The Ohio State Buckeyes football community is mourning this week after the passing of a former player.
Former Ohio State kicker, punter and quarterback Bob Atha passed away Tuesday following a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 65 years old.
Born and raised in Worthington, Ohio, Atha spent his first three seasons with the Buckeyes as a backup behind star quarterback Art Schlichter and placekicker Vlade Janakievski from 1978-80. However, during his senior year in 1981, he got a chance to shine.
Atha took over as the team’s starting placekicker while continuing to back up Schlichter at quarterback, and he finished the season as Ohio State’s leading scorer with 88 points on 13 field goals, 43 extra points and a touchdown.
His finest performance at Ohio State came October 24, 1981, at Ohio Stadium, where he drilled five field goals in a 29-10 victory over Indiana, which is a school record he still shares with Mike Nugent (against NC State in 2004), Josh Huston (Texas in 2005) and Devin Barclay (Miami Hurricanes in 2010), according to Eleven Warriors.
As a quarterback, Atha attempted 41 passes throughout his career, completing 20 of them, one of which went for a touchdown. He threw for a total of 264 yards.
Atha went on to play professionally with the Miami Dolphins and St. Louis Cardinals before eventually returning home to Worthington, where he spent decades working in his family’s oil and gas business.
He will not soon be forgotten by his friends, family, the Ohio State football community.
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