formation, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. Their football team is not up to the task: It loses to the University of Pittsburgh, 6-0.
The formation is based on the sign at the Loew's Ohio Theatre in downtown Columbus, although the capital O now resembles the block O in Ohio State's logos. They march to "Le Régiment de Sambre et Meuse," a French poem by Paul Cézano (not to be confused with the painter Paul Cézanne), set to music by Robert Planquette and arranged and expanded into a military march by Joseph-François Rauski. It was composed in 1870 -- the same year in which The... Ohio State University was founded.
At the various junctions in the formation, the band members swing their horns. This is especially difficult for those with heavy instruments, like the sousaphone. At the conclusion of the formation, the drum major leads a sousaphone player to the top of the lower case i in "Ohio," and he "dots the i." It's always a senior, and the seniors get their choice of games. The one with the most seniority inevitably chooses the Michigan game.
"Dotting the i" is considered the highest honor at Ohio State. The following people have been honorary i-dotters:
* 1971: Novice Fawcett, University President, 1956-72.
* 1974: Richard Heine, Band head composer and arranger, 1935-85, making him, essentially the father of Script Ohio.
* 1978: Bob Hope, entertainer, who grew up in Cleveland.
* 1979: Jack Evans, Band Director, 1952-64.
* 1983: Dr. Paul Droste, Band Director, 1970-83.
* 1983: Woody Hayes, head football coach, 1951-78.
* 1985: Robert Ries, Ohio State ticket director,
* 1990: James "Buster" Douglas, a Columbus native, then in his brief reign as Heavyweight Champion of the World.
* 1995: Dr. E. Gordon Gee, University President, 1990-98, and again 2007-13.
* 2006: Jack Nicklaus, golf legend, Columbus area native, played at Ohio State. He left a few credits short of a degree, but was awarded an honorary doctorate in 1972.
* 2009: John Glenn, former astronaut and U.S. Senator, and his wife, Annie Glenn, advocate for people with disabilities. Both graduated from nearby Muskingum College, but maintained ties to Ohio and to OSU.
* 2011: Dr. Jon Woods, band director, 1984-2012.
* 2011: Lex Wexner, Ohio State Class of 1959, CEO of L Brands, makers of women's lingerie and beauty products, and a major OSU donor.
* 2016: Earle Bruce, head football coach, 1979-87.
UPDATE: 2024: Archie Griffin, Ohio State running back, the only 2-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, 1974 and '75.
On occasion, the Band will do a "Double Script": A Script facing each side. On Homecoming, they join with the Alumni Band to do a "Quadruple Script."
*
October 10, 1936 was a Saturday. The baseball season had ended 4 days earlier, when the New York Yankees beat the New York Giants in the World Series. It was too early for the basketball season or the hockey season. The NFL played the next day. But there were other college football games on this day:
* Minnesota beat Nebraska, 7-0 at Memorial Stadium in Minneapolis. Nebraska would win the Big Six Conference title anyway.
* Northwestern beat North Dakota Agricultural, 40-7 at Dyche Stadium in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern would later be ranked Number 3 in the nation -- 1936 was the 1st season of the Associated Press (AP) poll of sportswriters -- and beat Number 1 Minnesota at Dyche Stadium, giving them the Big Ten Conference title. But a season-ending loss to Notre Dame would cost them the National Championship, which ended up being awarded to Minnesota, anyway.
Northwestern would rename Dyche Stadium Ryan Field in 1997. North Dakota Agricultural would change its name to North Dakota State in 1960.
* Speaking of Notre Dame, they beat Washington University of St. Louis, 14-6 at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.
* Louisiana State beat Georgia, 47-7 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. LSU were declared Southeastern Conference Champions, but blew a shot at the National Championship when they went into the Sugar Bowl ranked Number 2 in the country, and lost to Santa Clara University. (For some reason, they did not play on this day, instead playing the next day, a rare college game on Sunday: They beat the University of San Francisco, 15-7 at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.)
* Alabama beat Mississippi State, 7-0 at Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was renamed Bryant-Denny Stadium in 1975. Like LSU, 'Bama finished the regular season undefeated, but it had a tie in conference play, to Tennessee the week after this, and that cost them the SEC title.
* Arkansas beat Baylor, 14-10 at The Hill in Fayetteville, Arkansas. They went on to win the Southwest Conference Championship.
* The University of Washington beat UCLA, 14-0 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Washington went on to win the Pacific Coast Conference, but lost to the University of Pittsburgh in the Rose Bowl. Pitt thus claims this season's National Championship -- although, at 8-1-1, it's debatable as to whether they had a better claim to it than did 7-1 Minnesota.
* Navy beat Virginia, 35-14 at Thompson Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.
* In New York City, Army beat Columbia, 27-16 at Yankee Stadium.
* New York University beat Pennsylvania Military College, 26-0 at Ohio Field in The Bronx. PMC became Widener University in 1972, and now compete in NCAA Division III. At least they still have a football team: NYU suspended their program in 1953, and its other sports teams also compete in Division III.
* And in New Jersey, Princeton beat Rutgers, 20-0 at Palmer Stadium in Princeton.
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