A one-year-old Holstein cow from Ohio State's Wooster ATI campus will ride through Friday's Homecoming Parade as grand marshal, pulled behind a tractor in a decorated trailer to mark 100 years since a cow named Maudine Ormsby was crowned the university's homecoming queen. The parade steps off at 6 p.m. Friday, October 9, with the route altered this year because of ongoing College Road construction.
According to homecoming.osu.edu, the parade is expected to run from roughly 5:15 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will begin near Cannon Drive and John Herrick Drive before proceeding south on Cannon Drive, turning near the new University Hospital, and continuing along Neil Avenue to 12th Avenue, ending at the Ohio Union. The Lantern, however, described the modified route differently, reporting it will start at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, follow Cannon Drive south, turn onto 10th Avenue, and continue east to Neil Avenue before ending on 12th Avenue — a discrepancy that has not been resolved between the two accounts. Either way, the university says construction will bring multiple road closures, changes to CABS bus service, and parking impacts. More than 70 units are expected to participate in the parade despite the detour, The Lantern reports.
A Direct Descendant Steps Into the Spotlight
Ohio State named the current Holstein grand marshal of the 2026 parade, with the cow serving as a stand-in for Maudine herself, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Ohio State's Office of Student Life notes that the cow appearing this year is a direct descendant of the famous Holstein, and per the same account, she was chosen for her temperament and availability, with Friday's parade expected to be her first public event appearance. The Lantern reported that the cow's name was unknown at the time of its reporting.
Karissa Ayers, an Ohio State student and president of the Buckeye Dairy Club, said per the Dispatch that students have been working with the cow to make her comfortable riding in the trailer, and that she is easily bribed with grain. Graham Cochran, Ohio State's associate dean for the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said bringing a cow back as grand marshal honors the university's roots as an agricultural college and brings the college front and center, according to the Dispatch.
The Chaotic 1926 Election That Started It All
The original Maudine Ormsby was a Holstein cow from what was then Ohio State's College of Agriculture, and students nominated her for homecoming queen in 1926, per the Dispatch. Ohio State had fewer than 10,000 students enrolled at the time, yet the election drew an extraordinary overvote. Officials printed just 3,000 paper ballots but found more than 12,000 when votes were counted, according to Ohio State University Libraries.
The library's archives describe an election marred by fraud: students voted multiple times, ballot boxes were stolen, and some students even cast votes for dead alumni. There were 10 nominated women in the race, and election officials disregarded votes for candidates whose supporters used illegal tactics, per the Dispatch. Rosalind Morrison Strapp had the most votes in the tainted count but withdrew from the race, and the committee ultimately said illegal balloting made it impossible to name a human nominee as queen, per The Lantern's account cited in the Dispatch's reporting. With no legitimate human winner, the election committee chose Maudine as homecoming queen.
A Record-Setting Cow Who Skipped Her Own Coronation
Maudine Ormsby weighed 1,200 pounds and, during a weeklong test, produced more than 743 pounds of milk and nearly 29 pounds of butterfat, output that contributed to four world records, according to the Dispatch. She appeared on a homecoming parade float in 1926, but animal husbandry professors vetoed her appearance at the Crystal Slipper Ballroom coronation, fearing nervous excitement might affect her, a concern echoed by CFAES Knowledge Hub, which notes she rode through the parade in regal fashion but skipped the dance in her honor. In her place, the 1926 homecoming committee used two men dressed in a cow costume as her coronation proxy.
Rosalind Morrison Strapp went on to attend every Ohio State homecoming from her 1927 graduation until her death, and was honored in the 1980 homecoming parade at age 75, according to the Dispatch. She worked as a buyer for Montaldo's women's clothing store until 1967 and later taught English at Crestview Middle School and North High School until early 1972. Strapp died in 1986 at age 80, and her grandson later made a gold plaque for her tombstone that reads, “But for Maudine, here lies the queen.”
A Yearlong Centennial Celebration
Ohio State's College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has launched “Maudine 100,” a yearlong celebration honoring the cow's legacy, according to CFAES Knowledge Hub. The campaign is set to blend nostalgia, school spirit and agriculture through a full lineup of events, storytelling and interactive experiences tied to the centennial. The Lantern reports the celebration is also meant to highlight Ohio State's agricultural roots while showcasing the university's current work in animal sciences and technology.
The tradition Maudine became part of dates back even further: Ohio State's homecoming celebration began in 1912 as an idea from professor and alumnus George Rightmire, per homecoming.osu.edu. A century after a cow upstaged every human candidate on the ballot, Ohio State is letting one lead the parade again.
