Ohio State sets date for Archie Griffin celebration, other football game themes

Ohio State plans to honor the 50th anniversary of Archie Griffin’s first Heisman Trophy campaign in 2024, and the Buckeyes will waste no time this fall.

The season-opening game against Akron on Aug. 31 will coincide with a celebration of Griffin’s 1974 season as well as faculty and staff appreciation day.

That is one of eight game themes the school announced Monday.

The Sept. 7 game against Western Michigan will be alumni band day, and the Sept. 21 game against Marshall will be the Scarlet and Gray game.

The former means that is when fans can expect so see the annual quad Script Ohio formed by current and former members of the band, and the latter will see all of Ohio State’s current student athletes recognized on the field.

Iowa’s visit on Oct. 5 will be Hall of Fame weekend, and the Buckeyes will wear their alternate gray uniforms.

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Homecoming is set for Oct. 26 when the Buckeyes play host to Nebraska, and fans are going to be asked to “scarlet the shoe” by wearing red hues to the game.

Nov. 9 against Purdue is military appreciation day, and first responders will be recognized two weeks later when Indiana comes to town.

The regular season finale against Michigan on Nov. 30 will serve as Senior Day.

Griffin ran for 1,650 yards as a junior in 1974 en route to a team Big Ten championship and his selection as the Heisman Trophy winner.

The Columbus prep product added 1,450 yards during his senior season as the Buckeyes won the Big Ten title again, and he became the first and so far only player to win two Heismans.

While the stadium used to routinely sell out in advance of the season, that is no longer the case, and Ohio State is planning to roll out ticket sales in tiers this month.

A “pick three mini-plan” will be available starting June 7 that allows fans to pick tickets to three games from three groups of contests: one from Akron or Marshall, a second for Western Michigan or Indiana and a third from the trio of Iowa, Nebraska or Purdue.

Members of the alumni association will be able to buy tickets beginning June 17, and general public single-game sales are set to start June 21.

Five-game flex passes are also available for $289. Those include tickets for the Akron, Western Michigan, Marshall, Purdue and Indiana games with seat locations varying for each contest.

For more on ticket prices, fans can visit go.osu.edu/fbtix.

2024 Ohio State Football Schedule


  • Aug. 31 – Akron (3:30 p.m.; CBS)

  • Sept. 7 – Western Michigan (7:30 p.m.; BTN)

  • Sept. 21 – *Marshall
Sept.
  • 28 – at *Michigan State

  • Oct. 5 – *Iowa

  • Oct. 12 – at *Oregon

  • Oct. 26 – *Nebraska

  • Nov. 2 – at *Penn State

  • Nov. 9 – *Purdue

  • Nov. 16 – at Northwestern (12 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. at Wrigley Field)

  • Nov. 23 – *Indiana

  • Nov. 30 – Michigan (12 p.m.; FOX)

*Game time will be announced during the season either 12 of six days prior

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