Former Ohio State safety Mike Doss celebrates being a 'champion forever'

This is a big year for former Ohio State safety Mike Doss.

His individual achievements are being recognized as he goes into the College Football Hall of Fame, and OSU will honor that accomplishment with a ceremony during its homecoming game against Rutgers on Oct. 1.

But Doss says he's just as excited that the 2002 national championship Buckeyes are celebrating their 20th anniversary.

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"Being an All-American was cool," he said. "Being Big Ten Player of the Year was cool. But winning the MVP in the national championship game was super cool."

Doss estimates he keeps in regular contact with about 10-15 members of that team, and he reunited with even more of his former teammates when Ohio State welcomed the squad back during this year's season opener, a 21-10 win over Notre Dame.

"To have 70-plus players come back and coaches – Mark Dantonio was here, coach Jim Bollman was here, coach Jim Heacock, and obviously the great Jim Tressel – to get those people to come back and commemorate this moment, it was truly a great weekend," Doss said. "It was a lot of fun and a blessing."

It was also a reminder of the players who couldn't make it back. Ivan Douglas, Mike Kudla, Will Smith and Shane Olivea have died since OSU's 31-24 double-overtime win over Miami in Tempe, Arizona.

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"It puts things into perspective when you're honoring some of your fallen teammates," Doss said, "when you scan that room, and you remember being in the locker room with those guys."

As a tribute to the 2002 team, artist Michael Kalish created a three-dimensional statue, "Champions Forever," that is being auctioned off by oodapp. Doss, along with fellow safety Will Allen and quarterback Craig Krenzel, are promoting its sale because a portion of the proceeds from it, and related merchandise, will be donated to the On Our Sleeves Foundation at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Nina and Ryan Day Resilience Fund, which supports mental health programs at the Wexner Medical Center.

That's especially meaningful to Doss because Kudla and Olivea passed away as a result of their mental health struggles.

"That is something we wanted to connect with," Doss said, "highlighting mental health awareness ... by making the art piece that is something that is resilient and memorable that represents our team and our brothers who we've lost."

And according to Doss, the team is considering getting together again to tailgate at the Michigan game, and perhaps once more after that during the college football postseason.

When Doss isn't organizing gatherings of former Buckeyes, he is working in real estate for the Robert Weiler Company, a position he secured after earning his master's from Fisher College of Business at Ohio State.

He is also married to Ohio State graduate Jasmine, whom Doss met when he was 12 years old. Together they raised Michael's younger brother, Anthony Kirk Jr., now a redshirt freshman safety at Michigan State. And Doss and his wife are taking care of their three daughters, Mariah, 9, Jordan, 8, and Cadence, 5.

And just to prove that he isn't stuck celebrating past achievements, his championship rings have become toys for his little girls.

"My kids play with them," he said, "with their Barbies."

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Where is Ohio State football great Mike Doss now?