THE BRIDGE
Respect for Fickell puts Ohio State, Cincinnati fans on common ground
Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell is the peace-preserving link between Bearcats football and Buckeye Nation.
If not for Fick, many Ohio State fans would be roiling, churned up by the Bearcats setting foot on hallowed ground typically set aside for THE. And if not for Fick, the rolling hills of the Queen City would be rolling in laughter, mocking the mighty Buckeyes for failing to make the College Football Playoff while the Bearcats are in.
Don’t get me wrong, roiling and razzing still are happening — sports fandom, after all — but Fickell’s connection to both programs means the acrimony has been cut by more than half. Cincinnati fans who throw stones at Ohio State also are tossing them at Fickell, whose blood runs both OSU scarlet and UC red. Buckeyes fans who begrudge the Bearcats their semifinal berth against Alabama are belittling one of their own from the past.
And possibly the future? Fickell, a former Ohio State defensive lineman and defensive coordinator who served as
“He’s a great human.
This town is better for having him and his family here than not.”
Tim Sheehan on Luke Fickell
OSU’S head coach in 2011 after Jim Tressel resigned under pressure, might someday be running the show again in the Shoe, so be careful whose current program you bash and decry as overrated.
Certainly, just because Fickell grew up in Columbus and wore scarlet and gray doesn’t make him or UC’S program impervious to criticism. Bo Schembechler coached at Ohio State under Woody Hayes before ending up at Michigan. Gary Moeller played for the Buckeyes and coached the Wolverines. Neither are exactly embraced in Columbus.
But coaching in Ann Arbor is a whole different animal than coaching at Cincinnati, which is Ohio family. Kind of. Besides Skyline Chili and Graeter’s ice cream, and not counting Proctor and Gamble products, Cincinnati isn’t much interested in exporting itself beyond Hamilton County. And it sure as shootin’ isn’t interested in importing much of anything from outside I-275. Beyond the UC football coach, that is.
Fickell fits Cincy perfectly. A devout Catholic living and working in a Catholic enclave, his faith meshes with that of the city, making him “one of us.”
“A lot of Catholics here,” said Tim Sheehan, 80, the oldest of four brothers who grew up immersed in Cincinnati football. Steve Sheehan coached Cincinnati Academy of Physical Education (CAPE) to two state titles (1985-86) before it closed in 1994; John was an assistant coach at St. Xavier for 38 years. Terry was a principal at Batavia.
Fickell also espouses a family-first attitude and no-nonsense work ethic that further connects him to the Cincinnati
community.
“If I was a father who had a son who played football for Cincinnati and observed how Mr. Fickell has done it, I’d be so proud to have my son under that man’s tutelage,” Sheehan said. “Not just because (of football) but because he’s a great human. This town is better for having him and his family here than not.”
Sheehan is allowed to gush. He has followed UC football since 1980, when about 8,000 fans watched games in Nippert Stadium. He watched the program slowly improve under Rick Minter, then take off under Mark Dantonio, Brian Kelly and Butch Jones. He’ll take Fickell over any of them.
“I’m sure there are some (Ohio State fans) who hold a grudge because they didn’t care for Mr. Fickell when he was there, but I’ve never seen anyone like this gentleman,” Sheehan said. “A lot of it is the wrestler in his background, that self-discipline that exists in him.”
Sheehan also knows some Ohio State fans are upset about UC making the playoff over the Buckeyes, but he has yet to meet them.
“I haven’t found anybody down here so far that is anti-this (UC in the playoff) situation,” he said.
Of course, finding diehard Ohio State fans in Cincinnati is not like other Ohio cities, where it is as easy as counting Block O flags on the street.
“All during the successful Ohio State years, this is not an automatic, ‘We’re going to run to Ohio State,’ city,” Sheehan said. “I’ve always felt Cincinnati was independent of the Buckeye world.”
He’s not wrong, which helps explain why Bearcats fans are not as obnoxious as they could be toward Ohio State. Why gloat when the Buckeyes are not considered big brother, but just another Power 5 program?
From the Ohio State point of view, many Buckeyes fans are sincerely happy for the Bearcats’ success, and not just because of Fickell. Fans in general have grown tired of the same four or five schools qualifying for the playoff, so getting new blood is a nice change of pace. And if Ohio State can’t make it, might as well keep the celebration in state, especially if the No. 4 Bearcats beat No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Michigan beats No. 3 Georgia, setting up a UC vs. UM championship game.
Who do Ohio State fans root for then? Methinks Cincinnati. Sure, some worry that a UC national title would hurt the Buckeyes’ ability to recruit Ohio. My advice? Go all-in on the Bearcats and rest easy. Cincinnati’s run toward the top will be relatively short-lived, because once Fickell leaves … roller@dispatch.com @rollercd