First OSU Band Member To 'Dot The I' Dies (The Incomparable Script Ohio)

COSHOCTON, Ohio -- John Brungart, the first person to ever "dot the i" in the Ohio State marching band's trademark Script Ohio, died Saturday. He was 89.

Doris Brungart said her husband died of pneumonia. The couple lived in Coshocton and John Brungart died at Coshocton County Memorial Hospital.

The Ohio State band first performed its cursive spelling of the state at halftime of a 1936 game against Indiana. Brungart played trumpet and was selected to "dot the i" which entails breaking free from the single-file marching column from the top of the second "o" to the supply a human dot atop the letter i.

"When we did it, everybody went nuts," Brungart once said in an interview with The Chillicothe Tribune. "We thought it was just another formation. It really became a tradition. It was something."

Brungart performed the signature move four more times that season. In 1937, sousaphone players replaced trumpeters and continue to dot the i each Saturday at Ohio State home games.

After graduating from Ohio State in 1938 with a pharmacy degree, Brungart served in World War II before returning home to operate Brungart's Drug Store in Coshocton from 1949 to 1984.

He returned to his alma mater after graduation to play with the school's alumni band.

I got to see Ohio State perform Script Ohio at the 1980 Rose Bowl... quite a sight!

You should have waved "hi". I was one of the 224 in the double script. the 1979/1980 season was my forth year in the OSUMB. That was a great trip.

Being one of the 32 squad leaders, I got to play for the Big Ten dinner at the Palladium theater. The squad leaders played first then we got to stay backstage and watch the show from the there. We met Bob Eubanks (host), Red Buttons, Les Brown and the guest of honor Bob Hope. Billy Cyrstal was also there. I remember watching Red Buttons with a friend of mine just off stage. It was difficult to hear so a "stage hand" was relaying to Mike and I what Buttons was saying. That stage hand turned out to be the next guest, Pat O'Brien from Knute Rockne fame.

The bad news of course was that we lost a very close and otherwise great game the next day. I remember hearing about this lineman named Anthony Munoz that gave up an additional year of elligibility just to play in the Rose Bowl. He had been injured before the season and sat out all year, but decided to play that one game. Awesome man and a great FB player.

You should have waved "hi". I was one of the 224 in the double script. the 1979/1980 season was my forth year in the OSUMB. That was a great trip.

Very cool! I do believe the OSUMB is the only marching band from an opposing school to ever receive a standing ovation from the USC Student Section.

So, I have to give you guys some credit, but it needs to be noted that the Spirit of Troy (USC's marching band) is the only university marching band to earn a Platinum Record (for their performance in Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk").

My condolences to the family of Mr. Brungart. He was always introduced at the band alumni games. He was a very Gentle man. He never grew tired of the story of him being the first. Eugene Wiegle was the director at the time and the story goes that he yelled from his ladder, "You there, scoot over and dot the i". Brungart was a trumpet player and just happened to be in the right spot. The next year (1937) when it came time to perform the Script again, it was decided that a sousaphone would look better and a tradition was born.

All I dotters of the OSUMB are four year members. Band members are allowed to be in the band a total of five years and 15-20 percent stick around for their fifth year. Especially engineering majors like myself that take a little longer to finish school (grin). Those sousaphone players entering their fourth year are ranked based on the number of games they have marched during the preceeding three years (two alternates in each row can challenge for a regular spot each game week). Based on this ranking, they get to select which game they want to dot the i. The Script is performed 4-5 times a season. THe exception to this are the bowl games when all 4 and 5 year members audition for thier 27 other peers and are selected by them.

This past Sunday, my son, wife and I attended the OSUMB open house for incoming freshman this fall who wish to try out for the band. My son plays the trombone and will hopefully make the band this Fall. There will be about 60 trombones trying out for 24 regular and 4 alternate spots. I can't wait until the next alumni game when the two of us will be able to march together. (Well, he'll be marching. I'll be mostly walking around with the other geezers trying to catch a breath and playing a note one in a while - laugh).

I was in the band from 1976-1980 and count this experience as one of my best. Many friends, a chance to travel, a chance to meet other people and just plain ol fun. Woody was the coach for my first three years and Coach Bruce Earle for my last two years. I was able to meet them both several times. They never tired of meeting the kids from the band. Tressel (current coach) is even more adamant aboiut the band. Copper never got it.

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