Every year, we get to see Ohio State face off against bitter rival Michigan, which means plenty of trash talk sent back and forth between the football teams’ fans.
Some of it might include jokes about THE Ohio State University (which also comes up when NFL players say that in their Sunday Night Football intros). And if you’re here, maybe you’re wondering how the THE came to be at the front of Ohio State’s name. After all, it’s not called THE University of Michigan or THE Harvard University or anything like that.
Thanks to the university’s library, we have an answer:
In 1986, a new University logo was introduced in the hopes of moving away from the “OSU” symbol, which had been used since 1977. The change from simply “OSU” was said to “reflect the national stature of the institution.” University officials wanted the institution to be known as “The Ohio State University,” again, since OSU could also mean Oregon State University and Oklahoma State University.
However, the “The” was actually part of the state legislation when the university was renamed in 1878. The following excerpt is from the Board of Trustee minutes:
“…the educational institution heretofore known as the ‘Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College,’ shall be known and designated hereafter as ‘The Ohio State University.’“
Those who wanted the name change thought the original name was too narrow in scope, and that it was inadequate for the institution that was the only beneficiary of the land grant act. President Edward Orton was insistent that a new name would separate the institution from other colleges in Ohio.
There’s THE answer!
