TOLEDO, Ohio — It seems people from our area have their own special reasons to be a part of the Ohio State/Michigan game. But none more so than one Toledo native who's been on the sidelines all season long.
The city of Toledo will be well represented at this year's big game.
On one sideline, a man who was born in the Glass City: Michigan football head coach Jim Harbaugh.
On the other sideline is Dr. Bryant Walrod.
Walrod is a 1991 St. Francis de Sales High School graduate and he’s Ohio State Football's head team physician. He's been with OSU athletics for eight years, but he got the call up to football this year.
"It was neat,” says Walrod. “You know - obviously I've always been a fan, I've always followed it and stuff like that. Always kind of thought, 'man, it'd be cool to be out there,' and kind of blending - like most people in sports medicine have a history of in sports - being an athlete and liking medicine. It was awesome."
Walrod says being on that sideline especially this week is a big deal because growing up in Toledo, he knows how this game was always a big deal.
"The game was just a part of what we knew, especially where we lived, so important you know, kind of split down the middle,” remembers Walrod. “And this week is huge. Both teams are amazing this year, but then, independent of record, it's always a big game."
Walrod says behind the scenes, there is so much medical-team preparation during the week, making sure these elite athletes are ready for the field, and he says any given Saturday when you're watching the game, you likely won't see him - at least not right away.
"Usually, the athletic trainers are the first responders when you see somebody go down with an injury,” explains Walrod. “Those are the guys who are going to go out and see what's going on. And then if there's a major injury - sometimes they'll call the docs as well to kind of help out “
Walrod says he still has Toledo ties, and he treasures his time at his all-boys prep school of St. Francis and how it started his path to being a part of an outstanding season at OSU.
By the way, Walrod adds that he couldn't say yes to this gig before checking with his wife, because it requires a lot of travel, and he says hopefully, there’s more travel in a couple of weeks with a big bowl game.