WE TOLD YOU EARLIER IN THE SHOW ABOUT THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES PLAYING FOR A NATIONAL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP... BUT HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY OHIO IS CALLED 'THE BUCKEYE STATE'?
THE NICKNAME IS PARTIALLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE BUCKEYE TREES THAT ONCE COVERED MANY AREAS OF THE STATE. RESEMBLING THE EYE OF A DEER, NATIVE AMERICANS CALLED THE NUT 'HETUCK' OR BUCK 'EYE'. THEY WOULD EXTRACT ACID FROM THE POISONOUS NUT FOR USE IN MAKING LEATHER.
BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL 1840 THAT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION WITH THE NICKNAME SPREAD. VIRGINIA-BORN OHIOAN WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON WAS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT WHEN HIS OPPONENT COMMENTED THAT HE WAS BETTER SUITED TO BE SITTING IN A LOG CABIN.
HARRISON'S SUPPORTERS DECIDED TO PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON THE REFERENCE THAT WAS AIMED TO BE NEGATIVE. THEY DUBBED HIM THE 'LOG CABIN CANDIDATE', CREATING HIS CAMPAIGN EMBLEM WITH A LOG CABIN MADE FROM BUCKEYE TIMBERS AND FASHIONED WITH STRINGS OF BUCKEYES DECORATING THE WALLS.
THE CAMPAIGN WAS SUCCESSFUL AS HARRISON BEAT PRESIDENT MARTIN VAN BUREN'S BID FOR RE-ELECTION. AFTER THE ELECTION, OHIO BECAME KNOWN AS 'THE BUCKEYE STATE'. THE BUCKEYE IS ALSO THE STATE TREE.
THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY ADOPTED THE BUCKEYE AS ITS NICKNAME IN 1950, AND IT'S APPLIED TO ANY GRADUATE OR STUDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY.
AND ACCORDING TO FOLKLORE, CARRYING A BUCKEYE BRINGS GOOD LUCK.