Buckeye Football Stats for 1954

[misterjones]

I have found some stats scattered around the internet, but would appreciate any ideas where to find more. For example, I know that Leggett was 46 of 95 for 578 yards and had a 2.3 rushing aveage (all pre-Rose Bowl, I believe), but I would like more detail on him and others. I think I have exhausted the old newspapers available on the internet, but for some reason the print media seems to have been uninterested in college football stats in the 1950s.

Why the Buckeyes don't have collected stats anywhere on the intenet or in print is beyond me. Perhaps one has to physically go to the OSU campus to get such info.

 

[BB73]

Here's a link to the archives part of the tOSU football records on the official site. It doesn't have season total stats for years before the mid 1990s, but it can be searched to find things like this about 1954 (most of these stats include the Rose Bowl):

Leading rusher: Hopalong Cassasdy, 123 for 701 (5.7 avg), 6 TDs in 10 games
Leading receiver: Hopalong Cassasdy, 12 for 137

Best single rushing games:
Cassady, 129 at Purdue; 104 vs Cal
Robert Watkins 112 vs Illinois; 105 vs Iowa

Passing Leader:
Bill Leggett, 52 of 106, 643 yards, 8 TDs and 7 ints

Total offense (looks like this does NOT include the Rose Bowl):
Leggett, 578 passing + 235 rushing = 813 yards

Scoring: Watkins, 9 TDs + 3 XPs = 57

Longest Interception return: Cassady 88 yards vs Wisconsin

Punt return allowed average: 14.9 (still the team record)

 

[misterjones]

Thanks. I'm familiar with that site, but you seem to have found some important additional stats I did not - such as Leggett's INTs. I'll give it another look.

I'm also planning on watching this again and taking notes. It's a fairly detailed (game-by-game) highlight film of the 1954 season.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wglzgLvBkiI"]1954 Ohio State Football Highlights - YouTube[/ame]

 

[stowfan]

Thanks. I'm familiar with that site, but you seem to have found some important additional stats I did not - such as Leggett's INTs. I'll give it another look.

I'm also planning on watching this again and taking notes. It's a fairly detailed (game-by-game) highlight film of the 1954 season.

1954 Ohio State Football Highlights - YouTube

The game appears to have changed a bit over the years:)

 

[misterjones]

Punt return average: 14.9 (still the team record)

I assumed incorrectly that this was for OSU's returns that year. Not so. It is still a record, but for OSU opponents!

 

[misterjones]

Here's what I have so far. Additions and corrections are most welcome.

POS PASSING ATT COM PCT YDS Y/A INT (%)

QB Dave Leggett 106 52 49.1 643 6.1 7 (6.6)

POS RUSHING ATT YDS APR

QB Dave Leggett 116 302 2.6
LH-1 Hopalong Cassady 123 701 5.7
LH-2 Jerry Harkrader ? ? 6.4*
FB-1 Hubert Bobo 69 401 5.8
FB-2 Jack Gibbs ? ? ?
RH-1 Bobby Watkins 119 660 5.5
RH-2 James Roseboro ? ? 3.3*

POS RECEIVING REC YDS APC

LH-1 Hopalong Cassady 13 148 11.4
LH-2 Jerry Harkrader ? ? ?
FB-1 Hubert Bobo ? ? ?
FB-2 Jack Gibbs ? ? ?
RH-1 Bobby Watkins 8 93 11.6
RH-2 James Roseboro ? ? ?
E-1 Dean Dugger 9 144 16.0
E-2 Bill Michael ? ? ?
E-1 Dick Brubaker 12 120 10.0
E-2 Fred Kriss ? ? ?

POS KICK RETURNS NO AVG TD
KR-1 Hopalong Cassady ? ? 0
KR-2 ? ? ? 0

POS PUNT RETURNS NO AVG TD
PR-1 Hopalong Cassady ? ? 0
PR-2 ? ? ? 0

Opponent Punt Returns - 14.9 YPA (a school record) and 1 TD
Opponent Kick Returns ? ___ YPA and 0 TD
Opponent Fumbles (i.e., forced by OSU) ? 17 or 20
7.5 PPG ? 1st in the Big 10 and 7th in the nation
110 rushing yards per game allowed
___ passing yards per game allowed
19 INTs

PLACE KICKING FGA FGM PCT XPA XPM PCT
Tad Weed ? 1 ? 26 24 92.3

PUNTING NO AVG
Hubert Bobo ? ?

* does not include Rose Bowl

 

[misterjones]

If you are interested in very old and hard to find OSU stats -like I am now and then - check this out. It took me a long time to find it, and perhaps others here already know about it. You have to compile the stats yourself and all games (especially bowl games) are not included, but it's better than nothing.

http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/careersearch