"Buckeye Battle Cry", composed by

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

performer and songwriter

Frank Crumit Frank Crumit (September 26, 1889 – September 7, 1943) was an American singer, composer, radio entertainer and vaudeville star. He shared his radio programs with his wife, Julia Sanderson, and the two were sometimes called "the ideal couple ...

, is one of two

fight songs A fight song is a rousing short song associated with a sports team. The term is most common in the United States and Canada. In Australia, Mexico, and New Zealand these songs are called the team anthem, team song, or games song. First associated ...

of the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree, ...

, with the other being "(Fight The Team) Across the Field". Every

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

game in

Ohio Stadium Ohio Stadium is an American football stadium in Columbus, Ohio, on the campus of Ohio State University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and is also the site for the university's Spring Commencement c ...

begins with Ramp entrance by

The Ohio State University Marching Band The Ohio State University Marching Band (OSUMB) is a university marching band named for and a part of the Ohio State University. The band, popularly nicknamed The Best Damn Band in the Land (TBDBITL), performs at football games and other events d ...

, performed to "Buckeye Battle Cry". The tradition of

Script Ohio Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...

ends with the singing of one chorus of the fight song by band members. The song is also played after every Buckeye score. Planning for the construction of

resulted in a contest in 1919 to create new school fight songs. Frank Crumit, an alumnus of

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subse ...

but a Buckeye fan, wrote "Buckeye Battle Cry" and submitted it to the contest. Some older versions of the lyrics show not ''COME ON OHIO!'', but rather ''O-HI-O''. While some fans sing O-HI-O (complete with arm motions), the former is more less common. The Ohio State University Marching Band sings "Come On Ohio" in their rendition. The Marching Band ramp entrance consists of the verse, followed by two repetitions of the chorus.

Lyrics

Sources

OSU Fight Songs
{{authority control American college songs College fight songs in the United States Big Ten Conference fight songs Ohio State University Ohio State University Spirit and Traditions 1919 songs