The Ohio State Buckeyes didn’t have the day many expected in their rivalry matchup against the Michigan Wolverines, coming out flat offensively en route to a 13-10 defeat. But perhaps the one positive from the game came from longtime Ohio State radio color analyst Jim Lachey, who was unexpectedly able to keep his lengthy streak in the broadcast booth alive.
Lachey has been a mainstay on Buckeyes’ radio broadcasts since 1997, calling each of the last 357 games for the Buckeyes leading up to Saturday’s game.
That streak was expected to come to an end. Lachey let the team know earlier this week that he would be attending the Senior Day game of his son, who plays for the Iowa Hawkeyes, making it highly unlikely that he would also then be able to get to the noon kickoff of the Ohio State-Michigan game.
However, Lachey was surprisingly reached out to by Ohio State head coach Ryan Day on Saturday morning, who allowed him to quickly get to the game Saturday morning.
“Coach Day made an offer I couldn’t refuse,” said Lachey from the Ohio State press box in a video shared on X by Clay Hall of 97.1 The Fan in Columbus. “He said would you like to come back for the game? I said yeah and basically that’s how it happened. I had a plane ride earlier this morning and I’m back. Couldn’t have turned it down. Not to come back for this game and have an opportunity to be here for Ohio State-Michigan. Are you kidding me? My wife is a little upset, but here I am.”
JUST IN: The Streak lives for Jim Lachey who will call today’s game. He was in Iowa City for his son’s last game for the Hawkeyes & planned to miss The Game. What changed ? @971thefan pic.twitter.com/WgQMBzkKEd
— Clay Hall (@NewDayForClay) November 30, 2024
If anyone deserves this kind of treatment, it is someone like Jim Lachey who has essentially given his life to Buckeyes football dating back to his playing days at the program in the mid-1980s.
Lachey should consider himself 1-1 on the weekend. His Buckeyes didn’t get it done, but his son’s Iowa Hawkeyes were able to come away with a 13-10 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Not only that, but his 357-game broadcasting streak lives on, which is a true testament to his dedication to the program over the years.