Once a Buckeye…: A Story of Football, Family & Faith

From the time he was a young boy growing up in Ohio, Tyson Gentry had one dream: to follow in his father’s footsteps and play football at The Ohio State University. Through years of hard work, perseverance, and determination, that dream became a reality . But life rarely unfolds the way we expect. After earning a spot on the Buckeyes’ roster, Tyson’s life changed in an instant when a routine play during a team scrimmage left him paralyzed. Everything he had worked toward—the future he had imagined—was suddenly gone. Or so it seemed.
In Once a Buckeye… , Tyson shares the journey that followed—one marked by adversity, faith, and a powerful shift in perspective. Through deeply personal stories and unexpected moments of meaning, he reveals how life’s hardest chapters can lead to purpose in ways we never could have planned. This is a story about football. But more than that, it’s a story about overcoming adversity, finding purpose in the unexpected, and learning that the life you never planned may become the life you were meant to live. Whether you’re an athlete, a person of faith, or simply someone facing challenges of your own, this story will challenge the way you see hardship —and remind you that even in the darkest moments, there is always something more being written.