Ohio State football is famous for its national championships and legendary coaches, but its most inspiring stories happened off the field, away from the home-soil. Over the years, several Buckeye athletes stepped away from their dreams of football glory to serve in the United States military. Since it’s a Memorial Day, it’s only fair to celebrate four prominent Buckeyes heroes who gave up the American Dream to pursue a real one.

Rick Hausman (1968 Team): Giving Up a Championship Ring

Take Rick Hausman, a young walk-on player from the legendary 1968 team. Right when the Buckeyes were heading to the Rose Bowl to play for a national championship, Rick decided to enlist for a greater calling: the U.S. Army. Then Head coach legendary Woody Hayes gave his blessing, promising Rick a roster spot upon his safe return.

Deployed as a Private First Class during the height of the Vietnam War. Sadly, he was tragically killed in action in May 1969 at just 19 years old during a brutal firefight while single-handedly destroying enemy bunkers to save his fellow soldiers.

To honor him, Posthumously awarded the Silver Star for valor. He was formally inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame. At Ohio State, his legacy lives on through the Rick Hausman Silver Bullet Award for Leadership, presented annually to the university’s top Army ROTC Cadet. The university also made sure his family received the special “gold pants” charm given to players from the 1968 championship team.

Joe Brown (1997–2001): Trading the NFL for the Army Rangers

Brown came from a respected military family. His father was an Air Force Brigadier General, and his grandfather was a Korean War POW. He played defensive tackle at Ohio State from 1996 to 2001. Brown apparently wanted to join the campus ROTC during his playing days, but his coach, John Cooper asked him to shelf the idea to focus on football for the next 2 years.

Indeed, he followed his coach’s advice and made his way to the league to the Seattle Seahawks after some trials and tribulations. But everything changed for Joe and the rest of the country after the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Heading into his third year in the league, Joe decided he couldn’t just sit on the sidelines while a global war unfolded. He walked away from all that NFL fame and money to enlist in the Army. He put himself through the most brutal military training to become an elite 75th Ranger Regiment (U.S. Army Ranger).

He was sent to combat zones during some of the most violent fighting in Baghdad. On August 1, 2007, a blast badly injured him. After that, he could not speak or walk anymore. Joe spent a couple of years in rehab and slowly recovered. He became a motivational speaker and founded a consulting firm called JB Leading Forward, where he helped athletes and corporate teams with confidence and other sorts of things in the same spectrum.

Lou Groza (1942 Team): The Legendary “Toe”

Before he became a football legend, Lou Groza was a freshman on Paul Brown’s 1942 Ohio State team. World War II cut his college football days short, and in 1943 he joined the U.S. Army. He was sent to the Pacific Theater with the 96th Infantry Division. Groza was shipped straight out to the Pacific Theater with the 96th Infantry Division. He spent his deployment working as a surgical technician, experiencing some of the worst combat of the war during the Battle of Okinawa.

Even though he was stationed thousands of miles away from home in the Pacific, Groza got a surprise package in the mail from his old college coach. Apparently, it was a pro contract for a team called the Cleveland Browns. Groza signed it in the war zone in May 1945. He later played 21 seasons in the NFL. He earned the nickname “The Toe” and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Don Scott (1938–1940) – A Star Aviator Lost Too Soon

Don Scott was one of the most talented multi-sport athletes at Ohio State. He played quarterback and halfback and earned All-American honors. The Chicago Bears picked him No. 9 overall in the first round of the 1941 NFL Draft. He had a pro career waiting for him right out of college.

With World War II closing in, Scott turned down his NFL contract entirely. He proactively joined a pilot training program so he could immediately commission as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Within very little to no time, he was promoted to Captain. and flew a B-26 Marauder on 10 risky bombing missions over Europe. Sadly, in October 1943, at just 23 years old, he died when his plane crashed during a training flight in England.

Their sacrifices left a deep and lasting impact on the Ohio State community. In fact, if you fly into Columbus today, you will probably land at the university’s airport, which was named Don Scott Field to make sure his name lives on forever. Like them, there are many people who selflessly gave away their lives. Maybe it’s about time that we honored our fallen heroes with more respect and pride than ever before.