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Ohio State Football: 10 greatest coaches in program history

By Quinn Douglas

COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes stands on the sideline during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Ohio Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - SEPTEMBER 09: Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes stands on the sideline during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Ohio Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 02: Brutus Buckeye, the mascot for the Ohio State Buckeyes, performs in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 02: Brutus Buckeye, the mascot for the Ohio State Buckeyes, performs in the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers during the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

1. Woody Hayes: 1951-1978

  • Career Record: 205-61-10
  • Awards and Accolades: 1953, ’54, ’57, ’61, ’68-’70, ’72-’77 Big Ten Champions, 1954, ’57, ’61, ’68, ’70 National Champions, 1957 AFCA Coach of the Year, 1968 Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award, 1957, ’68, ’75 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, CFB Hall of Fame Class of 1983

The Ohio State football program would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for Wayne Woodrow Hayes, also known as Woody Hayes. Hayes started his coaching career as the head coach of his alma mater, Denison University, following World War II. He spent three seasons at Denison before taking the job at Miami of Ohio, where he stayed for two more seasons before he was hired by Ohio State in 1951.

It only took three years for Hayes to turn the Buckeye program into champions and won his first Big Ten and National Championship in 1954. Hayes would lead the Buckeyes to 13 Big Ten Championships and five National Championships. However, Hayes is most remembered for his fiery temper, and has been compared to Vince Lombardi in terms of style and of personality. He also is remembered for his extreme disdain for Michigan or as he called them “that team up north”.

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Hayes’s career came to tragic and disappointing end, when he punched Clemson noseguard Charlie Bauman following his game-clinching interception in the 1978 Gator Bowl. However, he was still beloved by the Buckeye faithful until his death in 1987 and cemented himself as the greatest coach in Ohio State history.

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