1. Brutus Buckeye is 59 years old. In 1965, two Ohio State students, Sally Lanyon and Ray Bourhis, realized Ohio State needed a mascot—and what better than a nut from the state tree?

Part of the “lore” of Brutus is that the students who play Brutus are kept secret throughout their career at Ohio State. Hayward didn’t realize how big of a deal it was, especially for a woman.

The official mascot, known as Brutus Buckeye, is an anthropomorphic representation of an Ohio buckeye nut, which is the state tree of Ohio. The nickname "Buckeyes" has roots in the 18th century, ...

In the nearly 60 years since Brutus Buckeye first debuted as Ohio State University's mascot, only four women have portrayed the famous anthropomorphic nut. Emily Hayward, an Ohio State biomedical ...