Ohio State's Josh Myers will be switching up from his usual No. 71 jersey on Saturday for a very special reason.
Josh will be wearing No. 50 against Indiana to honor his grandparents, Donnie and Beverly Myers.
“They were the type of grandparents that never missed a sporting event,” said Myers, who grew up with them in Miamisburg. “My grandmother is 78 years old and for the last couple of years she’d watch my cousins play on Friday night for Miamisburg and then turn around and go to my game in Columbus or sometimes even on the road. She’s the sweetest, kindest lady you could ever meet.”
Beverly and Donnie met while attending Miamisburg High School and stayed in Miamisburg where they raised their family.
Donnie was a three-sport athlete in high school and was an offensive lineman, where he wore No. 50.
Josh's grandfather passed away in 2009 from Alzheimer's.
When Josh left for college in 2017, Beverly gave him a box with the No. 50 cut out from his grandfather's jersey.
Since then, she's cut out a piece of the jersey and given it to Josh before every game. He keeps that piece of the jersey in his sock during the games.
While home during quarantine this year, Josh said an idea popped into his head about how to keep his memory alive.
Josh decided to honor both of them by wearing No. 50 for one game this season.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that she’ll cry,” said Myers, who will wear No. 50 for just this one game. “She’s a big crier. She’s the sweetest.”
Josh will also wear a necklace from his grandmother in pre-game from his grandmother. While dating, Donnie took a screw from his cleat, drilled a hole in it and gave it to Beverly as a necklace.
“My grandmother is the type of person who does so much for other people,” said Myers. “She cares so much. I wanted to be able to try and give back to her in some way.”
