Frank Ramirez loves his alma mater Ohio State University and is a lifelong fan. 

“Got the Ohio State blood in me,” said the Ohio native who spent most his life in the Buckeye State until moving to Tucson in 2010.

On the Monday in January when Ohio State was playing Notre Dame in the College Football National Championship, Ramirez was talking with dozens of fans at the popular east side Tucson sports bar Trident Grill II. Trident is the go-to sports bar for Washington Commanders and Ohio State football fans.

“To have a group like this rooting on the Buckeyes is fun,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez is not only a fan of the school, he’s an ambassador as president of the Ohio State University Alumni Club of Southern Arizona. 

One of Ramirez’s and the club’s set goals is to help raise money for scholarships to help Tucson high school students who plan to attend Ohio State University by raising money for their scholarships. The club, which held a raffle during the CFB championship game, has a goal of raising about $4,000.

Only 19.4% of non-Ohio residents attend the university, with most out-of-state students coming from New York, California, Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, according to university data.

The club uses local happy hours as a way to get Ohio State alumni together socially, said alumnus and club member Sally Lanyon, who works on the club’s scholarship and teacher of the year committees.

Lanyon is a cheerleader and longtime fan of Ohio State who has unique historical ties with the university; she was one of the two creators of the university’s iconic “Brutus” mascot that represents the school and its athletics.

She also wrote a book about the mascot, “The Autobiography of Brutus Buckeye,” available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Orange Frazer.

To learn more about game watch locations, club events, activities and more about the club, visit southernaz.alumni.osu.edu or email Ramirez at frankaramirez@ymail.com.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.