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November 13, 2015In 1925, the gentlemen of Ohio State’s junior honorary, Bucket and Dipper, had an idea: We should buy a turtle. More importantly, that turtle should serve as a living trophy to be awarded to the winner of that autumn’s Ohio State — Illinois football game. After all, Illinois had emerged as one of the Buckeyes’ chief rivals. Every year since 1919 the season ended the same way — a contest against the Fighting Illini. Illinois had won four of the previous six matchups so maybe some chelonian enticement would inspire the Bucks.
So the B&D chaps went to a local Columbus fish market and purchased the turtle – Illy Illibuck. Illinois’ equivalent junior honorary Atius-Sachem agreed to participate in the turtle exchange and a tradition emerged. While the original Illibuck sadly passed away in 1927 – who would have guessed that college kids would be poor game wardens? – the spirit of Illy lives on through Illy Illibuck X, the tenth and current wooden turtle the schools have exchanged. With Saturday’s contest against Illinois coming up, I spoke with a friend and fellow Ohio State Class of 2012 alum, Carson, who belonged to Bucket and Dipper and knows the trophy from a unique perspective.
Bucket and Dipper was founded in 1907. At its inception, the idea was to assemble “congenial spirits that had rendered special service to the University.” Over time their interests grew to include community service, Homecoming responsibilities, and most famously, Illibuck caretakers. Carson applied to Bucket and Dipper in 2010 during his sophomore year in Columbus, and was voted a spot as the co-chair of the Illibuck Committee. “I went up there and made of fool of myself by talking about turtles I had found in books or Disney movies,” Carson relayed. His knowledge impressed the group enough to give him a seat of honor for the school’s only rivalry trophy. A major responsibility included correspondence between B&D and A-S for transportation and the Illibuck Pass. There did not seem to be much smack talk between the sides. “It was a healthy relationship [between the schools].” Surprisingly, a major part of the job is marketing.
Incoming freshmen provide a fertile garden for planting school spirit. With that in mind, Carson and the committee led a dorm storm for new students in the fall of 2010. “We brought Illy around dorm to dorm so their first moment moving into Ohio State, they now know who Illy Illibuck is.” They would get photo ops and associate all the exciting first moments of college with Illy. Homecoming allowed another chance for the turtle to take center stage. In the week leading up to the Homecoming game Illy would circulate around campus for photos and attend a pep rally at Woody’s Tavern to get students excited for the game. While the Illibuck Trophy enjoys a rich history, a matchup with Illinois does not move the needle as much as one against Penn State or That School Up North. To get the team amped for the rivalry game, Carson decided to go right to the source – Jim Tressel.
“We reached out to [defensive coordinator Luke] Fickell in September 2010.” Fickell arranged for Carson and fellow Bucket and Dipper co-chair Amy to speak with coach Fickell and head coach Jim Tressel during a team dinner the week of the Illinois game. “We reminded the coaches what [the Illibuck] symbolizes and what it means.” The coaches then relayed some of the history to the players so they knew the stakes. “It was understood what it meant, but they weren’t psyched to win for the sake of the trophy; they were fighting more for a win.” The team knew what it was, but the turtle was not a huge motivating factor. Illinois does not top many fans’ lists of “number one rival” and that may contribute to the lack of hooplah around Illy. As Carson put it, “Now if we were talking about gold pants, we would have gotten a little more excited reaction.”
On October 2, 2010, the Buckeyes traveled west to Champaign for a battle with the Illini. Ohio State led 14-10 after three quarters when Illy made its appearance on the field. The Illibuck Pass takes place between the third and fourth quarters of the matchup. Members of both junior honoraries stand in a single file line. Illy is passed above everyone’s heads from the loser of the previous year’s game to the winner. Because Ohio State won the game in 2009 the school retained it in Columbus. For that reason, Bucket and Dipper lent the trophy to Atius-Sachem, which was able to briefly hold it for a moment before passing back to the victorious Buckeyes. Ohio State would then possess Illy for the whole year. Carson’s only tweak of the rivalry trophy would be its setup. Because it was an away game, the trophy was not behind the visiting bench, denying the Scarlet and Gray a chance to run across the field to claim Illy a la the Old Oaken Bucket or Paul Bunyan’s Axe. Still, Zeke came to know Illy after the Bucks’ victory over Illinois in 2014.
Carson, like me, graduated from Ohio State in 2012. A few years removed from campus, what comes to mind when he thinks of his time with Illy? “I always get a smile on my face when I see that 32-pound wooden turtle… Nothing but love.” Is there anything in particular about your season with Illy? “Well,” he pauses, “the score of the 2010 game is etched on the back.” While the NCAA penalized Ohio State years later to vacate that victory, no one updated Illy. Just like the games we remember fondly from years ago, the totems and trophies they represent remain evergreen. Time and change cannot affect the final score.
As Carson puts it, “The turtle never lies.”
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In 1925, the Illinois society in question was Sachem. Atius was the equivalent society for women, but the two did not merge until later. At the current time, the society is indeed Atius-Sachem.