GALION — Russ Henkel will be a Buckeye ‘til the day he dies.
Even then, he’ll be laid out in a scarlet and gray lined casket. His grandson will sing “Carmen Ohio” at his funeral. And he’ll be buried beneath a gray granite tombstone etched with The Ohio State University Stadium.
Henkel is a diehard Buckeye fan. And Woody Hayes was always his man.
“Ohio State is in my heart, and the only person that will ever take that away from me is God, if you understand what I’m saying,” said Henkel, an O-H-I-O fan for more than 40 years. “We’re all Buckeye fans and of course we ALL hate Michigan.”
Henkel, 76, a Galion native, attended his first Ohio State football game back in 1973 and still has the $7 ticket stubs to prove it. When he developed a stress-related illness the following year, his physician recommended he pursue a hobby. The rest is history.
“I was gonna’ go to Ohio State but my dad died when I was a senior in high school and I went to the Navy instead to support my mom,” he said. “I used to listen to the games on the radio as a kid and I got interested in Woody and I liked to hear him talk.”
Henkel and his wife, Janet, became regulars at “The Shoe” starting in 1977. They always left Galion at 9 a.m. – if kickoff was at 1:30 – and caught the skull session at St. John Arena so Henkel could videotape the marching band practicing the day’s musical lineup.
Henkel went nuts when their oldest son, Russ “Butch,” a snare drum player, earned a coveted spot in “The Best Damn Band in the Land.” He attended all the home games then – from 1989 to 1992 – as well as a few away contests, including Syracuse.
For a while he also showcased his Buckeye pride tooling around town in a gray 1983 Chevy Suburban, which he had custom painted with “Go Buckeyes” on the sides and a giant red block “O” stenciled on the hood. The license plates were another giveaway – “OSUFAN.”
Naturally he has amassed an extensive collection of OSU memorabilia over the years – a football signed by Woody, a 2012 National Championship ring, Rose Bowl commemorative glasses from 1920 and piles of records and game programs, even one from the OSU-Michigan clash Nov. 23, 1974.
His wardrobe has flourished as much as his bond with the Buckeyes.
“Every time I went to a garage sale or something, I managed to come up with something,” he said, flashing a wool 2014 National Championship jacket. “People know I’m a fan and they give me stuff too. That’s how I acquire stuff.”
Henkel’s son, Jeffery, also graduated from Ohio State with a bachelor’s and master’s degree. Now his son, Wesley, is a junior at OSU, where he sings in the Men’s Glee Club and their smaller a cappella group, the Statesmen. The Henkel’s youngest son is Chris.
Although Henkel never misses a game, he watches most of them nowadays on his big-screen TV at home. When the Buckeyes win, he shows up at Trinity Lutheran Church the following morning flashing a red sport coat, gray slacks and striped Ohio State tie.
For Christmas this year, the Buckeye fanatic has asked for a pair of gloves like the players wear when they score a touchdown. And at 5 p.m. New Year’s Day he’ll be rooting for his beloved team as they take on the Washington Huskies in their 15th Rose Bowl appearance.
The Buckeyes are favored to win their final game under Coach Urban Meyer. But Henkel already knows that.
“They’re gonna win and the players are gonna do it,” he said. “Then they’re gonna douse Urban with Gatorade and they’re gonna walk off the field.”
Because Henkel wouldn’t have it any other way.