Ohio State: One on One with Buckeye Great Joe Staysniak
By Joe Russo
Factory of Sadness’ Joe Russo had the pleasure to sit down and speak to Ohio State great Joe Staysniak prior to this weekend’s matchup versus the University of Michigan.
Jan 9, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; A view of Ohio State University football team logo outside of the Hilton Anatole hotel. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
For those that may not know, Joe Staysniak played left tackle for four (1986-1989) seasons in Columbus and was a team captain for the Ohio State Football team. Additionally, Staysniak was an All-Big Ten performer, an Academic All-American, and a Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient. After Ohio State, Staysniak would play in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts. While with the Colts, he played with current Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
Currently, Staysniak is the co-host of the Grady & Big Joe Show along with Michael Grady on 1070 The Fan, an ESPN radio affiliate in Indianapolis. He also works as an analyst for the Indianapolis Colts on the Colts Radio Network pregame show.
In the interest of full disclosure, Staysniak played high school football for my father, Tom Russo, at Grafton Midview High School in Lorain County.
As exciting as it was for me to catch up with an old family friend, there are few people that can give the same kind of insight and share the same kind of stories as “Big Joe”. As The Game quickly approaches, I got a chance to sit down with him to look back at what it means to play Michigan, how the Buckeyes can improve after last week’s loss, and what is Harbaugh really like?
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