This beautifully framed NCAA football piece features an original piece of watercolor artwork glass-framed in an attractive two inch wide black resin frame with a double mat. The outer dimensions of the framed piece are approximately 17” wide x 28” high, although the exact size will vary according to the size of the original piece of art.

At the core of the framed piece is the actual piece of original artwork as painted by the artist on textured 100% rag, water-marked watercolor paper. In many cases the original artwork has handwritten notes in pencil from the artist (be sure to “See the actual artwork without the frame” elsewhere in this website). Simply put, this is beautiful, one-of-a-kind artwork.

The outer mat is a rich textured black acid-free mat with a decorative inset white v-groove, while the inner mat is a complimentary colored acid-free mat reflecting one of the team’s primary colors. The website image of this framed piece shows the mat color that we suggest (Red), but since each piece is custom framed, we are happy to use whatever color mat you wish (depending on availability) – our standard mat colors are:

Light Blue / Dark Blue / Brown / Maroon (close to brown) / White / Silver / Gold / Yellow (bright yellow) / Green (dark green) / Orange / Purple / Red (bright red, somewhat close to PMS 186)

Beneath the artwork is a silver plate with black text describing the original artwork. The text for this piece will read:

This is an original, one-of-a-kind watercolor painting of the 1954 Ohio State Buckeyes uniform worn by 1955 Heisman Trophy winner #40 Howard "Hopalong" Cassady and was used in the creation of this Ohio State Buckeyes uniform evolution print and thousands of Ohio State products that have been sold across North America. This original piece of art was painted by artist Nola McConnan for Maple Leaf Productions Ltd. 1954 was a National Championship season (as per AP Poll) for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Beneath the silver plate is a 6.5” x 7” reproduction of a uniform evolution print that celebrates the history of the team. The print beautifully illustrates the chronological evolution of the team’s uniform and shows you how the original art was used in the creation of this print. If you look closely, you will see that the print features the actual artwork being offered for sale. The 6.5” x 7” print looks like this:

The piece is framed with an extremely high quality framing glass. We have used this glass style for many years with excellent results. We package every piece very carefully in a double layer of bubble wrap and a rigid double-wall cardboard package to avoid breakage at any point during the shipping process, but if damage does occur, we will gladly repair, replace or refund. Please note that all of our products come with a 90 day 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Each framed piece also comes with a two page letter signed by Scott Sillcox describing the history behind the art. If there was an extra-special story about your piece of art, that story will be included in the letter. When you receive your framed piece, you should find the letter lightly attached to the front of the framed piece.

If you have any questions, at any time, about the actual artwork or about any of the artist’s handwritten notes on the artwork, I would love to tell you about them. Simply email me, Scott Sillcox, at scott@heritagesportsart.com and I will tell you everything I can about your original piece of art. The artists and I spent well over ten years of our lives creating these pieces of original artwork, and in many cases there are stories I can tell you about your actual piece of artwork that might add an extra element of interest in your one-of-a-kind purchase.

Please note that all reproduction rights for this original work are retained in perpetuity by the University or the designated licensing body unless specifically stated otherwise in writing by the University or their designate. For further information, please contact Heritage Sports Art at questions@heritagesportsart.com .

 

History

This painting honors the 1954 Ohio State University football team and #40, worn by Howard "Hopalong" Cassady. Coached by Buckeye staple Woody Hayes and co-captained by Richard Brubaker and John Borton, the 1954 team went 10-0. In a year of disputed championships, Ohio State was the 1954 AP National Champion and capped off their undefeated season by beating USC 20-7 in the Rose Bowl.Howard Cassady, also known as Hopalong, was a Halfback for Ohio State University. In 1955, Howard was not only voted All-American (for the 2nd time), but also won college football's Heisman Trophy - awarded to the outstanding intercollegiate football player in the United States. He was also named the Big Ten Conference MVP and selected as Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press. Following his career at Ohio State, Howard played the majority of his professional football career with the Detroit Lions, playing 7 of 8 seasons with them. He would split 1962 between the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles, before returning to the Lions for his final NFL season in 1963.He is a member of the Ohio State University O Hall of Fame:http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&ATCLID=925240He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1979:http://www.collegefootball.org/famersearch.php?id=50033He was recognized as the 114th best College Football Player of all time by the College Football News in their 2000-ish ranking:http://cfn.scout.com/He went on to the NFL where he played for eight seasons:http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=CASSAHOW01Here is what our friends at Wikipedia have to say about Howard Cassady:wwwhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard_Cassady