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“[Shawn Springs] immersed himself in the world of science and engineering, hoping to produce the next generation of sports helmets and other protective devices though technology developed by his company, Windpact.”
— Former Ohio State Buckeye football star Shawn Springs, and what he’s doing after his pro days ended, Michael Phillips (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
He was an All-American in 1998 for the Buckeyes. Now, Shawn Springs has found a new avenue for his career: science. That’s not to say that Springs has left the sports world entirely.
Springs owns a company called Windpact, which creates sports helmets and protective equipment. The idea to start Windpact came from Springs’ days in the NFL. Springs noticed that the helmet he wore was similar to the one his dad wore in the NFL, which made him realize that things hadn’t really changed over the course of time to protect players’ head.
Windpact is on the verge of celebrating its sixth anniversary, and Springs has done some great things in promoting head safety in sports. Combined with Rob Stolker, a helmet has been created for women’s lacrosse — which at one point didn’t even require helmets to be used during games. This helmet can withstand a 60 mph hit from a lacrosse ball, and in the event of a collision, won’t harm other players who aren’t wearing a helmet.
The lacrosse angle has a connection to Springs: his sons play the sport at college. With the work being done by the Buckeye great, we could see a wider scope of helmets being made for all sports.
Springs is just another example of a Buckeye doing something to positively impact the world!
“These [games] have some impact on the NCAA tournament,” head coach Pete Hanson said. “We want to hold a high ranking and we want to hold a strong RPI.”
— Volleyball coach Pete Hanson as the regular season comes to a close, Aliyyah Jackson (The Lantern)
Even though the regular season conference title is in the bag, Ohio State men’s volleyball is looking to ride the momentum to a higher seed for postseason play.
With two more games left in their regular season, the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes aren’t letting up. OSU travels to Lindenwood on Friday night and then to Quincy on Saturday night. Historically, the Bucks have dominated against the Lions and Hawks. The Buckeyes have won all nine matchups against Lindenwood; and the Quincy Hawks have had a tough time cracking a win against the Scarlet and Gray, as the Buckeyes hold a 52-2 overall record against them.
Nicolas Szerszen holds the best ace-to-set ratio in the country (.66) and Miles Johnson is a top five point scorer, averaging 4.91 points per set.
Szerszen and Johnson are part of the reason why the Bucks have been a force on the hardwood, as this season saw their win streak reach 42 games. The Pete Hanson coached squad has only lost two games on the season, and secured their second straight MIVA (conference) title.
“Running back J.K. Dobbins, receiver Brendon White and quarterback Tate Martell have had their moments thus far, [Dre’mont] Jones reported.”
— Dre’mont Jones on what the new class of freshman are bringing to the table, Tim May (The Columbus Dispatch)
With the spring game just a week away, the highly anticipated class of 2017 gets their first real taste of being suited up inside Ohio Stadium. The 2017 class was the highest ranked in Ohio State history, and the Buckeyes could use some reinforcements, especially in the secondary and with wideouts, if they want to compete for a Big Ten title, or beyond, this coming season.
Jones specifically singled out Dobbins with praise, saying ““J.K. has really caught my eye...he just runs hard. He does not care. He just goes. I’m close to him, too. I kind of took him under my wing a little bit.”, per May. Mike Weber is certainly going to get the majority of the carries next season, but if Dobbins is able to spell him or provide an additional look, Ohio State’s offense gets that much more dangerous, and could give their developing passing game a little more flexibility.
Stick to Sports
• Former Ohio State assistant (and now Texas head coach) Tom Herman helps in the remodeling process of the Texas locker room.
• Who creates the Franklin County, Ohio road maps? This guy.
• Soccer team uses jerseys to advertise deals.