Woody Hayes
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Wayne Woodrow Hayes (1913-1987)
- Ohio State University Football coach (1951)-(1978)
- Career record at Ohio State: 205-68-10 (.742)
- Career record overall: 238-72-10 (.759)
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[edit] Biography
Wayne Woodrow Hayes was born on February 14, 1913 in Clifton, Ohio.
He grew up in Newcomerstown, Ohio and attended Denison University in Ohio. While in college, Hayes had ambitions of becoming a lawyer. After graduating in 1935, Woody accepted a job teaching 7th grade in Mingo Junction, Ohio. While there, he also accepted a job as an assistant football coach.
While teaching and coaching, Hayes' plan was to save enough money to eventually be able to afford to attend law school. Instead, when opportunity knocked next, he was presented with another teaching/coaching position - this time at New Philadelphia High School in New Philadelphia, Ohio. While there, Woody was intoduced to a pretty young graduate from Ohio Wesleyan University named Anne Gross. They were married in 1942.
In 1943, his ambition to attend law school was once again steered off course - this time by an enlistment in the U.S. Navy. His enlistment was voluntary and was spurred on by his desire to serve his country during the Second World War. During his tour of duty, Hayes saw combat in the South Pacific, and eventually was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He returned to civilian life in 1946.
Upon arriving back in the States, Hayes was offered and accepted the job that would ultimately end his dream of practicing law: he was given the title of "Head Football Coach" by his alma mater, Denison University. After a rocky debut in '46, Hayes led Denison to undefeated seasons in 1947 and 1948. Those two impressive seasons paved the way for his entrance into Division I football, and to his next job - Head Coach of Miami (of Ohio) University in 1949. In 1950, Hayes lead Miami to a victory over Arizona State in the Salad Bowl.
In 1951, due to the recent resignation of Wes Fesler (who had been the school's 6th coach in 12 years), Ohio State came knocking on Woody's door. OSU was in a drought and had recently come to be known as a "college football coach's graveyard." The program was in need of a kick in the pants. And, despite the fact that he was not the first choice of the selection committee (both Paul Brown and Missouri coach Don Faurot were more highly coveted), nor a popular choice among either boosters or the general population of Columbus, Ohio, Wayne Woodrow Hayes was named Ohio State University Head Football Coach on February 18, 1951.
[edit] Ohio State Tenure
Among players on that 1951 team, Woody was not a popular figure. 1950 Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz faced perhaps the biggest transition. Fesler's 1950 team was built around Janowicz and the single-wing attack. Woody implement the T-formation on offense which effectively neutralized Janowicz as an offensive weapon. The team also had a very hard time adjusting to the differences between Hayes and Fesler. While Fesler had been demanding of his players , Hayes was a perfectionist. Fesler did not like to lose, while Hayes despised losing. Fesler dealt with mistakes with a pat on the rear and an encouraging word, while Hayes would get in a player's face and scream at him. Threats, demands, spittle, wind-sprints - that was Hayes' style. And the 1950 team had a very difficult time dealing with it.
On September 29, Woody Hayes earned his first Ohio State win in his first Ohio State game, as the Buckeyes beat SMU 7-0 in Ohio Stadium. One week later, Hayes was saddled with his first Ohio State loss - to Michigan State 20-24. Ironically, in the team's 3rd game, OSU tied Wisconsin 6-6. After 3 games at Ohio State, Woody Hayes' record was 1-1-1. And that would be a snapshot of Woody's first year in Columbus. The 1951 Buckeyes compiled a record of 4-3-2, culminating in a 0-7 loss to Michigan.
Generally seen as a disappointment, Hayes' first season in Columbus was largely forgettable. The offensive output dropped to 109 points in '51, a large disparity from 1950's total of 286. After the season, Woody promised that change was coming.
In 1952, an explosive playmaker arrived on campus as a freshman. In his first collegiate game, Howard Hopalong Cassady scored three touchdowns in a 33-13 rout of Indiana in the Buckeyes' season opener. Two weeks later, on October 11, Woody Hayes faced his fisrt major challenge as the Buckeyes' head coach, as the #1-ranked Wisconsin Badgers came to Columbus. Hayes' Buckeyes captured the victory 23-14.
When Michigan came to town on November 22, Ohio State was 5-3 on the season, and 0-7 in the previous 7 meetings with its conference rival. Although Woody's hatred for "that team up north" was in its infancy, he rallied his troops for this meeting, making his players aware of the significance of beating Michigan every year. The result was his first career victory in the rivalry, 27-7.
Despite lofty preseason expectations, the 1953 was largely disappointing for Hayes and the Buckeyes. They finished 6-3, losing two conference games by 20+ points, including a 0-20 shellacking by Michigan in Ann Arbor. Due to the unachieved expectations from the previous spring and the two conference embarrassments, Hayes faced a long, cold winter of discontent. Fans and media in Columbus spent much of that off-season calling for Woody's job. By the time spring practice rolled around in 1954, Woody would find himself facing enormous pressure, not only to save his job, but to give the city, the state, and the university a winner. When the preseason polls were released, Ohio State was ranked fifth in the Big Ten, behind Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Iowa.
The 1954 season began on September 25th with a 28-0 home win over Indiana on the strength of Hopalong Cassady's two touchdown runs and a stingy defense. Cassady scored two more times the following week in a 21-13 victory over California. The Buckeyes opened conference play against Illinois the following week, one of the two Big Ten teams that had handed OSU a 20 point loss the previous season. Woody and the Buckeyes had not forgotten about the 41-20 thumping in '53, and responded with a resounding 40-7 domination in which they outgained Illinois 479-123. That game started a roll through the conference for the Buckeyes, who proceded to win their next five games by a combined score of 119-41 to set up a rematch with the other conference team that had beat them by 20 points in 1953 - Michigan.
On November 20th, 1954, Michigan came to Columbus with a 5-1 conference record to face the 6-0 (9-0) Buckeyes. The Wolverines would clinch a conference co-championship with a win, and came out playing like they wanted it. They scored on their first possession and dominated both sides of the ball for the first 27 minutes. With three minutes left in the half, OSU linebacker Jack Gibbs intercepted Michigan quarterback Jim Maddock and returned the ball to the Michigan 10-yard-line. On the next play, the Buckeyes scored to tie the game. After being dominated in the first half, the Buckeyes went to the locker room at half time with the score tied. After a scoreless third quarter, the Ohio State defense found themselves opening the fourth quarter backed up to their own goal line by the Michigan offense, who had been driving the field and now threatened with a first-and-goal from the four-yard-line. Fueled by pure poise and determination, the Buckeyes defensive came up with one of the most memorable goal line stands in college football history, stopping the Wolverines on downs, six inches from the goal line. OSU quarterback Dave Leggett then engineered one of the biggest drives in school history, covering 99 1/2 yards and resulting in the go-ahead touchdown. The Bucks would add one more score to win the game 21-7 and claim Woody Hayes' first ever conference championship. The win also secured a Rose Bowl berth for the Buckeyes. After a January 1 20-7 victory over USC in the Rose Bowl, Woody Hayes earned his first-ever National Championship at Ohio State.
Fresh off of a National Championship, and despite losing seven starters to graduation, the 1955 season would bring a whole new set of expectations for Woody and his Buckeyes. But, regardless of what else might have changed, Ohio State still had Hopalong Cassady, now a senior.
[edit] Michigan Rivalry
[edit] The Ten Year War
[edit] "The Punch"
Woody Hayes was one of the most fiery and competitive men to ever coach in the college football ranks. He had a volitile temper and by his own admission, he hated to lose. And throughout his coaching days, Woody had been no stranger to controversy, in large part due to his penchant for outbursts and tatrums which had helped define his career. Knowing this, perhaps what happened on December 29, 1978 could have been predicted. Or at least, it should not have come as a huge surprise.
On that fateful day, Hayes' Buckeyes were pitted against the Clemson Tigers in the 1978 Gator Bowl.
In a hotly contested, back-and-forth battle, Clemson was leading 17-15 with less than a minute to play. But the Buckeyes offense (led by quarterback Art Schlichter) was threatening from Clemson's 24-yard-line with less than a minute to play. Schlichter took the snap, dropped back to pass, and fired the ball toward a receiver in the middle of the field. Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman stepped into the line of fire, intercepted the ball, and returned it ten or twelve yards before being forced out of bounds on Ohio State's sideline. That play effectively ended the game and Bauman was mobbed by his teammates in celebratory riot. Then, out of nowhere, Woody Hayes stepped into the mob of ecstatic Clemson players, sought out Bauman, grabbed him by the jersey, and threw a right-cross at the surprised young man that caught him square in the throat. And all this transpired as a national television audience watched.
View the video
The very next day, Woody Hayes was fired as Ohio State's football coach at age 65. He would never coach again.
[edit] Legacy
Shortly after his death in 1986, and funny and fitting story began making its way around the university, the city, and the state Woody had called home. It goes like this:
- It seems that a god-fearing man had died after a life of good deeds. As his eternal reward, he was granted eternal life in Heaven. As St. Peter was showing the man around, he spotted a chubby, old guy in a baseball cap jumping up and down, screaming and causing a commotion on the sideline at a football game.
- "St. Peter," the newcomer asked, "who is that madman?"
- "That's God," St. Peter answered, "but He thinks He's Woody Hayes."
[edit] Quotes
- When the team bus was about to run out of gas returning from a game at Michigan: "We do NOT pull in and fill up! And I'll tell you exactly why we don't: It's because I don't buy one goddam drop of gas in the state of Michigan! We'll coast and push this goddam car to the Ohio line before I give this state a nickel of my money!"
- A reporter's question to Woody after he went for two against Michigan late in the 4th quarter of a game Ohio State was winning 48-14: "Why'd you go for two, coach?"
Hayes' reply: "Because I couldn't go for three!"
- One time, a professor who disagreed with Woody's style and volitile nature berated him in the faculty club lounge. Woody, who had been a teacher of history responded with a pointed finger: "Now you listen to me. What you say about me and about football may or may not be true. But I can tell you one thing that is very certainly true. Just remember this: I could do your job, but you couldn't do mine!"
- Upon learning that a doctor had accidentally sewn a sponge into his abdominal cavity after a surgical procedure, an abnormally calm Woody smiled and said: "Gee, that's funny. In 28 years of coaching, I never made a mistake."
- After one important OSU victory, Hayes received a call in the locker room from then-President Richard Nixon. He kept the President on hold until he was done talking to his team!
- "I just despise to lose, and that has taken a man of mediocre ability and made a pretty good coach out of him."
- "You can never pay back, but you can always pay forward."
- "So many times I've found people smarter than I was. But you know what they couldn't do? They couldn't outwork me. They couldn't outwork me!!"
- "Three things can happen when you throw the football, and two of them are bad."
- "Football represents and embodies everything that's great about this country, because the United States of America is built on winners, not losers or people who didn't bother to play."
- "You win with people."
- "Paralyze resistance with persistence."
- "You don't get hurt running straight ahead...three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense.
I will pound you and pound you until you quit."
- "I am not trying to win a popularity contest. I am trying to win football games. I don't like nice people.
I like tough, honest people."
- "I love football. I think it's the most wonderful game in the world - and I despise to lose."
