Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes (official thread)

[wadc45]

Credit to MGoBlog for the link...

Mirlyn - Ann Arbor and Flint - Full Record

Title: Football at Ohio State.
Author: Hayes, Woody, 1913-1987.
Published: [Columbus? 1957]
LCCN: 57003754
OCLC number: (OCoLC)ocm02636611

Direct link to the book:

MBooks - Football at Ohio State.

I love the section in Section IX about "The Morale Factor" and Napolean as it pertains to defense...

[wadc45]

This is the part I like:

Taken from “Football at Ohio State” circa 1957…written by Wayne Woodrow Hayes:

Section IX - Our Defense

1. The Morale Factor

Napoleon once said: ‘The moral is to the physical as three to one.’ He must have been talking about the defense. For this certainly is true of a defensive football team. Often when one reads in the newspapers of an upset, he finds that the defense held the favorites scoreless or at least to relatively few points.

Many times a defensive team that is not outstanding in physical ability is able to reach great heights. Our 1952 defensive platoon was an excellent example of this. On that defensive unit there were only two men who had the physical ability to be starters on the offensive unit, yet that defensive team finished the season as the No. 1 defensive unit in the Big Ten.

I our upset win of Wisconsin, who came to Columbus rated No. 1 in the nation, it was this defensive unit that turned the tide of battle by stopping Wisconsin’s great fullback, Alan Ameche. In the Illinois game, in which Tommy O’Connell set a Big Ten record for passes thrown, this same unit tied the Big Ten record by intercepting six.

A week later against Michigan, our defense played with its back to the wall the entire first quarter. We were able to get out of trouble by its recovery of Michigan’s fumbles and by the phenomenal feat of Fred Bruney of three interceptions in one half.

Early in the season, we had decided to use a looping 5-3 defense as our basic defense for the simple reason that these linemen were neither big enough nor strong enough to be able to play a straight defense. At this point, I feel it is fitting that we mention the names of those eleven men: Dick Anderson and Dick Thomas at ends; Bill Vavroch and Irv Denker at the tackles; Greg Jacoby, the middle guard; Tony Curcillo, Skip Doyle and Bud Bond, the linebacker; Marts Beekley, George Rosso and Fred Bruney, at the three-deep positions. This was an aggressive, competitive unit that could reach great emotional heights in the tightest games.

There seem to be several factors which tend to make defense a more competitive and emotional type of play than offense. Perhaps it is the fact that the defense is allowed to use their hands or perhaps it is aggressiveness born of their desire for the “quick switch” offense, in which there is always the possibility of blocking a punt, intercepting a pass, recovering a fumble or scoring by use of a safety. This team spirit is reflected in their pursuit, their desire to help out a buddy under attack.

[osucollegebuck]

Just curious what everyone thought on the Woody Hayes DVD that just came out?