Looking back at memorable moments in Ohio sports in 2023

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — 2023 was a year of triumph, controversy, change, and intrigue for sports teams across Ohio.

For the past 12 months, franchises and athletes from the state have made headlines including championships, winning touchdowns, injuries, coaching changes, and much more.

Here is a look back at a fascinating year in Ohio sports:

Buckeyes follow signature moment with another Michigan defeat

Ohio State football had big expectations going into 2023 but still had one main target: Beat Michigan. On the way towards playing “The Game” in Ann Arbor, the Buckeyes faced some tough tests and gave fans some memorable victories.

The most iconic win of the season came in Sept. when OSU snuck past Notre Dame 17-14 in South Bend, Indiana, on NBC4. The winning play was a 1-yard touchdown run from Chip Trayanum with one second remaining.

At 11-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation, the Buckeyes faced No. 3 Michigan for the second straight time with both undefeated. Instead of conquering the Wolverines, OSU fell 30-24 for a third straight loss to Michigan and leaving them outside the last four-team College Football Playoff.

In the days that followed the confirmation OSU would play Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, starting quarterback Kyle McCord and a dozen others announced intentions to transfer. Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was celebrated all season becoming a unanimous All-American and finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Columbus Crew claim MLS title with beautiful play

The Black & Gold brought another trophy to Columbus after numerous offseason changes led to a beautiful style of play that culminated in an MLS Cup trophy.

Coach Wilfried Nancy came to Columbus and brought his possession-centric style of attacking soccer, leading to a plethora of entertaining matches and the Crew finishing third in the Eastern Conference for its first playoff appearance since 2020.

After winning a first-round series over Atlanta United, the Crew won enthralling extra time games at Orlando City and FC Cincinnati to clinch home field for the MLS Cup final. In front of a record-crowd at Lower.com Field, the Crew beat Los Angeles FC 2-1 to win its third MLS championship and second in four seasons.

The title was celebrated throughout the city with the crown jewel being a championship parade and rally. An estimated 20,000 fans came Downtown to sing, chant, and commemorate the champions.

Blue Jackets rebuild on and off the ice

The Blue Jackets’ year has been one of rebuilding and lots of it. After finishing the 2022-23 season with a near franchise-low 59 points, the Blue Jackets fired coach Brad Larsen in April and hired former Stanley Cup-winning coach Mike Babcock in July.

Two months later and with less than one month until the season began, Babcock resigned after he was accused of violating players’ privacy by asking to inspect their phones. Associate coach Pascal Vincent stepped in as coach.

This season has been more of the same on the ice as they sit in the basement of the NHL standings. Changes are likely to come in 2024 with the Blue Jackets potentially being a seller leading up to the trade deadline and looking to draft a top prospect.

A tale of two Ohio State basketball teams

Both Ohio State basketball teams had momentous seasons but in opposite ways. The women’s team had its best season in three decades, entering the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed and nearly getting to the Final Four.

OSU defeated James Madison and North Carolina at Value City Arena to make the Sweet 16 in Seattle, where it played No. 2 Connecticut. The Buckeyes won the regional semifinal 73-61 to make its first Elite Eight since 1993 and end the Huskies’ 16-year streak of regional final appearances. The Buckeyes then lost to Virginia Tech.

The men were close to securing an NCAA spot through a run of upset wins. After winning just five conference games, they were the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament. The Buckeyes made it to a semifinal before losing to top-seed Purdue, leaving OSU out of the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years.

Browns, Bengals keep winning despite losing QBs

The Ohio NFL teams seemed down and out after significant injuries but are right in the playoff mix.

Fresh off another AFC championship game appearance, the Cincinnati Bengals entered 2023 with big expectations. Those expectations dropped in November when star quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury. Backup Jake Browning has stepped in and has kept the Bengals in the wild card race.

In northeast Ohio, the Browns have had a flurry of injuries with quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Nick Chubb each being ruled out of the season early or halfway through. Despite Watson and Chubb’s absence, Cleveland has found numerous ways to win games with four quarterbacks and a top-tier defense to firmly be in position to make the playoffs.

The Browns and Bengals have not made the playoffs in the same season since 1988-89.

Other notable moments

• Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud was drafted second overall by the Houston Texans and is now the leading candidate to win NFL offensive rookie of the year and has Houston in the playoff race.

• Nationwide Arena hosted first- and second-round games for the men’s NCAA Tournament, including Fairleigh Dickinson’s upset of Purdue. Columbus sold the most tickets of any city hosting first two rounds.

• Former Buckeyes swimmer Hunter Armstrong won world championship in 50m backstroke in Fukuoka, Japan. The Dover native will be vying for a spot on the 2024 Olympic team.

• Norway’s Viktor Hovland won the 2023 Memorial golf tournament in Dublin in a playoff over Denny McCarthy. It was Hovland’s first PGA Tour win on American soil in a season where the Norwegian won the FedEx Cup and the Ryder Cup with Team Europe.

• Cincinnati Reds rookie shortstop Elly De La Cruz shined in the majors and became the youngest player since 1972 to hit for the cycle. De La Cruz also stole three bases in one inning during a game and was tracked as the fastest player in the majors and the strongest arm of any middle infielder.

• Cleveland Guardians manager Terry Francona retired after his 23rd season as an MLB manager, including 11 with Cleveland. Francona ended his career as a 2-time World Series winner with the Boston Red Sox and guided Cleveland to an AL Pennant in 2016.

• The Cleveland Cavaliers made the NBA playoffs for the first time without LeBron James since 1998 behind the play of All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. The Cavs were knocked out in the first round by the New York Knicks in five games.

• Ohio State’s women’s ice hockey team made the national championship game for a second consecutive year. The Buckeyes did not defend its 2022 title, losing 1-0 to Wisconsin in the final.