After Ohio’s victory over WVU in Athens in 1897 a reporter for the Athens Messenger & Herald was inspired to write a poem. Years ago I discovered this poem while doing research on the reporting of 19th Century football. I later placed it on Ohio’s football Wikipedia page. I thought it appropriate to reproduce it here the week of another Mountaineer trip to Athens. Hopefully, in 2025 the Bobcats will put up another effort worthy of such a literary accolade:

And they came and they were conquer'd
With swift dispatch and ease,
And they felt that twinging sorrow which
In vain they could appease
Thought not that woe awaited them
Across Ohio's stream.
And like the poet found that things
Aren't ever what they seem.

And they came from fair Virginia
The place of Morgantown.
Where swift Monogahela flows
Past mountains looking down:
Proud and boasting came they hither
To wrestle for the goals
Which they found almost as quickly
As disembodied souls.

Badly battered left they homeward
In vain could they conceal
The awful havoc of their bucks
'Gainst O.U.'s pointed steel:
And they left here sad but wiser
Of many manly tricks,
For the gridiron here is hot
As Athens politics.

Now it's time for one of our BA creative poets to write a poem about OHIO's third home victory against WVU.

Also, I'll have to say that the Chrysanthemums looking down from Heaven are proud today! What am I talking about? Well, in reading accounts of the 1897 games there was one story that referred to OHIO as the Chrysanthemums. I was never quite sure if this was a name adopted by the team, or if the reporter just invented it. Regardless, I've always thought of these early OHIO teams by that name. The official Bobcat mascot was not adopted until years later.

So, Notre Dame wins one for the Gipper.

Ohio wins one for the Chrysanthemums!

EDIT: To correct the number of OHIO home victories over WVU. It's now three, and not two. We also beat them 17-7 in 1949. They never won in Athens. Are now 0-3 in Athens.

There once was a girl from Morgantown,
Who cried as her Mountaineers crumbled down.
At the Frank Bobcats play,
Victorious that day,
While the hillbilly crowd wore a frown.

Not bad! Anyone else care to try their hand at this? Perhaps, the original poem and all the sequels should find their way to WVU board.

I cheated here. I didn't write this.

Here in Athens, Ohio, on Frank Solich's green field,
The Mountaineers of West Virginia, their fate concealed.
They came from Morgantown, their hopes held so high,
To challenge the Bobcats beneath the autumn sky.

But the Bobcat defense, with strength and with might,
Held fast against the rushing game, and bravely did fight.
Though White broke free for an early score,
Ohio responded, wanting victory more.

Navarro's arm, though at times it did stray,
Led his offense forward, gaining yards along the way.
With Bangura's strong run and Hendricks' swift stride,
The Bobcats found the end zone, and the lead they did ride.

From the Big 12 they journeyed, a Power Four foe,
But Ohio's determination, they truly did show.
In a stadium packed, a record-setting throng,
The Bobcats stood tall, where they rightfully belong.

West Virginia's hopes were dashed, their offense subdued,
As Michael Molnar's defense, relentless and shrewd.
With sacks and tackles, he led the brave charge,
Protecting the victory, standing ever so large.

So cheer for the Bobcats, their spirit so grand,
A 17-10 triumph across the Ohio land.
Against a Big 12 opponent, they proved their true might,
A glorious win, bathed in the evening's bright light.

Very good. Can you reveal the actual author? Inquiring minds want to know.

I googled something like "What was the newspaper poem from when Ohio defeated West Virginia in 1897" in AI Mode. When it showed me the poem I asked something like, "Can you write a similar poem about Ohio's recent win over West Virginia?" and it returned this. So there is no human author.

AI poetry. A new first for BA. I don't know who wrote the 1897 poem either, but I'm fairly certain it was a human!