Coach Woody Hayes
http://www.chicagonow.com/chicago-sports- Coach Hayes/Coach Bo Schembechler
"Keep cool baby, and run those fat tackles to death." That's a quote from an Ohio State grad who described his school's football style. This was 1951-1978, the years under Coach Wayne Woodrow Hayes. "Three yards and a cloud of dust." If not a quote from Hayes himself, it was a successful battle plan according to his fans and critics alike. Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes was born February 14, 1913, and was a college football player and coach. Hayes attended and played tackle at Denison University from 1933-35 where he majored in English. (He always emphasized educational values in talks with players.) After graduating, he coached high school football from 1936-1940 at Mingo Junction and New Philadelphia in Ohio.
In July 1941, Hayes enlisted and served in the United States Navy for five years rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander during World War II. He commanded PC 1251 in the Palau Islands invasion and the destroyer-escort USS Rinehart in both the Atlantic and Pacific operations.
As World War II was winding down and Hayes' alma mater, Denison University, was pursuing plans to reinstate its football program (which had been suspended during the war), it contacted their former Head Coach Rogers (also in the Navy) about rejoining the program as head coach. Rogers declined, but recommended that his former team captain, Hayes, be named the next head coach. Denison was able to locate and cable Hayes an offer, which he accepted, minutes before his Navy ship was to begin the passage through the Panama Canal — meaning Hayes would have been unreachable for an extended period of time.
He served as the head coach at Denison University from 1946–1948 and Miami (Ohio) University (1949–1950), before going to Ohio State University in 1951. Hayes turned out teams that filled Ohio Stadium with avid fans, as the Buckeyes led the nation in home attendance in 21 of his 28 years.
During his 28 seasons as the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football program, Hayes' teams won five national championships (1954, 1957, 1961, 1968, 1970), captured 13 Big Ten Conference titles, and amassed a record of 205–61–10. He produced 3 Heisman Trophy winners and 51 first team All- America selections
Over the last decade of his coaching tenure at Ohio State, Hayes' Buckeye squads faced off in a fierce rivalry against the Michigan Wolverines coached by Bo Schembechler, a former player under, and assistant coach to, Hayes. During that stretch, the Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry was dubbed the "Ten-Year War," Hayes and Schembechler's teams won or shared the Big Ten Conference crown every season and usually each placed in the national rankings.
Twice - in the mid 1950s and again in the late 1960s - his OSU teams recorded 17 straight Big Ten wins. All told, Hayes' career record stands at 238-72-10, a college record.. Hayes was born Feb. 14, 1913 in Clifton, Ohio. He died March 12, 1987 in Columbus, Ohio.
Despite his great achievements at Ohio State, Hayes' coaching career ended shamefully when he was abruptly fired for punching an opposing player in the face during the 1978 Gator Bowl.
He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1983. He died March 12, 1987.