We're counting down the days to kickoff with “99 Warriors,” the greatest Ohio State Buckeyes by jersey number, as voted by the staff of Eleven Warriors.
No. 27 Eddie George
This was an easy choice. The best Buckeye ever to wear No. 27 is also one of the best ever to don the Scarlet and Gray: Eddie George.
RB Eddie George
1992-95
b. Sept. 24, 1973
- Heisman Trophy (1995)
- Walter Camp Award (1995)
- Doak Walker Award (1995)
- Maxwell Award (1995)
- Unanimous All-American (1995)
- Big Ten MVP (1995)
George's career did not begin anywhere near as glamorously as it ended. In the fifth game of his career, George fumbled twice against Illinois – once at the Illinois four-yard line, which was returned 96 yards for a touchdown the other direction, and once at the Illinois one-yard line, which set up a game-winning drive for the Illini.
After the two fumbles, George was effectively benched for the remainder of his freshman season as well as his sophomore season. He had just 12 more carries the rest of his freshman year – after the games were decided – and just 42 during his entire sophomore campaign.
As a junior though, George won the starting job, and that's when the dominance began as he rushed for 1442 yards and 12 touchdowns during the 1994 season. Then as a senior, George had perhaps the best single season of any Buckeye ever.
George rushed for a school record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns his senior season, an averaging 148.23 yards per game. He also caught 47 passes for 417 yards and one touchdown. George was named a unanimous All-American, the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player and won the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award and the Heisman Trophy.
Following his superb senior year, George was drafted No. 14 overall by the Houston Oilers and was the NFL's offensive rookie of the year his debut season. He played for the Oilers/Titans for eight seasons, rushing for over 1,000 yards in all but one, before finishing his career with one season in Dallas.
