The history of Ohio State رومابت dates back to 1889. Little did anyone at that time know that the Buckeyes, who were named after the Buckeye tree, would eventually become one the winningest teams in college football history. In fact, just this season that program reached its 800th win. The Buckeyes are one of only a handful of teams to reach that mark. In addition, they have the sixth best winning percentage in NCAA football history at .710. The Buckeyes have six national titles and six Heisman trophy winners in the program’s storied history, including the only 2-time Heisman trophy winner in college football history, Archie Griffin. Ohio State has been a member of the Big 10 conference since its inception in 1917 and has 29 Big 10 championships. The success of the team has spawned a huge merchandising franchise that includes the Ohio State NCAA cornhole set.
Best Team in Ohio State Football History
The best team in the program’s history is really a matter of opinion and it’s a topic that’s been debated over the years. Most people believe that the 1968 team was the best in the history of Ohio State football. The 1968 team was coached by Woody Hayes and had eleven sophomores nicknamed the “Super Sophomores.” What is surprising about a team with so many young players is the relative ease with which they dominated their opponents, including their biggest rival Michigan. The average score that season was 32-15. The offense not only averaged 32 points per game, but they also averaged more than 400 years per game. They were no slouches on the defensive side of the ball either. Opponents averaged just 292 yards per game. Highlights from the 1968 season include a 9-0 win over Purdue when Purdue was ranked number one nationally, a 50-14 drubbing over arch rival Michigan, and a 27-16 victory over Southern Cal which helped earn the Buckeyes their 5th national title.
The Greatest Coach in the History of Ohio State Football
This may be hard to believe, but the early years of Ohio State football weren’t exactly a smashing success. In fact, they were actually a series of coaches who ended up resigning in failure. The team’s coaching woes became such a problem that the school earned a reputation as “the graveyard of coaches.” But help was on the way. Wayne Woodrow Hayes took over the head coaching position in 1951. Coach Hayes is revered by many Ohio State fans as an icon. He’s also regarded as a legend in the sport of college football. This is probably because Woody Hayes, more so than any other individual, is responsible for transforming Ohio State from “the graveyard of coaches” into a college football powerhouse. He started with a mediocre football program and turned it into one the the winningest football programs of all time.
Woody Hayes took over the struggling football program’s head coaching position in 1951 and his influence was immediate. Coach Hayes was a disciplinarian, the complete opposite of the easy-going Wes Fesler, the man who he took over for. His 1952 squad finished 6-3 and was victorious over arch rival Michigan for the first time in 8 years. There were a few controversies and many celebrations during Hayes’ tenure at Ohio State. The Buckeyes were placed on probation for a year in 1956 due to allegations that Hayes was giving small loans to help out financially struggling players. Then there were the well-known fits of rage that coach Hayes was famous for, but no one is perfect. Luckily, Coach Hayes’ pros outweighed his cons. He turned Ohio State into a college football powerhouse and won three national championships during his time at Ohio State. Coach Hayes, along with Bo Schembechler, is credited with intensifying the greatest rivalry in college football in a period called “the ten year war.”