Football
Heisman Winner and Athlete Known to His Friends and Admirers Simply as "Tree" Highlight 2006 Hall of Fame Class
By John Porentas

The Ohio State Varsity O Association announced its 2006 Hall of Fame Class today. The list includes two track athletes, two baseball players, one fencer, one swimmer, one marksman, two gymnasts, one wrestler, one Heisman winner, and one athlete known to his friends and admirers simply as "Tree".

Baseball players Alex Eckleman and Ron Nischwitz, track and field standouts Kevin Atkins and Donica Merriman, gymnasts Lindsey Vagedes and Kip Simons, Swimmer Kate Kedman, Rifle's Annette Kraml, wrestler Adam DiSabato, and fencer Patricia Szelle are members of the 2006 class to be inducted September 15 and be introduced at halftime of the of the Cincinnati-Ohio State football game the following day.

Ted Provost
Photo by Jim Davidson

From the football team, running back and Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George and defensive back Ted "The Tree" Provost will be inducted as members of this class.

George of course won the Heisman Trophy, as well as the Doak Walker Award, Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award in 1995. He was also named the Big Ten MVP, OSU MVP, OSU captain, First Team All-American and All-Big Ten. George is the second-leading rusher in OSU history with 3,558 career yards. He also set a single-game record with 314 yards against Illinois in 1995 and a school-record 1,927 yards that same year. George went on to be drafted in the first round by the Houston Oilers and was named the 1996 NFL Rookie of the Year.

Provost is remembered as a member of the 1968 National Championship team and the 1969 team that some would call the best in OSU history and perhaps the best of the 20th century in all of college football.

At 6-3, 185, Provost was the protypical tall, rangy safety who was a tough run support defender, but earned his nickname from then-OSU Head Coach Woody Hayes for his ability to play pass defense.

"My sophomore year was the first year that Woody started the Buckeye Leafs (on the helmets for great plays) and I had something like seven interceptions in the first four games. Woody said something like 'He has so many leaves that now he's a tree.' That kind of stuck. Everybody thinks its because I'm tall, but it's because of the Buckeye leaves on the helmets," said Provost.

Provost said that to this day he is still recognized around Columbus as "The Tree".

"Just the other day a guy was walking down the street and a there was a lightening storm happening. Our garage door was open so he ran into our garage. Pretty soon we started talking and my wife told him my name an he said 'Teddy the Tree!'. It's a small world," said Provost.

In his junior season Provost played in an OSU defensive backfield that featured Mike Sensenbaugh, Jack Tatum and Tim Anderson. That team compiled an undefeated season in 1968 and was named national champions with a win over Southern Cal in the 1969 Rose Bowl. Provost played a large part in preserving the undefeated season when in the first Big Ten game of the season then-number-one ranked Purdue, led by quarterback Mike Phipps and running back Leroy Keyes, came into Ohio Stadium to play the unranked Buckeyes. The Boilermakers had embarrassed the Buckeyes the previous season with a one-sided, lopsided 41-6 defeat, but the OSU defense shut out the Boilermakers for a 13-0 upset win. Provost provided what would prove to be the winning touchdown when he returned an interception for the Buckeyes' first score.

In his senior season Provost started in the same defensive backfield on a team that was ranked number-one in the country the entire season, but lost to arch-rival Michigan in the season finale in Ann Arbor to a team coached by rookie Head Coach Bo Schembeckler. The loss is considered one of the most disappointing in OSU history.

"If we had won that last game we would probably had been recognized as the team of the century, but you are only remembered by how you did in that last game, and we lost to Michigan," said Provost.

"I think the season was too easy," said Provost reflecting on the reason for that loss.

"We were supposed to have a tough game the week before against Purdue and we beat them 40-6. We went into the Michigan game and I think we had a little letdown. We couldn't go to a bowl game because of the no-repeat rule in the Big Ten back then.

"I will always regret it because I was one of the few seniors on that team so I didn't get a chance to come back the next year and redeem myself like most of the guys. That was a tough one to take."

Until that Michigan game, the 1969 Buckeye team scord no-less than 34 points in any game and twice topped 60 points. The most points they allowed was 21 against Michigan State in a 54-21 win. They lost to the Wolverines by a score of 24-12.

The rest of the class:

Kevin Akins -Four-time letterwinner from 1979-82. Standout shot putter. Set the Ohio State outdoor record with a heave of 68 feet, 8.5 inches. Big Ten shot put champ in 1981 and 1982.

Adam DiSabato - Four-time letter winner from 1989-91 and three-time team captain. Second all-time at OSU in career takedowns with 646. In 1991 his 223 takedowns were the second-best in OSU history.

Alex Eckleman - Four-time letterwinner from 1994-97. Two-time All-Big Ten selection who played on three Big Ten playoff championship teams and two Big Ten regular-season championship teams. Posted a career batting average of .367, 156 career RBI, 241 hits, 43 doubles 34 home runs and 172 runs scored, all in the top-ten in OSU history. Hit .439 in 1996, highest in the last 36 years and second-highest in OSU history.

Kate Hedman - Earned five All-American honors from 1992-95 as a standout swimmer at OSU. A four-year letterwinner and four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete. Represented the USA in the 1991 World University games winning a gold and a bronze medal. Set the OSU record in the 100-breast stroke in 1992.

Annette Kraml - Competed in Rifle at OSU 1984-87. Three-time Lake Erie Intercollegiate Rifle Conference Nancy Worsencroft High Woman Award. Team captain in 1986-87 and claimed rifle titles in 1984 and 1985 in both smallbore and air rifle championship. Won the 1985 Walsh International rfile match title.

Donica Merriman - Three-time All-Big Ten selection (1998-00) over her career which spanned 1998-01. OSU's only women's outdoor national track champion having won the 100-meter hurdles in 2001. Also won the indoor national championship in the 60-meter hurdles in 2001. The Big Ten Outdoor Athlete of the year in 2000 and Big Ten Indoor Athlete of the year in 2000 and 2001.

Ron Nischwitz - Second-team All-American pitcher in 1958. Led OSU in strikeouts in in both 1957 and 1958 with 57 and 82 respectively. Ranks in the top 15 at OSU for wins in a season and career ERA.

Kip Simons - Lettered 1991-94 and in 1994 won the Nissen-Emery Award presented to the top senior male gymnast in the nation. 1991 Big Ten freshman of the year and four-time All-Big Ten honoree. Participated in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and a two-time member of the U.S. World Championship team.

Patricia Szelle- Four-time All-American fencer in foil from 1995-98. Three-time Academic All-Big Ten and four-time OSU Scholar-Athlete.

Lindsey Vagedes - All-American gymnast during her OSU career from 1997-01. First Buckeye to earn All-American honors on both the vault and all-around in 1997. Four-time All-Big Ten selection. Three-time NCAA qualifier.

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