Marietta High School graduate Max Cogswell, right, plays the sousaphone in The Ohio State University’s marching band. Cogswell has been chosen to dot the i when the band spells out the word Ohio during its performance of the ScriptOhio routine at two upcoming games. (Photo provided)

A Marietta native has received a big honor in The Ohio State University Marching Band.

Max Cogswell, a Marietta High School graduate – who also graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in business with a specialization in economics – has been chosen as the person who will “dot the i” in the ScriptOhio routine the marching band performs at home games.

ScriptOhio was first performed by the OSU marching band Oct. 10, 1936, and has become “the quintessential formation of The Ohio State University Marching Band,” OSU’s website said.

Part of the ScriptOhio routine is spelling out the word Ohio in a constantly flowing script, according to the website, and each time the routine is performed a different fourth- or fifth-year sousaphone player dots the i in the word Ohio.

ScriptOhio is “the most identifiable trademark associated with Ohio State football and the Marching Band,” the website said.

“Our family’s always been big into Ohio State … ever since they took to my first football game I knew I wanted to go to Ohio State to dot the i,” Cogswell said.

He said in order to be chosen to dot the i a person must be a sousaphone player and they have to try out against 50 or 60 people every year and successfully make the marching band. Then, in a person’s fourth year as a sousaphone player in the marching band, they can try out for dotting the i.

He said it took “a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication” for him to be chosen to dot the i.

Cogswell played the sousaphone at Marietta High School too, and he said he did so because “that’s the instrument that dots the i.” He tried out for dotting the i earlier in the summer and he found out in June, according to Cogswell.

Cogswell announced he had been chosen for the honor of dotting the i in a June Facebook post.

“I’m excited to announce that I will be dotting the ‘i’ in Script Ohio,” the post said.

Cogswell will be dotting the i during the Oct. 12 Buckeye Invitational and during a Nov. 9 home game against Purdue University, according to the post.

Cogswell was “ecstatic” when he found out he was chosen, he said.

“It was a long time coming,” Cogswell said. “I was ecstatic to finally be able to fulfill that dream.”

Cogswell’s family is excited he was chosen too, according to his mother Melissa Cogswell.

“He’s worked really hard,” she said. “We’re looking forward to the performance.”

More information about ScriptOhio and the tradition of dotting the i can be found at https://tbdbitl.osu.edu/marching-band/traditions.