I'll add one more thing about Harbaugh's actions and that is to put them in contrast with those of Woody during the Vietnam protests. Woody clearly held some hawkish views on the war, but he didn't use his program or his players as a megaphone to broadcast those views. Rather, he held back his personal views and attempted to use his role on campus as a calming and moderating influence on the passions of the day. Harbaugh, conversely, threw gasoline on them in as much of an in-your-face manner as his tiny little brain could think up. That's why Woody was a true leader while Harbaugh is a true asshole.
Needless to say, the Spring of 1970 was a "different time" at Ohio State:
1970 protests erupted across Ohio, tear gas at OSU
It might be tough to imagine a spring day on the Oval as anything but picturesque.
But 40 years ago today, Ohio State’s Oval wasn’t a place for sunbathers, morning joggers or students taking their dogs for a walk.
Instead, two armies occupied it: The Ohio National Guard armed with loaded rifles and students armed with angry words and a few stones.
Forty years ago at Kent State University, four students were killed and nine others were wounded in a clash between protesters and the Ohio National Guard.
Here at OSU, similar conditions resulted in violence, but no deaths.
Entire article:
http://thelantern.com/2010/05/1970-protests-erupted-across-ohio-tear-gas-at-osu/
Woody did give it his best shot at trying to restore calm: WOODY HAYES AT THE RIOTS- Legendary Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes was present on The Oval during the 1970 campus riots. That much is known. Beyond that, much is myth. All sorts of stories have been told about Woody at the riots. Most are unconfirmed.
Nobody could have hated the riots worse than Woody Hayes. Hayes was a proud WWII veteran and military history fan who worshipped George Patton and actively supported the war in Southeast Asia. He'd even gone to Vietnam on USO tours. Hayes was a loyal Republican and counted Richard Nixon as a personal friend. (Nixon even delivered the eulogy at Hayes’ funeral in 1987)
Beyond that, Hayes was a conservative. He’d grown up in small town Ohio in the 1920s and 30s. The whole 1960s scene--long hair, strange clothes, rock music, drugs, Eastern religion, free love, leftist politics, and questioning authority and tradition—was all absolutely antithetical to him. It couldn’t have been more alien if it had come down in a flying saucer.
All this makes his conduct at the riots surprising. On May 19, the day OSU reopened, Woody and a few players showed up on The Oval at a rally. Woody listened quietly from the sidelines. He returned a couple days later. Rally organizers spotted the celebrity in the crowd and called on him to speak. Instead of denouncing the protesters as a bunch of damn dirty hippies and telling them all to get a haircut, the coach defended the university and its students and called upon everyone to work together to solve problems in a peaceful way with respect for the rights of others. The coach’s tone was almost pleading.
The speech had little effect. The crowd mocked the famously square coach and drowned out much of his speech with chants of “First and ten, do it again.”
Still, the speech reflected well on Hayes. Notoriously prone to fits of anger, the coach didn’t let the taunts get to him. He kept his cool, said his piece, and returned to the crowd. Woody Hayes loved Ohio State and he didn’t want to see it torn apart again. To that end, Woody was able to set aside his instinctive hatred for the counterculture and do what he could bring peace to campus.
http://univdistcol.com/riots6.html
I was a student there in 1970 and remember Woody's speech (above). What ORD posted (above) about Woody is definitely true.
Another testimonial (and this guy claims to be a SDS member): "On the other hand, Woody Hayes stood in the middle of the students, at great personal risk, and did get protesters to stop throwing rocks and greatly reduced the violence. I will never forget the courage of Woody Hayes."
http://library.osu.edu/projects/dissent-eyewitness/eyewitness.htm
http://library.osu.edu/projects/dissent-eyewitness/eyewitness_david_baumer.html
P.S. The only good thing that came out of the riots was my GPA. For that quarter you had the option of taking any of your classes pass/fall; and you could make your decision about it until close to the end of the quarter. I was taking 4 five hour classes; getting a "B" in 2 and a "C" in the other 2. Took the 2 "C" classes pass/fail and got one of my best quarter GPAs (i.e. 3.0) in the five years (engineering was a 5 year program) I was there.
