Buckeye passion pervades Mahoning Valley homes, offices

SEE ALSO: Championship coach Jim Tressel sizes up national title game

By KALEA HALL and ROBERT CONNELLY

news@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Sam Covelli’s Ohio State University stories are endless. There’s the story of his Ohio State gray dress pants with embroidered scarlet “Os” all over them that he received from former OSU President Gordon Gee.

Then there's the story of his gray coat with the Ohio State logo on the back that Urban Meyer gave to him.

“One of my best moments was at the Sugar Bowl,” he said. Covelli was on the field at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans when Meyer came up to him and shook his hand.

“Everyone at that school is so humble,” he said.

His one-of-a-kind stories go along with his one-of-a-kind Ohio State room at Covelli Enterprises in Warren.

Covelli speaks about his pride and loyalty to the university, wears it and shows it like many Buckeye fans in the Mahoning Valley.

In 2012, the owner of Covelli Enterprises — the largest Panera Bread franchisee in North America — donated $10 million to OSU to assist in funding construction of a multisport arena. It is the single largest cash gift from one individual donor to the department of athletics.

His dedication to the university is spread throughout the room at the Covelli headquarters, from the Ohio State helmet to the football signed by Meyer.

Every item in the room seems to have a story behind it. Some of the items are gifts from his employees or from the university, like the more than 6-foot Brutus Buckeye mascot that greets guests as they enter.

The love and loyalty to the Buckeyes spreads to the Covelli-operated Panera Bread locations in Ohio selling OSU cookies.

“Ohio State has turned into the darling of the country,” Covelli said.

His predictions for Monday’s college football national championship battle between the Oregon Ducks and OSU?

“It’s going to be a shootout,” he said. “I think we are going to beat them.”

Covelli will be there on the sidelines at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, to cheer on the Buckeyes.

“It’s my experiences at Ohio State that make it exciting for me,” he said.

Covelli isn’t alone in his dedication to the team.

Dr. Jeffrey Patterson, 51, of Austintown, has his waiting room highlighted in OSU colors, from a bowling pin with Brutus on it to a picture of skeletons in a yard doing O-H-I-O with their arms.

He has three panoramic views of some of OSU’s biggest football games since 2000, including one of “The Game of the Century.” It’s the only one of his big photos, at his optometrist office at 1300 S. Canfield-Niles Road in Austintown, that he was actually in attendance when the University of Michigan and Ohio State played each other on Nov. 18, 2006.

Ohio State won 42-39 and later went to the national championship game that season.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I was a Buckeye fan. Woody [Hayes] was my man,” Dr. Patterson said with a smile. “I always told my dad I’m going to play football for Woody. Unfortunately by the time I got to that level, those guys are a little too big and a little too fast for me.”

Dr. Patterson said he goes to about three games a season and some of his children attended Ohio State as well. He received his undergraduate and optometry degrees from OSU. In his office he has a photo of Buckeye offensive lineman Billy Price, also a Fitch graduate and on the current team.

“For the Mahoning Valley, it’s an opportunity, like one of the young boys, Billy Price of Fitch,” Dr. Patterson said. “For Billy, it’s a lifelong dream and he could end up in the NFL one day.”

Dr. Patterson plans to watch the game with some friends and said he stopped painting his face a couple years ago.

“I say they win by a touchdown because I think they’ll be able to keep the ball longer than Oregon,” he predicted.

Jim Mullally, a teacher from Poland and OSU alumnus, also feels confident in his team’s ability to win. The 1979 graduate always knew he was going to attend OSU. His father, Bob, graduated from the university in 1950.

His pride in the university is visible in his house. A good portion of his basement is devoted to the team. A scarlet helmet strip goes across the walls in his basement and OSU gray surrounds the stripe. Mullally has various OSU items in his possession from autographed helmets to a thorough collection of Christmas ornaments, but his most-prized possession is his diploma.

He often watches his games in what he calls his “little Buckeye Varsity Club North,” named after a bar in Columbus. His golden retriever, Maggie, doesn’t miss watching the games, either. She always sports a jersey.

“People like winners,” he said. “And, you know, Coach Jim Tressel won and Urban [Meyer] is winning.”