Sports
Broad Side of Barn to Suit Up as Receiver for Ohio State
By Anthony Shabro
COLUMBUS – Following Saturday night's 18-15 loss to USC, Ohio State's football team has already made an adjustment for the young 2009 season. In a widely-hailed move, the Buckeyes have decided to start a freshman wide receiver: the broad side of a 53-year-old barn from Mansfield, Ohio.
"We knew we needed a receiver more in line with [starting quarterback] Terrelle Pryor's passing style," said head coach Jim Tressel, referring to the sophomore's 'spin around with your eyes closed and lob it at random' method of throwing the football, "When we saw the Barn in summer practice, we knew it could cover more of the field laterally and create more opportunities."
The Barn's previous owner, farmer John Hutchins, sent out tapes to colleges around the country, landing it offers from elite programs such as the University of Michigan, Penn State University, and Stanford University. Upon committing to the Buckeyes, it was rated a 3-star recruit and the #26 wide receiver in the 2009 class by the recruiting service Rivals.com.
"I was honestly just going to take it to a scrap yard and get a few bucks out of it, but one day my boys were throwing around a football, and one of them accidentally got it wedged into a little crack in the wall, and I thought, 'hey, the side of that barn can really catch!' I guess the rest is history."