It's the O-H-I-O cheer with a twist. Ohio State's got an ardent fan base. Buckeyes fans have even posed for the famous OSU 'cheer' at life's most major events -- including weddings. Roy Miracle has celebrated the tOSU school with a celebration of a different kind: In a final nod to posing as the 'I' in O-H-I-O -- all while in a casket.
80-year-old Roy Miracle has been a serious Buckeyes fan, a man who rarely missed the tOSU school's football games. And he's been known in life as a notorious prankster with a great sense of humor. In a final 'cheer' and tribute to the Ohio state school he loved so dearly, the deceased man's casket became representative of the letter 'I' -- as family and friends or Roy Miracle posed in one, last photo opp for the tOSU fan.
No, they didn't flip the casket upright and vertical. But it all depends on perspective. Just imagine it's vertical. It is an open casket -- and no one wants an accident to happen.
Daughter Juli Miracle insists her father would've truly appreciated the celebration that took place at a local funeral parlor. Her mom and brother didn't choose to participate in the 'celebration' -- but to each his own. Juli Miracle believes the open casket as the "I" in the O-H-I-O cheer serves as the ultimate tribute to her dad.
It's not rare for Ohio State fans to show off that school pride in posing for O-H-I-O pictures -- after all, the school cheer has been performed at wedding and even international landmarks. But the casket version is definitely a first in what is a very unique variation of the famous O-H-I-O school cheer.
Despite Juli Miracle's insistence that his funeral service is just the way he would have wanted it to be, she's getting some flak. Roy Miracle's funeral is causing not only a local stir but also a national one -- from those who have even called family "classless", or the casket photo appearing with the tOSU school cheer as "creepy". But if he's got a good sense of humor, perhaps Roy Miracle would appreciate the irony in how his death has created more exposure for the Ohio school and its fans than OSU has seen in quite awhile.
This week, Miracle's daughter Juli sent the funeral parlor pic to Ohio State -- punctuated by the headline: "Now dad is the permanent 'I.'"
Miracle's daughter says the idea for the O-H-I-O cheer came shortly after her dady's July 1 death, when she was reminiscing about how much he enjoyed watching Buckeye games during his lifetime, and hours spent at her home during his last two decades on earth. While her brother didn't agree with the nod to Ohio State, July Miracle went forward with her plan for the funeral service. She made sure her dad was properly outfitted for the special occasion -- dressed in his trademark red OSU turtleneck.
Without total family support, she found a cousin and friend to pose in the photo along with dear old dad.
The Ohio funeral celebration's made the news big-time. That extra media exposure for his favorite football team may, in fact, make dad a very proud man. The ultimate fan's support of the tOSU Buckeyes team has made its rounds -- including a spotlight during two of the nation's most popular late-night shows, highlighted by both David Letterman and Jay Leno.
"I know he'd have a grin on his face and he'd be laughing," says Roy Miracle's daughter. "It could not have been more perfect.