It started with a simple Web post and ended with little Oregon, Ohio, on the lips and in the headlines of some of the biggest names in sports reporting.
After watching Ohio State upset Alabama in a college football playoff game Jan. 2, Whitmer High School teacher Matt Squibb posted a petition at change.org. In it, he called on the city of Oregon to change its name in support of the Buckeyes as they headed to the title game versus the University of Oregon Ducks. Fellow Whitmer teacher and Oregon native Mark Rabbitt backed him.
“I grew up in Oregon, Ohio, and love the city, but for the day of the ‘Big Game’ I am asking the city council to make a proclamation to change the name of the city for one day,” the petition reads. “Call it Buckeye Town, Ohio City, Brutusville, whatever, you get the point. Let’s not leave anything to chance here! Change the name and support the Buckeyes!”
People started sharing the link on social media and it wasn’t long before Oregon Mayor Michael Seferian caught wind.
“We’ve heard about [the petition]. We’ve gotten calls. We’re going to do something with it,” Oregon City Administrator Michael Beazley said Jan. 2.
On Jan. 5, Seferian made it official, issuing a proclamation declaring the city would be renamed “Oregon, Ohio Buckeyes on the Bay, City of Duck Hunters” through Jan. 12 and that Jan. 5-12 was “Ohio State Buckeye Week.”
The name is a play on the city’s motto “Oregon on the Bay, City of Opportunity,” and a reference to the city’s dedicated population of outdoorsmen as well as the Buckeyes upcoming opponents. The proclamation also notes that the city of Oregon had its name before the state of Oregon, which is why he opted to keep the name.
“Mike is having plenty of fun with it,” Beazley said. “[We discussed whether to change] ‘Oregon’ or the slogan part of our name. The mayor felt that changing the slogan part was more appropriate. We are proud of our name and have had it since long before there was a state of Oregon.”
The petition, which collected 2,066 supporters before it closed, also called for Clay High School in Oregon to change its colors for the day. Both Clay and the University of Oregon sport green and yellow.
However, Oregon City Schools superintendent Lonny Rivera said he probably won’t go that far. Instead, he plans to refer to the district as The Oregon City Schools — a nod to The Ohio State University — while retaining school colors. That way it’s “kind of humorous, but also show’s support,” he said.
“I’ve been a lifelong resident of Oregon and many of our residents bleed green and gold,” Rivera said. “That doesn’t change anything, but gives Ohio State kudos by capitalizing the ‘The.’ We have fans of many different schools, but Ohio State is part of our state and it’s neat to acknowledge that.”
Rivera said the district was planning a school spirit day Jan. 12, featuring a contest to see which school can wear the most Ohio State fanwear.
Ironically, neither Squibb nor Rabbitt are Ohio State fans. Rabbitt is a fan of Ohio State’s archrival University of Michigan while Squibb is a fan of that other football game, particularly Manchester United.
“We’re just two guys going on a website and sparking something that most people would think is probably a really stupid thing, but to have so many people supporting it and then hopefully rooting for Ohio State to win it all is pretty great,” Rabbitt said. “The Big Ten has been seen as a conference that can’t compete with the SEC or Pac-12. Now Ohio State has beaten the No. 1 team in the SEC and are facing the No. 1 team in the Pac-12 and we have this opportunity for Ohio State to win the national championship. I think it’s pretty good to see a community come together and support them.”
Also on Jan. 5, Urbana, Ohio, announced it would drop its second “a” to become Urban, Ohio, on Jan. 12 in support of head coach Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. And Dayton’s Oregon Historic District changed its name to the Buckeye District for the week.
Ohio State defeated Alabama 42-35 on Jan. 1 while Oregon took down undefeated Florida State 59-20 that same day. It’s the first time the national champion will be determined by a playoff.
