With such a storied football history, the Ohio State football program has plenty of representation in the school’s athletic Hall of Fame.
With that being said, three of the 14 inductees were former Buckeye football stars as the group was announced on Thursday that they will be enshrined into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame. They join an illustrious group before them of some of the greatest players to take the field in Ohio Stadium and around the Big Ten.
Two of the names you’ll see below are recent players, but all three were extremely highly decorated Buckeyes as you will find out. Check out below which former Buckeyes will be honored as Hall of Fame members.
Linebacker Rick Middleton
Bio
Middleton didn’t start his career as a linebacker, but as a tight end. He was second on the team in receiving yards in 1971, before moving to the other side of the ball. During his two seasons playing defense, Middleton registered 204 tackles, leading the team in 1972. He earned first-team All-Big Ten in 1973 while being a team captain. Middleton was drafted No. 13 overall by the New Orleans Saints.
Center Nick Mangold
🐐 Nick Mangold 🐐
The fans have voted and we have a winner ❕❗️❕
2002 All-American @nickmangold is the Greatest All-American of All-Time#AllAmericanBowl 🇺🇸#GOAT 🐐 pic.twitter.com/NysnRJpUK3
— All-American Bowl (@AABonNBC) April 7, 2020
Bio
A three-year starter, Mangold was a member of the 2002 national champion team. A first-team All-American in 2005, he capped a career that saw him start 33-of-45 games in his career. Mangold would go on to have an excellent NFL career, making the Pro Bowl seven times in 11 years.
Safety Malcolm Jenkins
Posting one Ohio State highlight every day until Ohio State football is back: Malcolm Jenkins gets a pick six against Penn State late in the 4th quarter to seal the win in the Horseshoe. pic.twitter.com/0vnfub4EQX
— JR’s Rankings 🌰🅾️⭕️ (@jrs_rankings) May 21, 2023
Bio
Jenkins had a stellar 4-year Buckeye career, helping every team from 2005 to 2008 win the Big Ten. The Buckeyes played in two BCS National Championship games during that time. Jenkins would be a consensus first-team All-American as a senior and was named the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the nation’s best defensive back. He also earned all-Big Ten honors in his final three seasons before having a great NFL career where he would win two Super Bowls.
The announcement
congratulations to these 3 on earning elite status.
welcome to THE Ohio State Athletics HOF 🌰👏 pic.twitter.com/03Vp2Of0zp
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) July 13, 2023
Importance
These three move the needle of former football players in the Athletics Hall of Fame to a whopping 135 out of 473 total athletes enshrined. It is a small but impressive group that Middleton, Mangold, and Jenkins will keep. Congratulations to all three.
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