'FOX's Big Noon kickoff Show:' 'Script Ohio' has Michigan roots. Here's why this is true

Chris Pugh, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read

"Fox Big Noon Kickoff Show" reminded viewers about an unusual part of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry.

The Ohio State marching band's Script Ohio has roots in ... Michigan?

In a piece voiced by Grammy Award winner and Ohio State fan John Legend, the show shared how the Michigan marching band spelled out Ohio in a performance during the 1932 game between the Buckeyes and Wolverines.

As you can see from the video above, it was nothing like Ohio State's "Script Ohio."

Here's what happened in 1932 and how the Ohio State marching band used the inspiration to take "Ohio" being spelled out and making its own "Script Ohio."

What happened in the 1932 Ohio State-Michigan game?

In a piece from the Michigan Daily's college newspaper, the paper wrote:

"Probably the most effective single formation was the word ‘OHIO’ spelled out in script diagonally across the field in the double-deck Ohio stadium to the accompaniment of the O.S.U. marching song, "Fight the Team."

A drum major is shown in the 1936 Ohio State marching band.
A drum major is shown in the 1936 Ohio State marching band.

How the Ohio State marching band made 'Script O' its own

But Ted Boehm, an Ohio State marching band member in 1935-1936 and who was a band historian, said in an article posted on the Ohio State website the following about how Ohio State made the march its own and it was first performed on Oct. 24, 1936.

“We submit that the script aspect is only one part of the overall event that is signified by the name. Of course, the script is the one essential element, but there is more; all of the parts have merged, starting with the triple revolving block Ohio as the lead off formation, the peel-off into the script movement, the interlaced shoestring movement, the pervasive driving beat of the venerable Le Regiment de Sambre et Meuse, the dotted “i” and the concluding vocal chorus. But most powerful of all are the emotional overtones from thousands of proud participants and an ocean of caught-up observers, sharing a common nostalgic experience which has lasted more than forty years.”

Watch the Ohio State Band perform 'Script Ohio'


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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How OSU's 'Script Ohio' got its unofficial start in Michigan