The design of the Ohio State Buckeye leaf was originally drawn in 1950 by alumnus and comic strip artist Milton Caniff and was intended to represent the buckeye tree as a symbol for strength and sturdiness of all Ohio State students.

What is a buckeye leaf?

The leaves of California buckeye are palmately compound with five (rarely seven) leaflets. The leaflets are 6 - 17 cm (2.4 - 6.3 in) long. The petiole is long. The leaf margin of the leaflets is toothed.

What are the leaves on the Ohio State helmets?

It's this, from a tree common in the Midwest and the state tree of Ohio. Ohioans have been nicknamed “buckeyes” since the 1780s. So the Ohio team called the Buckeyes has buckeye leaves on its helmets.