Johnson 'dots the i' for second straight year
Hillsboro High School graduate Michael Johnson "dotted the i" in "Script Ohio" for the second time Saturday, Sept. 22, as the Ohio State Buckeyes ran their record to 4-0 with a 29-15 win over UAB (0-3).
On Sept. 24, 2011, Johnson "dotted the i" during the Buckeyes' game against Colorado at Ohio Stadium.
For the past 76 years, OSU's marching band has performed their trademark "Ohio" script formation, and dotting the i is a rare honor – reserved only for sousaphone players. To qualify to dot the i, sousaphonists must be in their fourth or fifth year in the marching band.
According to the OSU website, fourth-year sousaphone players select their date to dot the i based on who has marched the most pre-game ramps. Fifth-year sousaphonists are only used after all fourth-year members have selected a date.
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Johnson joined the Hillsboro band as a fifth grader, playing the trumpet for two years before making the switch to the sousaphone.
"They needed someone big enough to carry the horn back when I was in middle school," Johnson said in an interview with The Highland County Press last year.
Johnson is the son of two OSU graduates and became familiar with the school's football program and band at an early age.
"My parents took me to my first OSU game when I was 8, and I was pretty fascinated by the band," Johnson said. "I didn't know exactly then that I wanted to dot the i, but it's been a big goal of mine for the last 10 or 11 years. I love being a Buckeye and love everything about this school, so it worked out."
Johnson is the son of Brian and Laura Johnson of Hillsboro.