James Laurinatis going through the tunnel of Pride (Mighty Personal Collection
One of the cool things about collegiate sports is Senior Day. While the idea of student athlete sometimes bends more than the name presupposes there are certain times where the difference from the pros is palatable. Senior Day is one of them. On a cold, windy, frozen day on the banks of the Olentangy the winningest class in OSU history was honored. Not just the superstars like James Laurinitas (pictured above) but everyone. Senior Captain Todd Boekman, who handled his benching with far more class than I could have managed, received a standing ovations as he walked onto the Horseshoe for the final time. Boekman also got meaningful playing time as a reward his years of service in Buckeyeville. Probably most touching of all is that the final senior to take the field wasn't future NFLer Laurinitas, Robiskie or Jenkins but Tyson Gentry. Gentry was a WR/P walk-on that was partially paralyzed during a practice 3 years ago. Gentry came on the field, cheered from the sidelines and was in the front of the pack with the other Seniors as they victoriously sang Carmen, Ohio once last time. Yes, some collegiate athletes aren't some sort of mythically innocent amateur. But college athletics still remains slightly different from the pros were those that spend their time with a team, no matter their athletic contributions, are rewarded and given due respect.
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