Burke’s love for Ohio State football culminates with Senior Day celebration

COLUMBUS – Senior Day for the Ohio State football team is special, and it was no different last Saturday when the Buckeyes honored 21 seniors, who were playing their last games in the Shoe.

Some of the more notable seniors received loud cheers, while others, who get very little playing time, if any, probably had some fans, saying, who, when Quinton Burke’s name was announced.

However, for Burke, a former Lancaster standout offensive lineman, it was an emotional moment because of the journey he took to get to this moment. It was his time to soak it all in, even if most of the 104,000 attending Ohio Stadium, had not heard of him.

Standing just outside the tunnel and being greeted first by Ohio State athletic Director Gene Smith and waiting for his name to be called, Burke had a lot of thoughts running through his head after he was introduced and ran to the 50-yard line to get a handshake and hug from Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. From there, he headed to his mom and grandma, who have been his biggest supporters.

MORE: Knee Injury won’t hinder Burke’s dream of playing college football

This day was a culmination of perseverance, mental toughness, and sheer determination. He overcame the odds and fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing for the Buckeyes. More importantly, he proved to himself that he could suit up and be a part of a team that most high school football players only dream of.

“It means a lot because ever since I was a kid, this was one of my biggest goals in life was to play at Ohio State and to be able to run out of that tunnel for the last time and hear my name over the intercom, hear the fans, get to hug from coach Day, give flowers to my mom, everything just kept piling on and it was a sentimental moment,” Burke said. “Just seeing my mom and my grandma in the end zone, I teared up. I never thought I could get to this moment, so to make it and be here on Senior Day, was a big deal.”

Injury almost derailed his dreams

Heading into his senior year at Lancaster, Burke was attending the Ohio State football camp. Things could not have been going any better. He was a rising star as an offensive lineman and already had offers from several Division I schools, but his dream was to play for the Buckeyes, and he was proving his worth that summer day at their camp.

Then the unthinkable happened. In one of the last drills of the camp, his knee gave out and he heard a pop. His worst fears came to fruition. It turned out to be a major knee injury. He tore his ACL completely, partially tore his meniscus, and sprained his MCL. After having surgery, he was headed to the long road of recovery.

He missed his senior season playing for the Golden Gales, but long-term, he was dream of playing college football was put on hold, but not all was lost. The schools that offered him never wavered and kept the offers on the table, and to his surprise, the Buckeyes offered him a preferred walk-on spot.

After rehabbing his knee, he had to make a tough decision of going and playing for a school where he would get playing time or playing for the Buckeyes where he knew his chances of getting on the field would be minimal at best.

“It was a hard decision because I kept getting offers, but it was one of those situations where it felt good, but it didn’t feel right,” Burke said. “I wanted to go to Ohio State, regardless of if I played football or not. At the end of my recruiting process, when I tore my ACL, I thought my football career was over, but when I got that preferred walk-on after I tore my ACL, I knew I was coming here. I always wanted to be a Buckeye.

“I grew up watching the Buckeyes and to even have the chance to fight in practice just to see if could do it and be on the field, was something that I wouldn’t get that feeling anywhere else. The education here is fantastic. If I graduated from somewhere else and I opened my diploma, and it didn’t say The Ohio State University, it wouldn’t mean as much.”

Embracing the grind and being a part of the brotherhood

Even though the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Burke knew his chance of getting on the field were going to be tough, he understood his role, which was to be a practice player, but if that’s what the coaches wanted, he was going to give them his best, never mind that he more than likely could have started at other schools.

There were some tough days along the way, days where he wondered why he was putting his body through so much without getting any rewards for his sacrifice, but he never wavered on his passion for being a part of the Buckeye football team. He learned a lot about himself during some of those trying times, and the lessons he learned will stick with him for the rest of his life.

“It has been rough, and practices are hard,” Burke said. “You go to class, you have to make sure you have all your credits, go eat lunch, you have meetings before practice, and then practice for three hours. It takes a lot of being a student-athlete, but I wouldn’t change anything. It was one of those experiences that has made me better for who I am, as a person, football player, future dad, and husband.

“It’s just one of those things where I have learned so many life lessons in that locker room, on the field, in the weight room, and it has taught me so many things as a human being and I would not have learned those things anywhere else. I’m on the practice squad here, and I’ve wondered what could do elsewhere, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. I wanted to stay here.”

Burke officially became a part of the team last April when his black stripe was removed from his helmet. At Ohio State, you aren’t officially a part of the team until that happens, regardless of whether you are a 5-star recruit or a walk-on. It is a big deal when you lose your black stripe.

When it happened for Burke, it was unexpected, but at the same time, it was validation that he made the right choice.

“Losing my black stripe will always be my favorite memory,” Burke said. It was one of those moments when we had a spring ball scrimmage, it was a long Saturday, and my buddy and I were on the sideline talking. I didn’t see it coming. It was overwhelming and I didn’t expect it, but it was one of those steps in my journey that I needed to take.

“It was one of those things where you feel like you are a part of the team and sometimes you look at your helmet and there’s no black stripe there. To see that off and go to the next practice, grab my helmet, and not see that black stripe was one of the most gratifying things because I was accepted into the brotherhood by the coaches and my teammates.”

The dream is almost over with no regrets

Burke’s time with the Buckeyes is winding down. Even though he is eligible to keep playing, he is ready to move on to the next chapter of his life.

He will graduate in the spring with a degree in zoology and hopes to find a job, preferably at the Columbus Zoo taking care of the bigger animals.

“I love working with animals and being hands-on with them,” Burke said. “I was able to work at the Columbus Zoo a couple of summers ago and I worked with giraffes. Just be that hands-on and seeing that creature and care for these huge animals is something I love to do.”

Maybe things could have turned out differently for Burke had he not injured his knee, but at the end of the day, he has no regrets. If he had a chance to do it all over again, he would have chosen the same path.

“I had to overcome a lot of adversity, and maybe things could have been different had I not had my injury,” Burke said. “To quote Coach Day, he always says that anytime you put that helmet on and you go out on that field, you have a chance to prove somebody right and prove somebody wrong.

“I think I have proved those people right who believed in me who said he can do it, and those who doubted me along the way. They didn’t think I would do well, but I made a name for myself here and made a name for myself back home in Lancaster.”

Tom Wilson is a sports reporter for the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. Contact him at 740-689-5150 or via email at twilson@gannett.com for comments or story tips. Follow him on Twitter @twil2323.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Quinton Burke’s love for Ohio State football never wavered in tough times