Ohio State football players have received gold pants for their win at Michigan in November.
The traditional charms were distributed to the returning Buckeyes as they resumed spring practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on March 24.
“It was a lot of fun,” guard Luke Montgomery said, “and obviously a memorable moment.”
None of the players had previously received a pair. When the Buckeyes beat their archrival last season, it marked their first victory in the series since 2019.
The Buckeyes had not gone as many years without a win over Michigan since 1988-93, a period of six years in which they lost five times and tied once.
Center Carson Hinzman said he thought of former teammates who were unable to claim the gold pants during their careers.
“It’s all the guys I’ve played with in the past that didn’t get a chance to get some of these,” Hinzman said.
He added, “It’s pretty special to finally be able to get some of those. I’m proud of that.”
The longstanding tradition dates to 1934, when coach Francis Schmidt first awarded them to players for a 34-0 win over Michigan. Schmidt had said the Wolverines “put their pants on one leg at a time same as everybody else.”
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow him on @joeyrkaufman on X.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football players receive gold pants for win at Michigan
Reporting by Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
