OSU Fan Mixes Lawn Care, Love of the Buckeyes

When a neighbor decided to fly a Michigan flag, Buckeye fan Craig Washington of New Lebanon, Ohio responded to the challenge — by spray painting "Ohio" on his lawn.

"I figured I'd top him," Washington said. "Ever since then, I've done it each year."

Washington, 27, a General Motors employee, isn't an Ohio State University alumnus, but grew up watching OSU football. His interest in the team intensified in 2002, after he attended his first OSU game, he said.

That was the same year he started working on his yard at his home on Yorkwood Drive, which he shares with his wife, Cheryl, and their children: Clayton, 7, Olivia, 5, and Noah, 2, who shares a nickname with the Buckeyes' mascot, Brutus.

Each year, Washington sets his lawn mower on the lowest setting, almost at the ground, then mows a stencil of the word "Ohio." Next, he paints the stencil.

He has since added an inflatable Brutus Buckeye and some flags. Last week, he planted flowers — red and white, of course — along the walkway.

"Every football season, I turn my house into what my wife calls a 'Buckeye frathouse,'" Washington said. "The first year I did it, my wife hated it."

No one has complained about Washington's efforts, he said. His wife has gotten used to them, though she refuses to allow him to paint the shutters red.

Another neighbor tried to mow an "M" into his lawn, but gave up.

As for that original neighbor, who started it all with a Michigan flag?

"He moved away," Washington said, chuckling. "I think I pushed him out. He couldn't top it."