The one thing I didn’t learn when I recently toured Ohio Stadium was why Jim Tressel didn’t pass on first down while the Wisconsin Badgers ripped the national championship game from his scarlet vest.

The tour was courtesy of the Society of Professional Journalists and occurred following the annual awards ceremony. If you’re a Buckeye fan, you’ll enjoy the following trivia.

There are 81 private suites in “The Shoe.” This was the most in college football until “That School from Up North” renovated its stadium and built 83 suites. The plushest sky-boxes go for $75,000 a year on a five-year contract. They can hold up to 200 people.

Speaking of luxury suites, did you know you can rent one for a special occasion? One couple recently held their wedding reception in one. The linen was scarlet and grey; the centerpieces held real footballs. The day I was there a wedding took place by the flagpole behind the end zone. A memorable way to kick off your life together.

Ohio Stadium was the first horseshoe-shaped double-deck stadium in the United States when it was built in 1922. “That School from Up North” spoiled dedication day with a 19-0 victory. That School, whose name is not to be mention in hallowed Ohio Stadium, leads the series 57-43-6. However, OSU has won six in a row. The once opened end of the horseshoe has been closed in to increase capacity to 102,329.

The Yassenoff Recruit Center features glass tables etched with a replica of the field, scarlet and grey seats shaped like helmets and Walls of Fame honoring OSU’s All-Americans, Academic All-Americans, Rhodes Scholars and current starters.  Recruits and their parents spend a little indoctrination time here before and after the game.

The press box holds up to 400 sports writers, but it may be the quietest place in the stadium. Cheering or loud banter is not allowed during game time.

Did you know Script Ohio, the nation’s most famous marching band routine, was first performed by “That School from Up North”?

Our tour guide said the routine was created as a tribute for a game in 1932. Since then, the OSU band has perfected its precision and added a few touches of its own.

At first, a trumpet player dotted the i. However, in 1937, the band director had an impromptu notion to dot the i with a sousaphone player.

The familiar kick, turn and bow was an innovation sparked by a mistake that occurred in 1938. According to the OSU website, the drum major arrived at the top of the i three or four measures too soon. That prompted Glenn Johnson, the sousaphone player who was following him, to get creative. He executed the kick, turn and bow to use up the remaining music. The crowd roared and Johnson’s spur of the moment creativity became immortalized.

The tour guide also told an interesting story about the drum major. One of the requirements of the position is he, or she, has to be athletic enough to high-step and bend backwards far enough to touch the plume of the hat to the ground. However, the tour guide explained, the plume has been lengthened a few times to compensate for a lack of flexibility.

As you know, competition for playing time among Buckeye athletes is intense. Make too many mistakes, lose focus or short the training schedule and someone will take your place. But, did you know the same is true for the marching band?

All practices and performances are recorded and studied. The 192-member band is backed by 12 alternates. If you’re not on the top of your game, you will be replaced. This drive for excellence attracts the best high school musicians. More than 400 students try out annually for the band and when they do freshmen are on equal footing with seniors. That’s pressure.

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