Hall of Fame
Position: Safety
Years: 1999-2002
Place of Birth: Canton, OH
Date of Birth: March 24, 1981
Jersey Number: 2
Height: 5-11
Weight: 204
High School: McKinley Senior HS (Canton, OH)
One of just eight three-time All-Americans in Ohio State history, Mike Doss capped his remarkable career by leading the Buckeyes to a national championship. The Canton, Ohio, native becomes the school's 27th player to join the College Football Hall of Fame.
A First Team All-American during his last three seasons at Ohio State, Doss earned unanimous honors following his stellar senior campaign in 2002 in which he recorded a personal best 107 tackles. That season, the team captain and Thorpe Award finalist led the Buckeyes to a perfect 14-0 record, the Big Ten title, the No. 1 final ranking and the BCS National Championship following a victory over Miami (FL) in the Fiesta Bowl. Doss was named the Defensive MVP of that 31-24 double-overtime victory after recording nine tackles and a 35-yard interception return that led to Ohio State's first touchdown of the game on its ensuing possession. The 2002 season was the Buckeyes' first 14-0 season in school history and their first undefeated season since 1973.
The 2002 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Doss was a three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection. Boasting the most career tackles by a defensive back in school history (331), he led Ohio State in tackles as a sophomore and junior. His 228 career solo tackles are the fifth most in Buckeyes history. A 2011 Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Doss played for College Football Hall of Fame Coaches John Cooper and Jim Tressel.
A second-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2003 NFL Draft, Doss played six seasons for the Colts (2003-06), Minnesota Vikings (2007) and Cincinnati Bengals (2008). He won Super Bowl XLI as a member of the Colts.
In 2005, he founded the Michael A. Doss Foundation, which focuses on education and social welfare. He has also hosted "Make a Difference" youth camps. In 2019, Doss earned a master's in business operational excellence from Ohio State, and he is now a licensed real estate agent for the Robert Weiler Company in Columbus, Ohio.
