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Check out the "Pride of the Buckeyes"
 Script
Ohio is the signature formation of the Ohio State Marching
Band performed before or during halftime, or after home
games. According to The Ohio State University Library, a
similar floating formation was first performed during the
1932 season by the University of Michigan Marching band,
however, it was a set-piece, instead of being formed through
marching described below. The Script Ohio is the most
identifiable trademark associated with Ohio State Football
and the Ohio State Marching Band.
The script is an integrated series of
evolutions and formations. The band first forms a triple
Block O formation, then slowly unwinds to form the famous
letters while playing Robert Planquette’s Le régiment de
Sambre et Meuse. The drum major leads the outside O into a
peel-off movement around the curves of the script, every
musician in continual motion. Slowly the three blocks unfold
into a long singular line which loops around, creating the
OSUMB’s trademark.
 Each time the formation drill is performed, a different
fourth or fifth-year sousaphone player has the privilege of
standing as the dot in the “i” of “Ohio.” The first
sousaphone player to have the honor of dotting the "i" was a
fourth year student from Deleware, OH, William Coulter. The
dotting of the “i” was ranked the greatest college football
tradition by Athlon Sports.
| Athlon Sports' 10
Greatest Football Traditions |
| 1. |
Ohio State's "Dotting of the i"
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| 2. |
Texas A&M's Bonfire |
| 3. |
Army-Navy Game |
| 4. |
Notre Dame's Victory March |
| 5. |
Michigan's Helmets
(stolen from Princeton) |
| 6. |
Texas-OU Weekend |
| 7. |
Notre Dame-USC Game |
| 8. |
The Stanford-Cal Axe |
| 9. |
The Wishbone |
| 10. |
The Tournament of Roses |
The dotting of the “i” is so important
that when the “i”s are dotted during the Double Script Ohio
at Michigan Stadium, police protection is needed on the
field as Michigan fans have tried to dot the “i” in the
past.
Honorary “i”-dotters
Woody Hayes, Bob Hope, Jack Nicklaus, James "Buster"
Douglas, OSU Presidents Novice Fawcett, Gordon Gee and their
wives, composer Richard "Dick" Heine, retired director Dr.
Paul Droste and his wife Ann, and retired OSU ticket
director Robert Ries are the select few non-band members who
have had the honor of dotting the “i”. This is considered
the greatest honor the band can bestow to any non-band
member and is an extremely special (and rare) event.
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