Archie Griffin
Archie Griffin, whose name became inextricably representative
of Buckeye success, nearly missed the chance to play for Ohio
State, unconvinced that Coach Hayes truly wanted him. He had always
envisioned wearing scarlet and gray, and he “grew up dreaming
of playing at Ohio State, but that’s exactly what it was—a
dream.” When Hayes did approach the Griffin family, he characteristically
emphasized the importance of an education as well, and Griffin’s
father remarked to his son “well, don’t you think
he’s concerned about other things, not just you running
up and down a football field?” Griffin won two Heisman trophies,
a feat never since duplicated and was one of four Buckeyes ever
to be named All-American three times. He still holds the OSU record
for career yards rushing, 5,589 and is the only player in collegiate
history to start four Rose Bowl games. In addition to being inducted
into the OSU Athletic Hall of Fame, Griffin was also named to
the National Football Hall of Fame, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame,
and the College Football Hall of Fame. He currently heads up the
OSU Alumni Association.
Anne Hayes Hoyt
Anne Hayes Hoyt is the daughter of Ike Hayes, Woody’s brother.
When Ike passed away, the young girl went to live with the Hayes
in Columbus. Her memories of Woody brings a personal glimpse of
the Coach.
Rex Kern
Still ranked as one of OSU’s greatest quarterbacks, Rex
Kern led his team to three national championship games. Kern set
the OSU total offense record as a junior, finished his Buckeye
career with 3,990 total yards, and was inducted into the Rose
Bowl Hall of Fame. One of 12 scholar-athletes chosen by the National
Football Foundation, Kern also earned his Ph.D from Ohio State.
Injuries cut his professional football career short, but he managed
to play every game his rookie season with Baltimore in 1971. Kern
retired from football in 1972 after failing his physical examination
with the Buffalo Bills.
Greg Lashutka
Greg Lashutka was co-captain of the Buckeye football team in 1965
and later played professionally for the Buffalo Bills. He earned
a bachelor's degree in history in 1967 and a juris doctorate from
Capital University Law School. Lashutka served as Columbus City
Attorney and was elected mayor of Columbus, Ohio, in 1991 and
reelected in 1995. He did not seek a third term as mayor in 1997,
primarily because of his health concerns after suffering a heart
attack. Lashutka joined Nationwide, Inc. in January 2000.
Alan Natali
Natali earned his B.A. in English in 1974 and his M.A. in English
from California University of Pennsylvania in 1979. Natali was
Cal U's sports information director in the early 1980's before
becoming a faculty member in the English department in 1985. Natali
is an award-winning author, and in 1980, he began working for
Ohio Magazine as a full-time contributing editor. In
1995, Alan, the former team captain and all-state linebacker at
Cal U, published his first book, Woody's Boys: Twenty Famous
Buckeyes Talk Among Themselves.
Jack Nicklaus
Jack Nicklaus, born January 21, 1940 in Columbus, Ohio, also known
as "The Golden Bear," was the major force in professional
golf from the 1960s into the 1980s. Nicklaus, who grew up on the
fairways of Scioto Country Club off Lane Avenue, attended and
played college golf at Ohio State and quickly established himself
as the game's dominant force. In 1980, when people were wondering
if the 40-year-old Golden Bear had lost his touch, he won his
fourth U.S. Open and his fifth PGA Championship. He is the only
person in the history of the PGA to win all four major championships
in the PGA Tour and Senior Tour.
Daryl Sanders
Daryl Sanders was born in Canton, Ohio and played tackle, end,
and middle guard. He was named a national champion by the Football
Writers Association. Sanders received an honorable mention for
All-American and played in the North-South Shrine game, Senior
Bowl, Coaches’ All-America game, and College All-Star game.
Sanders was drafted number one by Detroit in 1963 and because
starter at offensive tackle his rookie year where he was rated
as one of the NFL’s strongest linemen. He retired, however,
after his fourth season to pursue other interests. At 44, a board
of pastors agreed that Sanders was destined for the ministry and
Sanders began the Zion Christian Fellowship Church. Sanders maintained
his relationship with Hayes and remained among the few nonfamily
members to speak with the ex-coach after his dismissal following
the Gator Bowl.
Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler grew up in Barberton, Ohio, and earned his degree
from the Miami University of Ohio, where he lettered in football
and baseball. Bo first met Hayes as a collegiate athlete and played
under him while at Miami. He then went on to earn his master’s
degree in 1952 from Ohio State, while serving as a graduate assistant
coach under Hayes until 1953. He spent five seasons as an assistant
to Woody Hayes before accepting the head coaching job at Miami
in 1963. He remained there, winning two Mid-American Conference
Championships, until becoming the head football coach of the Wolverines
and spent 21 memorable seasons leading his team to victory and
suspenseful clashes with the now-rival OSU Buckeyes. Bo Schembechler
was inducted into the Miami University Hall of Fame in 1972, the
State of Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1989, the University
of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1992, the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame
in 1993 and the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1993.
Jim Tressel
Coach Jim Tressel has built Ohio State into a national contender
almost overnight. Now in his third year with the Buckeyes, his
two-year resume in Columbus includes an overall record of 21-5,
a perfect 14-0 season, a Big Ten co-championship and the 2002
National Championship. Last year, Ohio State literally came from
out of nowhere to capture the school’s, and the Big Ten’s,
first consensus national title since 1968. The Buckeyes achieved
the elusive title by posting a 13-0 regular-season record and
then upsetting top-ranked Miami in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on
Jan. 3 in a 31-24 double-overtime thriller. He was named National
Coach of the Year by the America Football Coaches Association
(an award he won three times at Division 1-AA Youngstown State),
thus becoming the first person in the history of the AFCA to win
that honor at two different schools. He also received the Eddie
Robinson National Coach of the Year Award from the Football Writers
Association of America. Additionally, Tressel was selected as
the Bobby Dodd and the Paul “Bear” Bryant National
Coach of the Year. He also was the choice of the Touchdown Club
of Columbus and the Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. as National
Coach of the Year.
(Information about interviewees were drawn in
part from the following sources: Woody Hayes: The Man &
His Dynasty, edited by Mike Bynum; I Remember Woody:
Recollections of The Man They Called Coach Hayes, by Steve
Greenberg and Dale Ratermann; and Woody Hayes and the 100-Yard
War by Jerry Brondfield; and Woody’s Boys: 20 Famous
Buckeyes Talk Amongst Themselves, by Alan Natali.)
The Road to Columbus
Politician
Teacher
Military Man
Humanitarian
Controversy
After Coaching
Interviewee Profiles
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