BUCYRUS — Former Ohio State football player and entrepreneur James Cotton will be the keynote speaker at the men’s community breakfast scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 9 in Bucyrus.
Cotton is the founder and advocate of BUCK-ICON LLC. Its mission is to become a premier professional and collegiate sports apparel and merchandise retailer and provide resources for former members of the Ohio State football program to enhance their careers on a variety of different levels. Also, they will provide programs that will help them transition into professional life in corporate America, athletics, society, and the community.
A native of Cleveland, Cotton lettered in football, basketball, and baseball at Collinwood High School. Cotton earned all-state honors in football and baseball and All-American honors in football.
Cotton received an Associate of Arts Degree from City College of San Francisco and The Ohio State University awarded him a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology.
As a junior at Ohio State, Cotton was an instrumental part of the Buckeyes Big Ten championship and Sugar Bowl victories over Michigan and Texas A&M in 1998 (arguably one of the best teams in Ohio State history).
During his senior season in 1999, he was voted by his coaches as the team’s most outstanding lineman by leading the team in sacks and tackles for loss.
“My most memorable moment was being the last player sack Tom Brady twice in the Big House,” Cotton said.
In 2000, Cotton was drafted by the Chicago Bears and played eight years of professional football with stops with the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills in the NFL, the New York/New Jersey Hitmen in the XFL, and the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Stampeders won the Grey Cup in 2001 while Cotton was with the team.
The upcoming men’s community breakfast is scheduled to take place at 7 a.m. on Feb. 9 at the Trillium Event Center located at 1630 East Southern Avenue in Bucyrus. RSVP by calling Jim Rowland at 614-307-0077 or e-mail [email protected]. Admission is $9 per person. Only cash payment is accepted for the breakfast. There is no access to a credit card machine. Ladies are more than welcome to attend.
