October 29, 2005

Buckeye player = son of Road Warrior Animal

He may not be shaking things up on the field, but Ohio State football player James Laurinaitis is definitely making a name for himself at OSU. Why? Well, his dad is pro wrestling legend Road Warrior Animal, for starters.

It's made the freshman something of a celebrity on campus.

"A lot of the guys are into it, a lot more than you would think," said Laurinaitis, a 6-foot-3, 231-pounder. "I was kind of hoping I'd come here and maybe no one would really know about it. But it turns into every day someone will ask me about it."

...

Joe Laurinaitis, still the WWE tag-team champion at age 43, is a doting father who has missed only one Ohio State game this season and is a familiar face around the team. And, no, that face isn't painted when he attends games, as it is when he steps into the ring.

...

And it's not just the players who are impressed.

"I've seen some (Animal) autographs in some of the coaches' offices," Schlegel said.