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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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10. Carroll Widdoes: 1944-1945

  • Career Record: 16-2-0
  • Awards and Accolades: 1944 Big Ten Champions, 1944 National Champions, 1944 AFCA Coach of the Year

Only head coach in Columbus for two seasons, Carroll Widdoes did manage to leave a big impact on the Buckeye program for that short time. Widdoes was an assistant for the legendary Paul Brown, beginning at the high school football powerhouse of Massillon High School in Massillon, Ohio. Widdoes followed Brown to Ohio State and was an assistant for all three years of Brown’s tenure. Following Brown’s departure to the U.S. Navy, Widdoes was named head coach.

In his first season, Widdoes led the Buckeyes to a perfect 9-0 record, a Big Ten Championship and were retroactively named 1944 National Champions. During that season, star halfback Les Horvath won the school’s first Heisman Trophy. The Buckeyes finished 7-2 in 1945, following the season Widdoes stepped down as head coach and chose assistant coach Paul Bixler to suceed him.

Widdoes remained on the coaching staff at Ohio State as an assistant until 1949, when he became head coach of the Ohio Bobcats and coached there for nine seasons.

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