Jonathon Cooper is First Buckeye to Ever Wear No. 0
No Buckeye has ever worn No. 0, the sacred Block O—until now.
As the Buckeyes begin a new tradition, fifth-year senior Jonathon Cooper has been presented with the No. 0 jersey for this season, which the team is calling the "Block O" jersey. Cooper accepted the honor and will do so in honor of the late, great Bill Willis.
"Just want to say how much this means to me and what an honor it truly is," Jonathon Cooper said in a Tweet. "I will wear the Block 0 and represent my team, the coaches, the university and everything that the late great Bill Willis stood for. Thank you buckeye nation."
Prior to this year, the NCAA forbid any player to wear No. 0 on his jersey. Since it has changed the rule, the Buckeyes have started a new tradition and Jonathon Cooper will be the first one to ever wear it in program history.
“This honor stands out from the rest,” said Cooper. “Being a captain, all the great things that have happened here at Ohio State, this one stands out a lot more to me personally. It doesn’t just represent me, it represents a great man, a great player who played here. I know when I put that jersey on I’m representing him and I have to go out there and be my very best, and I have to do that every single day. This one really means a lot to me.”
“Jonathon Cooper represents everything that an Ohio State football player should be,” said head coach Ryan Day. “He’s tough. He’s accountable. He loves this university and this state. He’s someone who continually embodies our culture of ‘fight.’ And that’s in everything that he does, on and off the field. I’m proud of Coop; he’s the perfect Buckeye to wear the Block “0” for the first time.”
“I will wear No. 0 because it’s not about me,” Cooper continued. “No one understood why I wore No. 18; it’s because my birthday is Jan. 8. That represents just me. When I wear that Block “0” it’ll be in honor of a great Ohio State Buckeye and it will represent Ohio State University and all my teammates and coaches. I know I have to play at my very best and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Bill Willis' No. 99 was retired by the Buckeyes after a marvelous career in Columbus in the early 1940's. He was part of the school's first ever national championship team back in 1942. Perhaps most importantly, Willis broke the NFL color barrier with the Cleveland Browns after his time at Ohio State. He is in both the College Football and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Willis passed away in November 2007 at the age of 86.
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