Even when Ohio State's football team isn't on the field, one Buckeye is always on his A-game: Brutus Buckeye, the university's nutty mascot.
Ohio State is many things. A land grant university. A research engine. A college football powerhouse. An iconic brand.
And all of it is represented by an anthropomorphic nut named Brutus.
While there is only one “official” Brutus, a team of student athletes, coaches and athletic trainers have worked to make the mascot come to life.
Brutus Nation is a small fraternity. For 60 years, more than 50 students – both men and women – put their heart and soul into portraying the beloved university mascot, known for his oversized buckeye nut head and block O hat.
From supporting all of the university's athletics programs
to gunning for a national championship of their own, The Dispatch got an all-access look at a year in the life of Ohio State’s mascot team through the eyes of its four graduating seniors.
Now, Ohio State fans and mascot enthusiasts alike can experience that reporting through "Being Brutus: Inside the Head of Ohio State's Iconic Mascot," an exclusive look at one of sport's most recognizable mascots.
From tryouts to game day, the book, which was produced by The Dispatch, offers insight from tryouts to training and game day. Readers will see a full year's worth of coverage on Ohio State's mascot program across 144 pages. Enjoy insight from coaches and trainers who help with the mascot program, interviews with students who were underneath the mascot suit, and dozens of glossy images showing Brutus' behind-the-scenes world.
Order the book
Higher education reporter Sheridan Hendrix can be reached at shendrix@dispatch.com and on Signal at @sheridan.120. You can follow her on Instagram at @sheridanwrites.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New book by The Dispatch takes readers inside the life of Brutus Buckeye
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