COLUMBUS, Ohio — Jack Park has been a reliable voice of statistical analysis and stories about the Ohio State Buckeyes since his radio debut 44 years ago. What was meant to be a onetime guest spot quickly became a regular on-air gig for all things OSU football.
What You Need To Know
- 2022 is the 44th year sports commentator Jack Park has been on the radio
- He credits a deep interest and photographic memory to his ability to retain dates
- Park has written four books including the recent, “Buckeye Reflections: Legendary Moments from Ohio State Football” with co-author Maureen Zappala
Currently, he can be heard alongside retired Tim May, sports reporter for the Columbus Dispatch, on the radio station, 97.1 The Fan.
“I never thought I’d be in football like this,” Park said.
A lucky break in 1979 landed Park at a dinner seated next to WBNS AM Sports Director John Gordon, who told him he was starting a nightly sports radio call-in show; would Park be interested in being a guest?
When an enormous rainstorm kept them on the air, taking calls from football fans for more than three hours, Park held his own.
“I just happened to be at the right place at the right time and this opportunity developed and nobody knew it was happening and it just happened,” he said.
It takes more than luck, however, to sustain a devoted fanbase like Buckeye Nation. Not only can Park run the numbers, he goes deep, reciting the intricacies of a coach’s legacy, pulling out the date a particular rivalry game was played in the last 100-years, or talking in detail about what a win means to a school.
He is a voracious fan and a number-cruncher.
“I think [it’s] a photographic mind,” he said. “I don’t know how I do it, but you just file it away up there… I think I’m a number’s guy.”
Despite his credentials, fans won’t find Jack Park in the press box. He’s had the same seats at Ohio Stadium for more than 20 years and, more than any moment on the field, it’s the experience of sharing with his children and now his granddaughters that bring Park the most joy.
“The connection that we’ve been able to do this together is probably the most important thing,” he said.
