COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State Buckeyes have plenty of fans who bleed scarlet and gray, but few wear the colors in the same sense as Jon “Big Nut” Peters. 

“Do you know why there’s eight Buckeyes? Eight National Championships in football, soon to be nine.”

On Game Days, Peters arrives early and passes out handmade Buckeye necklaces to put smiles on faces. The move sparks positive energy for Ohio State. 

“There’s so many negative things going on in this world right now,” Peters said. “Let’s be positive and pay it forward and help somebody else out.” 

Everywhere he goes, fans want to take photos with him. And he always does.

But his game-day effort is not the only thing he does to help others.

The Big Nut Scholarship fund helps high school seniors attend The Ohio State University. 

“Currently, we’ve given over $200,000 out in scholarship money,” Peters said. “We’re in nine high schools in northwest Ohio. We give out 11 scholarships each year, each for $500.” 

He has an official endowment at Ohio State that is supported by crowdfunding and also a foundation registered with Sandusky County.

Peters said he never got the chance to graduate from Ohio State, so the scholarship is a way for him to be connected to the university on a deeper level. And it’s his favorite part of being the Big Nut.

“In the end, we know that the students appreciate the scholarships and that’s why we do what we do because it’s all about the kids,” Peters said.

From the necklaces to the scholarship, Peters and his wife, Terese, are all about Ohio State and lifting others up. 

“At some point, dressing up and going to the games, you gotta look for something more,” said Terese “First Lady” Peters. “That’s why we started doing the scholarship.” 

That’s the biggest thing to cheer about.

“Giving somebody something for nothing in return,” Peters said. “That’s why we do what we do. You know what, we’re going to continue to keep doing that until the day that we pass on.”