is a fight for me. We're not just fighting each other, that's not what it's about. It's fighting to be the best version of yourself. ... It's really for everyone in the woody and in Ohio.”

Through its immaculate run to the top of college football, the Buckeyes truly embodied their "fight" slogan that they use to break huddles and Day uses to close Skull Session.

Following those speeches, Day went through each of Ohio State’s top-five wins and asked fans where they were for each key moment as highlights played. Will Howard got razzed by the coach for falling down as he converted a fourth down against Texas, then the quarterback addressed the crowd and said he will consider himself “a Buckeye forever.”

The ceremony fittingly concluded with a singing of Carmen Ohio.

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