COLUMBUS, Ohio — No one who enters Ohio Stadium can get to their seat without encountering at least one Redcoat. It takes 500 of them to make game days run like clockwork.
And most of those who have entered the Shoe in the past 50 years have passed by John Austin.
"As understand it, I'm the oldest fella doing this job,' he said.
John Austin has been on the job since 1967. He said he doesn’t believe he’s missed any games in that time.
Austin showed up to work for more than five decades to make sure fans got to their seats or to make opposing teams feel at home inside one of the toughest stadiums to play in all of college football.
The university honored him during a game for his work when he hit the 50-year mark.
He is the only person to represent that kind of longevity and he has no plans to slow down.
Austin says becoming a Redcoat was never a job. He will tell you it's about making people feel welcome.
"We try to treat the people, the visitors, the way we want to be treated when we come to their place," he said.
For more than a half-century, Austin has called Ohio Stadium home. He said he still get chills when the band comes down the North ramp.
As long as there is football to be played, the 82-year old says he will continue to spend his Saturdays in Ohio Stadium, doing what he does best: Working as an ambassador for Buckeye Nation and to show guests what Buckeye football is all about.
"There's nothing like being at the game, to watch that game, to hear the band the whole experience," he said.