OSU alumni club brings Earle Bruce to VW

Van Wert independent sports

Former Ohio State Buckeyes football coach Earle Bruce will be the guest speaker for the OSU Alumni Club of Van Wert and Paulding Counties’ annual Fall Bash.

The event will be held Tuesday, December 3, at the new Wassenberg Art Center, 214 S. Washington St. in Van Wert. Doors will open at 5:45 p.m. and dinner will be served, starting at 6:30 that evening. Harlan’s BBQ & Catering of Pandora will provide the menu.

Bruce was the head coach of the Buckeyes from 1979 to 1987, taking over when Coach Woody Hayes was fired. An assistant coach under Hayes, Bruce compiled a record of 84-26-1 and won four Big Ten conference titles in eight seasons at the school.

His first year as head coach, the Buckeyes were 11-0 heading into the Rose Bowl, but lost the game – and the national championship – by just one point, 17-16, to the USC Trojans.

Tickets are $15 per person and can be purchased by sending a check to Jeffery-Mohr Dentistry, 685 Fox Road, Van Wert, OH 45891. Tickets can be picked up at the door the night of the dinner. Seating is limited and the deadline for ordering tickets is Friday, November 22.

In addition to the dinner and Coach Bruce’s talk, there will also be a silent auction and a limited selection of life auction items.

Proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships provided to Van Wert and Paulding County students who attend The Ohio State University.