Van Ness DeCree, from

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 census. The his ...

, is a former

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 c ...

defensive end who was a two-time All-American (

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

) at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

. DeCree is a member of the Ohio State Football Hall of Fame (Class of 1990) He was also a three-year starter and a three-time All-Big 10 selection at defensive end, having been voted all-conference as a sophomore, junior, and senior. He was also voted to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 1999. DeCree was part of a 1973 Buckeyes team that was considered among the best in school history. The defense had solid players from the line— tackle Pete Cusick, to the linebackers—

Rick Middleton Richard David "Nifty" Middleton (born December 4, 1953) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player for the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. Playing career As a youth, Middleton played in the 1966 Quebec ...

and Randy Gradishar, to the secondary—

Neal Colzie Cornelius Connie Colzie, better known as Neal Colzie, (February 28, 1953 – August 20, 2001) was an American football cornerback for the Oakland Raiders (1975–1978), Miami Dolphins (1979), and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1980–1983). He also play ...

Steve Luke Steve Luke (born September 4, 1953) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 1975 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Professi ...

, and Tim Fox. This unit led by All-Big 10 selection DeCree, shut out four opponents in 1973, including three in a row. Four of DeCree's teammates (Middleton, Gradishar, Colzie, and Fox) all became first-round draft picks in the NFL, as did Archie Griffin, John Hicks, and Kurt Schumacher on offense. Punter

Tom Skladany Thomas Edward Skladany (born June 29, 1955) is a former American football punter who is widely considered to be, along with Ray Guy, one of the two greatest punters in college football history. Skladany later played in the NFL from 1978–1983. ...

was also a high NFL draft picks. The offensive skill players included

Cornelius Greene Cornelius Green (born January 21, 1954) is a former American football quarterback who played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes. He was the first African American quarterback to start at Ohio State. Early years Green attended Dunbar ...

at quarterback wingback

Brian Baschnagel Brian Dale Baschnagel (born January 8, 1954 in Kingston, New York) is a former American football player. He played wide receiver for the Chicago Bears. Early life Brian Baschnagel's family relocated often due to his father's professional respo ...

and fullback Pete Johnson and halfback Griffin, who led the Big Ten in rushing, running behind the tackle duo of Schumacher (an All-American) and Hicks (also an All-American) and winner of the 1973 Outland Trophy and the 1973 Lombardi Trophy. The 1973 season finished with both the Ohio State Buckeyes and Michigan Wolverines tied with perfect records and their season-ending game resulted in a tie score. DeCree's late-game tackle of Michigan Quarterback

Dennis Franklin Dennis E. Franklin (born August 24, 1953) is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in the 1975 NFL Draft. Prior to playing for the NFL he played college footbal ...

resulted in Franklin breaking his collarbone. The Big Ten Conference Athletic Directors voted on the tiebreaker situation and sent the Buckeyes to the 1974 Rose Bowl, many citing the loss of Franklin to injury as a key reason. The 9-0-1 Buckeyes, in the 1973 season

Rose Bowl Game The Rose Bowl Game is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 (New Year's Day) at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2. The Rose ...

, beat Johnny McKay's 9-1-1 USC Trojans 42-21. The following year in the 1974 season Rose Bowl, USC edged the Buckeyes 18-17, which ended DeCree's college career. DeCree played professional football for the

World Football League The World Football League (WFL) was an American football league that played one full season in 1974 and most of its second in 1975. Although the league's proclaimed ambition was to bring American football onto a worldwide stage, the farthest t ...

in 1975 for the

Chicago Winds The Chicago Winds was the World Football League's ill-fated 1975 successor to the Chicago Fire. The team was so named because Chicago was nicknamed "The Windy City." The Winds played at Soldier Field and the team was assigned to the WFL's Weste ...

. The Chicago Winds signed Van DeCree. Winds coach Gibron planned to use DeCree at linebacker. Due to the Chicago franchise folding due to league-wide financial troubles, DeCree ended playing the rest of the season (which was ultimately suspended) with Birmingham. DeCree still resides in Columbus, Ohio, and remains a Buckeyes follower.Collegian-Penn State
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Decree, Van Living people American football defensive ends Ohio State Buckeyes football players All-American college football players Birmingham Vulcans players Sportspeople from Warren, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio Year of birth missing (living people)