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A Brief History of Ohio State Football

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LordJeffBuck

LordJeffBuck

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BP Recruiting Team
1890 - 1915: The Early Days

Ohio State played its first football game on May 5, 1890, a 20-14 win over Ohio Wesleyan. For the next twenty-six years, Ohio State was a middle of the road football program, with an overall record of 140-77-19 (.634 winning percentage). The only real highlights during the early days were the Buckeyes' first undefeated season in 1899 when the team went 9-0-1 (a 5-5 tie with Case Institute of Technology ruined the perfect season); Ohio State's admission into the Big Ten Conference in 1913; and the Buckeyes' first All American, end Boyd Cherry in 1914.

1916 - 1919: The Chic Harley Era

The Buckeyes first gained national attention with the arrival of halfback Charles "Chic" Harley in 1916. In his first year of eligibility, Harley led the Buckeyes to their first perfect season (7-0-0) and first Big Ten title. The highlight of the season was a 128-0 splattering of Oberlin, the Buckeyes' largest margin of victory of all time. At the end of the season, Harley was named an All American, just the second in the history of Ohio State football.

Harley led the Buckeyes to another undefeated season in 1917 (8-0-1), with the only blemish being a 0-0 tie with Auburn on a "neutral" field in Montgomery, Alabama. For the year, the Ohio State defense gave up only two field goals and registered seven shut outs. Harley repeated as an All American, and Ohio State repeated as the outright champions of the Big Ten.

Harley enlisted in the army in 1918 and the Buckeyes record fell to 3-3 in his absence. Harley returned for the 1919 season, and the Buckeyes were perfect through their first six games, including their first ever win over Michigan (the Buckeyes went 0-13-2 in the first fifteen meetings, a deficit which has yet to be fully erased). In their seventh and final game of the season, Ohio State played powerhouse Illinois, and the Buckeyes led the game 7-6 late in the fourth quarter. The Illini went on a long drive and kicked a game-winning field goal with just seconds remaining on the clock to record a 9-7 victory. Both teams finished 6-1 for the year, but by virtue of winning their head-to-head matchup, Illinois was awarded a retroactive national championship for 1919. If the Buckeyes had held on for a few seconds longer, then they would have won their first ever national title.

Chic Harley would be named an All American for the 1919 season, thus becoming Ohio State's first (of eight) three-time All Americans. Harley is considered to be one of the greatest college football players of all time, and he was a charter member of the College Football Hall of Fame when it opened in 1951. His career record at Ohio State was 21-1-1, with his only loss being to Illinois in the last game of his Buckeye career. His teams outscored their opponents by a combined 726 to 47 (or 32 to 2 on a per game basis) and recorded 15 shutouts in 23 games.

Because of Harley's popularity and the team's success during his tenure, Ohio State built a new 66,000-seat stadium in 1922 to replace the old Ohio Field which had a capacity of only 20,000 spectators. To this day, people refer to that new venue - Ohio Stadium - as the House That Harley Built.
 
1933 - 1935: The Buckeyes' Quest for Perfection Falls Short

The Buckeye continued their success in the first year of the post-Harley era, as the 1920 team went 7-1 and won an outright Big Ten championship. However, from 1921 to 1932 the Buckeyes fell back to mediocrity, with an overall record of 52-32-11 (.605 winning percentage), no Big Ten championships, and a 4-8 record against Michigan. Ohio State still produced some excellent players during this era including a pair of three-time All Americans, end Wesley Fesler (1928, 1929, 1930) and halfback Lew Hinchman (1930, 1931, 1932).

Things changed for the better in 1933 when the Buckeyes went 7-1, the sole loss being to eventual national champion Michigan by the score of 13-0. The Ohio State defense shut out five of their eight opponents and gave up only 26 points on the year, half of them in the loss to Michigan.

The next year produced another 7-1 season, with the Buckeyes falling in a one-point road loss to a 7-1 Illinois squad. The highlight of the season was the Buckeyes' first ever shutout of Michigan, a 34-0 drubbing of the Wolverines. Ohio State outscored its opponents 267-34 for the year, and the team finished fifth in an informal Associated Press (AP) poll, with Minnesota (9-0-0) finishing atop that poll and generally being considered the national champion for 1934.

In 1935 Ohio State once against finished the season at 7-1, with the only loss coming to 7-1-1 Notre Dame. In that game, the Fighting Irish staged a furious (and famous) fourth quarter comeback to overcome a 13-point deficit to win 18-13 in what was subsequently dubbed The Game of the Century. Ohio State once again shut out Michigan, this time 38-0 in Ann Arbor which is still the Buckeyes' largest margin of victory in The Game. In an informal United Press (UP or UPI) poll, the Buckeyes finished fifth, with Minnesota (9-0-0) being named the national champion for 1935. The star of the team was end Merle Wendt, who would become Ohio State's fourth three-time All American (1934, 1935, 1936).

During the three-year span from 1933 to 1935, Ohio State compiled a 21-3 record (.875 winning percentage), with all of those losses coming to a quality opponent in a relatively close contest. Unfortunately, each of the three losses ruined a perfect season and cost the Buckeyes at least a claim for a national championship.
 
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1942 - The Buckeyes Win Their First National Championship

The AP began its formal poll in 1936, and from that point forward human polls have either determined national champions outright, or been a major factor in determining national champions. During the first six years of the poll era, Ohio State compiled a record of 31-15-2 and did not make a serious run at a national championship. In fact the Buckeyes finished in the AP top-20 only three times: 13th in 1937 with a record of 6-2-0; 15th in 1939 with a record of 6-2-0; and 13th in 1941 with a record of 6-1-1.

The Buckeyes' breakthrough season came in 1942. After losing 18 lettermen from the prior season, including the entire starting backfield, the 1942 squad was extremely young, with 24 sophomores, 16 juniors, and only 3 seniors (freshmen being ineligible back then). Ohio State was also young at head coach, where the 34-year old Paul Brown was entering just his second season as the leader of the Buckeyes. After nine seasons at Massillon High, where he posted an amazing record of 80-8-2 with six consecutive state titles (1935-1940) and four national championships, Brown headed south to Columbus, where he became one of the youngest college head coaches in the nation. Although many were sceptical that Brown could reduplicate his success at the next level, he quickly vaulted Ohio State into national prominence. Stressing fundamentals and execution, and looking for players who were fast, intelligent, and enjoyed hitting, Brown led the 1941 squad to a 6-1-1 record with road wins over traditional powerhouses Pitt and Southern Cal, and a tie against Michigan in Ann Arbor. However, with such a young team returning in 1942, most pundits predicted that Ohio State would finish in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten.

The season began well with a 59-0 rout of the Fort Knox Army Base service team. With World War Two in full swing, many young men were in the armed forces, and several military bases fielded football teams comprised of officers in training. The new Fort Knox squad was clearly unprepared for their opener, and the Buckeyes outgained them in total yards, 507 to minus-five, in a game that wasn't even as close as the blow-out score would suggest. In fact, Ohio State's second- and third-stringers scored 40 points in the second half of the game.

After the easy victory in the opener, Ohio State faced a surprisingly tough Indiana team which was led by quarterback Lou Saban, who like Paul Brown would later become a coaching legend in the NFL. Although IU led the game 21-19 at the end of three quarters, the Buckeyes scored thirteen unanswered points in the fourth to win the game going away. The following week, Ohio State beat Southern Cal 28-12, after which the Buckeyes were voted the #1 team in the country in the Associated Press poll.

However, the Buckeyes claim on the top spot was short-lived. After handily beating Purdue at home and Northwestern (led by quarterback Otto Graham) on the road, Ohio State travelled to Madison, Wisconsin, to face the Badgers. The sixth-ranked Wisconsin team was coached by Harry Stuhldreher, a member of the famed Notre Dame "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (he was "Famine", apparently); like Paul Brown, Stuhldreher was also a native of Massillon, Ohio. While Ohio State probably had the better team that year, Madison was a house of horrors even back in 1942. First, nearly half of the Ohio State team suffered from an attack of dysentery which had been contracted from drinking contaminated water on the train ride to Wisconsin. Then, the Buckeyes were housed on the sixth floor of a hotel without operational elevators. Finally, Halloween revelers from the nearby Wisconsin campus held loud pep rallies until the wee hours of the morning, which prevented the Ohio State players from getting a decent night's sleep. So, the stage was set for an upset, and the Badgers pulled it off, outlasting the Buckeyes 17-7 in a contest which has since been dubbed "The Bad Water Game". After the loss, Ohio State fell to sixth in the AP poll, and with the seemingly unstoppable Georgia Bulldogs now leading the pack, it appeared that the Buckeyes were out of the running for the national championship.

The Buckeyes rebounded to finish the season with wins over Pitt, Illinois, Michigan, and Iowa Pre-Flight, but still needed plenty of help to reclaim the number one ranking. But luck was on the Ohio State's side in 1942, as several unlikely upsets propelled the Buckeyes back to the top spot in the AP poll. First, on the same weekend as Ohio State beat arch rival Michigan 21-7, previously unbeaten Georgia fell to a mediocre Auburn squad, 27-14, which left Boston College (#1 in the AP poll) and Georgia Tech (#2) as the only undefeated major programs in college football. However, with only one week left in the season, the third-ranked Buckeyes needed two things to happen in order to get back to the top of the AP poll: Of course, they had to cap their campaign with an impressive victory against Iowa Pre-Flight, a powerful military service squad which entered the game with a 7-1 record, and then they had to hope that both teams ahead of them in the poll would lose their respective season finales. Ohio State took care of their own business by soundly defeating Iowa Pre-Flight, 41-12, and then they waited for the other scores to come in. First, Georgia Tech was demolished by in-state rival Georgia, 34-0, thus ending the Yellow Jackets' title run (but ironically putting the Bulldogs right back in the thick of things). Then, the inconceivable happened: Heavily-favored Boston College, which had given up only 19 total points for the season, lost to unheralded Holy Cross by the score of 55 to 12 in a game that ESPN has called one of the greatest upsets history of college football.

So, which team was more deserving of a national title in 1942, outright Big Ten champs Ohio State (9-1-0) with five All-Americans and a young genius for a head coach, or outright SEC champs Georgia (11-1-0) with Heisman Trophy winner Frank Sinkwich (from Youngstown, Ohio)? Well, according to the AP pollsters, Ohio State was the slight favorite, earning 1,432 votes to 1,339 for Georgia.

Even though they were young and inexperienced, several Buckeye players emerged as stars during the 1942 campaign, including All American selections Robert Shaw (end), Charles Csuri (tackle), Lindell Houston (guard), Paul Sarringhaus (halfback), and Gene Fekete (fullback); also on that team were wingback Les Horvath and lineman Bill Willis, each of whom would go on to bigger and better things at Ohio State.

The 1942 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1-0)
09/26/42: Ohio State 59, Fort Knox 0
10/03/42: Ohio State 32, Indiana 21
10/10/42: Ohio State 28, Southern Cal 12
10/17/42: Ohio State 26, Purdue 0
10/24/42: Ohio State 20, Northwestern 6
10/31/42: Wisconsin 17, Ohio State 7
11/07/42: Ohio State 59, Pitt 19
11/14/42: Ohio State 44, Illinois 20
11/21/42: Ohio State 21, Michigan 7
11/28/42: Ohio State 41, Iowa Pre-Flight 12
 
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1944 - The Civilian National Champions

The year 1944 was the height of World War Two and the United States was fighting on three fronts - in Italy and France against the Germans, and in the Pacific against the Japanese. With patriotism running high (and the draft in full force and effect), many young men were leaving college campuses to join the war effort. For that reason, most college football teams that year were comprised mostly of freshmen who were too young to enlist or be drafted together with a few older players who were physically unable to serve in the military and were granted "4F" status. With 31 of its 44 players being freshmen, Ohio State was no exception. The Buckeyes had even lost their young head coach, Paul Brown, who left Ohio State after the 1943 season to accept a commission as a lieutenant in the United States Navy.

In fact, the only colleges that were unaffected by the war effort were the military academies, whose students were obviously exempt from immediate military service because they were in school for the express purpose of receiving officer training. Led by future Heisman Trophy winners "Mr. Inside" Felix "Doc" Blanchard (1945) and "Mr. Outside" Glenn Davis (1946), and coached by the renowned Earl "Red" Blaik, the Army Black Knights were particularly strong in 1944, defeating their opponents by a combined score of 504 to 35 en route to a perfect 9-0-0 season and a well-deserved AP national championship. However, Army wasn't the only perfect team that year....

On April 12, 1944, Paul Brown left Ohio State to join the Navy, and interim coach Carroll Widdoes was left with a young team with little hope of competing for a Big Ten championship, much less a national title. However, the Buckeyes received some good news in August of that year when all-purpose back Les Horvath was granted an extra year of eligibilty. Horvath, then a 24-year old student at Ohio State's School of Dentistry, had last played football for the 1942 national championship squad. In addition to Horvath, two other notable Buckeyes - linemen Bill Hackett and Warren Amling - received military deferments after enrolling in veterinary school. Finally, Ohio State's excellent tackle Bill Willis had avoided the draft because he was declared 4F due to varicose veins. With four solid upper classmen now in the fold and a star freshman in fullback Ollie Cline (who would become an All American in 1945), Ohio State suddenly became a force to be reckoned with.

The Buckeyes simply rolled through their 1944 schedule, easily beating their first eight opponents by a combined score of 265 to 65, and setting up a season-ending showdown against the highly-ranked Michigan Wolverines. On Homecoming Day at Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes outlasted the Wolves, 18-14, in one of the best games in the classic rivalry. The victory gave Ohio State its second perfect season and its sixth outright Big Ten championship. However, because of Big Ten restrictions, Ohio State was not allowed to go to the Rose Bowl to face Pacific Coast Conference champion Southern Cal.

An irony of the 1944 season occurred in game number four, when the Buckeyes faced the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, which was coached by none other than former Ohio State head man Paul Brown. The Great Lakes squad actually had two former Buckeye players - end Ernie Plank (1943) and tackle Jim Rees (1942) - and was led by fullback Ara Parseghian, who would years later become one of the greatest college coaches in history. Despite the presence of Brown on the sidelines, the Great Lakes team was completely overmatched by the Buckeyes, who won the game handily, 26 to 6.

The 1944 season marked the first time that a Buckeye player would win the coveted Heisman Trophy, as quarterback/halfback Les Horvath brought the hardware to Columbus. That year, Horvath led the Big Ten in rushing (669 yards) and total offense (953 yards), while scoring 12 touchdowns. Horvath's jersey - number 22 - has been retired by Ohio State. In addition to Horvath, the following Buckeyes were named All Americans in 1944: guard Bill Hackett, end Jack Dugger, and tackle Bill Willis, who also earned that honor in 1943. In fact, Willis was one of the greatest football players of all time, and he is a member of the Ohio High School, Ohio State University, College Football, and Professional Football Halls of Fame. First year coach Carroll Widdoes was named Coach of the Year by the American College Football Association, the first Buckeye to earn that distinction.

At the end of the season, Army was named the AP champion; Ohio State was second in the AP poll despite having a record identical to the Black Knights'. But realistically, what patriotic reporter was going to vote against Army in the middle of a war, especially with ground troops fighting bloody battles throughout Europe? Recognizing the unfair advantage obtained by the service academies during the war years, both on the football field and at the ballot box, the Buckeyes were dubbed the "Civilian National Champions" at the time; and after the fact, the 1944 Ohio State team garnered some national championship honors, most notably from the National Championship Foundation (college football researchers) and the Billingsley Report (computer formula).

The 1944 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-0-0)
09/30/44: Ohio State 54, Missouri 0
10/07/44: Ohio State 34, Iowa 0
10/14/44: Ohio State 20, Wisconsin 7
10/21/44: Ohio State 26, Great Lakes 6
10/28/44: Ohio State 34, Minnesota 14
11/04/44: Ohio State 21, Indiana 7
11/11/44: Ohio State 54, Pitt 19
11/18/44: Ohio State 26, Illinois 12
11/25/44: Ohio State 18, Michigan 14
 
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1945 - 1953: A Lack of Direction

After their civilian national championship, Ohio State then entered a period of malaise that saw them go 48-27-7 (.628 winning percentage) from 1945 to 1953. During that nine-year period, the Buckeyes had four head coaches and the team did not win more than seven games in any one season. To make matters worse, the Buckeyes posted a 1-7-1 record against Michigan (including a 58-6 loss in 1946) and they won just a single Big Ten co-championship (1949) while their rivals up north won three outright conference championships and a co-championship, plus national back-to-back national titles in 1947 and 1948.

This era of Buckeye football was not distinguished overall, but there were still some great moments along the way. After the 1949 season, Ohio State won its first bowl game by defeating California in the Rose Bowl by the score of 17 to 14 (Ohio State's only previous bowl appearance was a loss in the 1921 Rose Bowl). In 1950, Vic Janowicz won the Heisman Trophy after amassing 875 total yards, 16 total touchdowns, kicking 26 extra points and 3 field goals, along with handling the Buckeyes' punting duties. That same year Ohio State and Michigan played in the Snow Bowl, one of the most memorable games in college football history (the Buckeyes lost, 9-3, in blizzard conditions). In 1952, Ohio State had its first Academic All American, quarterback John Borton. Probably the most significant event during this period occurred in 1951, but its significance would not be recognized for a few years.
 
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1954: Woody's First National Championship

Before the 1951 season, Ohio State hired its nineteenth head football coach. The previous eighteen coaches had lasted an average of three-and-a-half seasons, and no one expected anything different from the new guy, a relative unknown by the name of Wayne Woodrow Hayes. And Woody certainly did not disappoint the cynical wing of the Buckeye fan base when his teams went a combined 16-9-2 (.630 winning percentage) during his first three seasons. With the 1953 season ending on a sour note, a 20-0 loss at Michigan, 1954 was destined to be Hayes's make it or break it year. And with most experts predicting the Buckeyes to finish no better than fifth in the Big Ten, most fans were betting on "break it".

The Buckeyes opened the 1954 season on a high note with a 28-0 whitewashing of the lowly Indiana Hoosiers. The next week, however, Ohio State barely slipped past a below-average California squad at home, 21-13, and most observers felt that Hayes was headed for yet another three-loss campaign. Ohio State's erratic season continued, as the Buckeyes trounced highly-touted Illinois on the road, 40-7, but then squeaked by Iowa at home, 20-14; smashed second-ranked Wisconsin (led by eventual Heisman winner fullback Alan Ameche) on Homecoming, 31-14, but eked out a 14-7 victory against a very poor Northwestern team in Evanston. Two solid wins over Pitt and Purdue kept the Buckeyes' undefeated season alive and set up a showdown with a poweful Michigan squad. The sceptics remained unconvinced, as the Wolverines had been Hayes' nemesis to date. But Woody put all criticism to rest: With an outright Big Ten championship, a Rose Bowl invitation, and a potential national title on the line, the Buckeyes soundly defeated the Wolverines, 21-7, to finish the regular season a perfect 9-0-0.

1954 was the rare college football season in which two major powers finished with perfect records. One was Ohio State, and the other was UCLA from the Pacific Coast Conference. Under the Rose Bowl contract, the Big Ten champ was obligated to play the PCC champ, so it appeared that the two best teams in the land would meet in the ultimate "winner take all" contest in the 1955 Rose Bowl. However, as luck would have it, the Rose Bowl had a "no repeat" rule in place, and UCLA had been the PCC representative the previous season and was thus barred from participation. Ohio State had to settle for PCC runner-up Southern Cal, and the Buckeyes easily dispatched of the Trojans to remain perfect for only the third time in school history. In voting for their respective champions, the AP and UP split the ballot, with the sportswriters (AP) selecting Ohio State and the coaches (UP) choosing UCLA. Incidentally, the 1954 Bruins squad earned the only football national championship of any kind for UCLA. Today, both schools are deemed "recognized" national champions for the year 1954, but college football historians wonder what would have happened if the two best teams in the land had been able to battle it out on the field of the Rose Bowl.

Ohio State had three All Americans in 1954 - end Dean Dugger, guard Jim Reichenbach, and halfback Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, who would repeat as an All American and also win the Heisman Trophy the following year. On the season, Cassady rushed for 701 yards and 6 touchdowns, while catching 13 passes for another 148 yards. In addition, Hopalong made the play of the year with a dramatic 88-yard interception return for a touchdown to secure a victory against the previously unbeaten Wisconsin Badgers. As a Heisman winner, Cassady's number 40 jersey has been retired from Ohio State. Howard's son, Craig Cassady, also played for Woody Hayes, lettering from 1973 to 1975.

Lineman Jim Parker was also a member of the 1954 squad. A three-year starter for the Buckeyes, Parker earned All American honors in both 1955 and 1956, and won the prestigious Outland Trophy after his senior campaign. After graduating from Ohio State, Parker went on to have an excellent career in the NFL (for the Baltimore Colts). He is a member of the Ohio State, College Football, and Professional Football Halls of Fame.

The 1954 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0-0)
09/25/54: Ohio State 28, Indiana 0
10/02/54: Ohio State 21, California 13
10/09/54: Ohio State 40, Illinois 7
10/16/54: Ohio State 20, Iowa 14
10/23/54: Ohio State 31, Wisconsin 14
10/30/54: Ohio State 14, Northwestern 7
11/06/54: Ohio State 26, Pitt 0
11/13/54: Ohio State 28, Purdue 6
11/20/54: Ohio State 21, Michigan 7
01/01/55: Ohio State 20, Southern Cal 7 (Rose Bowl)
 
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1957: The Buckeyes Win the Coaches Poll

The 1957 season began on a sour note for Ohio State, as Texas Christian University visited The Horseshoe and knocked off the Buckeyes, 18-14. The highlight of the game (at least to a neutral observer) was a 90-yard punt return for a touchdown by TCU's Jim Shofner, who later would become a player and coach for the Cleveland Browns. Shofner's jaunt remains the longest punt return in the history of Ohio Stadium, although Buckeye Brian Hartline equalled the mark in a game against Kent State during the 2007 season. Scoring a touchdown for the Buckeyes that afternoon was halfback Dick LeBeau, who also played briefly for the Browns and has coached for many years in the NFL.

Coming off of a mediocre 6-3 season which was lowlighted by a shut-out loss to Michigan and a one-year probation imposed by the NCAA for irregularities in the school's "jobs program for athletes", the disappointing TCU game was the worst possible way to start the new campaign. Many Buckeye fans were beginning to think that 1954 had been a fluke and that Woody Hayes would never be a consistent winner in Columbus. With tough road games remaining at Washington, Wisconsin, and Michigan, the 1957 season was beginning to look like yet another multiple-loss affair, and agitated Buckeye fans were ready to send Hayes straight to the graveyard of coaches after just seven seasons at Ohio State.

However, Woody was able to right the ship and guide the Buckeyes on another championship run. First, Ohio State travelled to Seattle and beat the Washington Huskies in impressive fashion, 35-7; ironically, in this game, an 81-yard punt return by the Buckeyes' Don Sutherin helped to seal the victory for the good guys. Then came two solid home wins against Big Ten foes Illinois and Indiana, and a come-from-behind squeaker against Wisconsin in Madison, a game in which the Buckeyes were down 13-0 at halftime but rallied to win, 16-13. Two more easy victories - against Northwestern and Purdue - set up a showdown with an undefeated Iowa team, with the winner being assured the outright championship of the Big Ten. In a game that was tight throughout, the Buckeyes beat the Hawkeyes, 17-13, to win the conference crown and keep their slim national title hopes alive.

No Ohio State season can be a true success without a victory over arch rival Michigan, and 1957 was no exception to this long-standing and very important rule. Even though the Buckeyes had already won the Big Ten championship and earned a trip to the Rose Bowl, a win over Michigan is absolutely necessary to make a season truly special, and the Buckeyes did not disappoint in 1957. Despite being down 14-10 at the break, Ohio State scored 21 unanswered points in the second half to win going away, 31-14.

The Buckeyes capped their near-perfect season with a 10-7 win over Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Ohio State's impressive run through a tough Big Ten schedule earned the Buckeyes a first-place finish in the UP coaches' poll (they were also given the nod by the Football Writers Association of America, or FWAA), but the AP selected undefeated Auburn (10-0-0) as the winner of their national title. Both teams are considered to be "recognized" national champions by college football historians.

Ohio State had only one All American in 1957, guard Aurealius Thomas. However, several members of that team would earn All American honors in the following years, including ends Jim Marshall (1958) and Jim Houston (1958, 1959), and fullback Bob White (1958); in addition, star tackle Dick Schafrath would go on to have a succesful career for the NFL's Cleveland Browns. Woody Hayes won his first of three Coach of the Year awards in 1957.

The 1957 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-1-0)
09/28/57: Texas Christian 18, Ohio State 14
10/05/57: Ohio State 35, Washington 7
10/12/57: Ohio State 21, Illinois 7
10/19/57: Ohio State 56, Indiana 0
10/26/57: Ohio State 16, Wisonsin 13
11/02/57: Ohio State 47, Northwestern 6
11/09/57: Ohio State 20, Purdue 7
11/16/57: Ohio State 17, Iowa 13
11/23/57: Ohio State 31, Michigan 14
01/01/58: Ohio State 10, Oregon 7 (Rose Bowl)
 
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1961 - A Controversial Title and Unfinished Business

Similar to 1957, the 1961 Ohio State squad opened the season at home against Texas Christian University. And, once again, TCU spoiled the Buckeyes' hopes for a perfect season, forcing a 7-7 tie that all but killed Ohio State's national championship aspirations. But just like 1957, the 1961 Buckeyes would run the table and force themselves back into the title hunt. This time, however, the pollsters would not be so kind to Ohio State.

The Big Ten was absolutely loaded in 1961, with half a dozen teams seriously vying for the conference championship. At one point in the season, five of the top seven teams in the AP poll were members of the Big Ten. With the Big Ten being so tough, it looked nearly impossible for any one team to survive the conference schedule unscathed, but the Buckeyes were somehow able to do just that. Ohio State's first victim was Illinois, who fell 44-0. Then, the Buckeyes went on the road and won close contests at Northwestern (10-0) and Wisconsin (30-21), before returning home to manhandle an Iowa squad (29-13) that was ranked the ninth-best team in the nation. Ohio State finished the Big Ten slate on the road, posting a narrow victory at Indiana (16-7), and then simply blowing out Michigan in Ann Arbor, 50-20, while outgaining the Wolverines 512 yards to 271 yards. The Buckeyes' lop-sided victory gained even more notoriety when coach Woody Hayes elected to go for a two-point conversion with his team leading 48-20 late in the fourth quarter.

As the Big Ten champion, Ohio State should have played in the Rose Bowl. However, in 1961 the league did not have a formal contract with the Rose Bowl, and thus its teams were not obliged to participate. After the football team won the conference title, Ohio State's faculty council, by a vote of 28-25, rejected the Rose Bowl invitation. In support of its decision, the council claimed that Ohio State had become too much of a "football school", and that athletics were overshadowing its academic reputation. The Buckeyes had to settle for a near-perfect 8-0-1 record, which placed them second in both major polls behind Alabama (11-0-0). Although the Buckeyes did not win either of the "major" national titles (AP and UPI), they were named the champs by the FWAA, which is one of the organizations recognized by the NCAA as a national championship selector. Ohio State claims a national championship for 1961.

Leading the offense for Ohio State was fullback Bob Ferguson, who was probably the best Buckeye ever at that position and one of the all-time greats in the history of college football. In 1961, Ferguson rushed for 938 yards and scored 11 touchdowns, both of which led the Big Ten. After his tremendous season, Ferguson was named an All American (he also received that honor in 1960), won the Maxwell Award as the nation's most outstanding college football player, and finished second in the Heisman voting to Ernie Davis of Syracuse. Ferguson is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. After a head injury prematurely ended his pro career, Ferguson returned to Ohio State where he earned his master's degree in sociology. Also starring on the 1961 squad were halfback Paul Warfield, who went on to great success in the NFL, eventually being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame; and linebacker Gary Moeller, who would serve as the head coach of the University of Michigan from 1990-94.

The 1961 Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0-1)
09/30/61: Ohio State 7, Texas Christian 7
10/07/61: Ohio State 13, UCLA 3
10/14/61: Ohio State 44, Illinois 0
10/21/61: Ohio State 10, Northwestern 0
10/28/61: Ohio State 30, Wisconsin 21
11/04/61: Ohio State 29, Iowa 13
11/11/61: Ohio State 16, Indiana 7
11/18/61: Ohio State 22, Oregon 12
11/25/61: Ohio State 50, Michigan 20
 
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1962 - 1967: Some Lean Years

In his first eleven seasons at Ohio State, Woody Hayes compiled a record of 72-23-6 (.743 winning percentage), including 7-4 against Michigan; won four Big Ten Titles (all outright) and three national championships; and produced fourteen All Americans, a Heisman Trophy winner (Hopalong Cassady), a Maxwell Award winner (Bob Ferguson), and an Outland Trophy winner (Jim Parker).

However, in between his national championship seasons (1954, 1957, and 1961), Hayes's teams were generally mediocre. In the eight non-championships years, the Buckeyes' record was 45-22-5 (.660 winning percentage), with five seasons of three of more losses (including a miserable 3-5-1 season in 1959). In other words, Hayes had inconsistent results, with three great teams mixed in with a bunch of others that hovered around average.

After that 1961 championship season, mediocrity seemed to become the norm for Ohio State, and many fans and media people were wondering if Hayes could ever get the program back to greatness. From 1962 to 1967, Ohio State had a record of 35-18-1 (.657 winning percentage), with at least two losses in every season, and no Big Ten championships. The legendary Woody Hayes was starting to feel the heat in Columbus.
 
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1968: The Super Sophs

Entering the 1968 season, the Buckeyes hadn't won or shared a Big Ten Championship in six years. 1968 looked to be another ho-hum season, as the young Buckeyes would start as many as twelve untested sophomores, including Rex Kern at the all-important quarterback position. By the end of the season, however, these fine rookies would prove their worth and would become known as the "Super Sophs".

After two easy non-conference wins (SMU, Oregon), Ohio State began its conference slate with a game against Purdue. The Boilermakers had won the Big Ten crown in 1967, and they were favored to repeat in 1968. At that early point in the season, Purdue also held the number one ranking in the AP poll. With All American tailback Leroy Keyes and quarterback Mike Phipps, the Boilermakers were a solid 13-point favorite, but the Buckeye defense was not intimidated by the high-powered Purdue offense. Led by defensive backs Jack Tatum and Ted Provost, the Buckeyes held Keyes to just 18 yards rushing, and Phipps to 10 of 28 passing for 106 yards and a "pick six" (courtesy of Provost), all while holding the Boilermakers scoreless. On the other side of the ball, Ohio State rolled up 411 yards of offense, including a 14-yard touchdown run from back-up quarterback Bill Long. The final score: Ohio State 13, Purdue 0.

After a blow-out of Northwestern on Homecoming, the Buckeyes had narrow victories in three of their next four contests, edging Illinois, Michigan State, and Iowa by a combined 18 points. Then came The Game, featuring a showdown between the second-ranked Buckeyes and the fourth-ranked Wolverines. Although the teams appeared to be fairly even on paper, on the field Ohio State was clearly superior, and the Buckeyes won a laugher, 50-14; the offense rolled up 467 total yards, 28 first downs, and 7 touchdowns (including four from fullback Jim Otis), while the defense had three interceptions and held the Wolverines to just 311 yards. The Buckeyes were the outright Big Ten Champs, and were headed to Pasadena to face undefeated Southern Cal in the Rose Bowl.

The Trojans opened up an early 10-0 lead on an 80-yard touchdown run by Heisman Trophy winner O.J. Simpson, but the Buckeyes had evened the score by halftime. Leading 13-10 after three stanzas, Buckeye quarterback Rex Kern threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, one each to halfbacks Leo Hayden and Ray Gillian. Once again, the Buckeye defense played masterfully, forcing five Trojan turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions), and holding the mighty USC offense to just 16 points. With a perfect 10-0-0 record, the Buckeyes won both the AP and UPI titles, and were regarded as the undisputed champions of college football.

Ohio State had only two All Americans in 1968, senior offensive tackles Dave Foley and Rufus Mayes. However, many of the young players on that team - such as defensive back Jack Tatum and defensive lineman Jim Stillwagon - would eventually earn All American honors and win major awards in the following years. Woody Hayes won his second National Coach of the Year honor in 1968.

The 1968 Ohio State Buckeyes
09/28/68: Ohio State 35, Southern Methodist 14
10/05/68: Ohio State 21, Oregon 6
10/12/68: Ohio State 13, Purdue 0
10/19/68: Ohio State 45, Northwestern 21
10/26/68: Ohio State 31, Illinois 24
11/02/68: Ohio State 25, Michigan State 20
11/09/68: Ohio State 43, Wisconsin 8
11/16/68: Ohio State 33, Iowa 27
11/23/68: Ohio State 50, Michigan 14
01/01/69: Ohio State 27, Southern Cal 16 (Rose Bowl)
 
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1968 - 1975: A College Football Dynasty?

Ohio State was clearly the best team in college football in 1968, and their success continued well into the 1969 season when the team won its first eight games by a combined score of 371-69 (46.4 to 8.6 on a per game basis). All the Buckeyes needed to do to repeat as national champions was to beat Michigan in the season finale. Well, as most of you already know, that didn't happen. Under rookie head coach Bo Schembechler, the Wolverines pulled off the upset 24-12, ruined the Buckeyes perfect season, and cost their rivals a national title.

The 1970 season was more of the same, except this time the Buckeyes were able to run the table during the regular season and earn a berth in the Rose Bowl. In December, the Buckeyes won multiple accolades - six players were named All Americans; defensive back Jack Tatum was named national Defensive Player of the Year; defensive lineman Jim Stillwagon won both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award; and the team was proclaimed national champions by the National Football Foundation (the people won run the College Football Hall of Fame). The Buckeyes were once gain the best team in college football, and they had the hardware to back up that claim. But there was just one little problem: The Rose Bowl. While the Buckeyes entered the game with a perfect 9-0-0 record and talent at every position, their opponent Stanford was 8-3 and riding a two-game losing streak to end their regular season. In the game, Ohio State had two 100-yard rushers, out gained Stanford 439 yards to 408 yards, won the turnover battle 3 to 1, and had a 17-13 lead entering the fourth quarter. And then disaster struck. Facing a 4th-and-inches at the Stanford 20-yard line, Woody Hayes eschewed a field goal attempt and went for the kill. He ran John Brockington up the middle, but his All American tailback was stopped short of the mark. Stanford took over and proceeded to march 80 yards for the go-ahead score, and Ohio State was done. Final score: Stanford 27, Ohio State 17.

1971 was a rebuilding season in which Ohio State went just 6-4, but the team was back to championship level the next season, as the Buckeyes won their first of six straight Big Ten titles. Led by freshman running back Archie Griffin, Ohio State entered the Rose Bowl with a 9-1-0 record and the #3 ranking in both major polls. With a national championship on the line, Ohio State was crushed by #1 Southern Cal, 42-17.

Ohio State's 1973 team was arguably its greatest ever, with three of the program's most decorated players highlighting the roster: offensive lineman John Hicks, who was a two-time All American and won both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award in 1973; Randy Gradishar, also a two-time All American (and Academic All American in 1973) and perhaps the greatest linebacker in Buckeye history (and that's saying something); and running back Archie Griffin, who named All American as a sophomore in 1973. All three players would finish near the top of the 1973 Heisman Trophy balloting, with Hicks finishing second (unheard of for an offensive lineman), Griffin finishing fifth, and Gradishar finishing sixth.

The Buckeyes rolled through their first nine opponents by a combined score of 361 to 33 (40.1 to 3.7 on a per game basis). The regular season finale was The Game: #1 Ohio State (9-0-0) versus #4 Michigan (10-0-0). The Buckeyes took a 10-0 lead into halftime, but gave up 10 points in the fourth quarter, and The Game ended up a tie for the first time since 1949. The two teams split the Big Ten title, and each had an equal right to go to the Rose Bowl to play the Pac-8 champs. The Big Ten athletic directors voted on which team should represent the conference in the Rose Bowl, and Ohio State won that vote by a count of 6 to 4. The Buckeyes went out to Pasadena and dismantled Southern Cal by the score of 42-21.

The 1973 Ohio State Buckeyes (10-0-1)
09/15/73: Ohio State 56, Minnesota 7
09/29/73: Ohio State 37, Texas Christian 3
10/06/73: Ohio State 27, Washington State 3
10/13/73: Ohio State 24, Wisconsin 0
10/20/73: Ohio State 37, Indiana 7
10/27/73: Ohio State 60, Northwestern 0
11/03/73: Ohio State 30, Illinois 0
11/10/73: Ohio State 35, Michigan State 0
11/17/73: Ohio State 55, Iowa 13
11/24/73: Ohio State 10, Michigan 10
01/01/74: Ohio State 42, Southern Cal 21 (Rose Bowl)

The 1973 Buckeyes finished the season at 10-0-1 and Rose Bowl champs, and normally that would be good enough to win a national title. But in 1973, the Sugar Bowl featured undefeated Alabama facing undefeated Notre Dame for the AP national championship (the Crimson Tide had already won the UPI title, which had been awarded prior to the bowl games). Notre Dame eked out a 24-23 victory, and Ohio State finished #2 in the AP poll.

The Buckeyes lost John Hicks and Randy Gradishar to the NFL after the 1973 season, but the 1974 team still returned a ton of talent. An unprecedented seven players were named All American, and Archie Griffin won his first Heisman Trophy after gaining a team-record 1,695 yards (since broken). The season went pretty much as expected, with the only regular season loss being a controversial 16-13 defeat at the hands of Michigan State. Still, Ohio State won another Big Ten title (its third in a row) and entered the Rose Bowl with a 10-1-0 record. Their opponent would again be Southern Cal, and the two teams would end up playing for the UPI national championship (11-0-0 Oklahoma would win the AP title, but was ineligible for the UPI title because the team was on probation). The Buckeyes went ahead 17-10 with under seven minutes left in the game, but the Trojans took the ensuing kickoff and went on an 83-yard drive that ended with a touchdown. Southern Cal went for the win and the Trojans were successful with their two-point conversion. Now trailing 18-17, the Buckeyes got into Trojan territory, but Tom Skladany's desperation 62-yard field goal attempt fell short and Southern Cal hung on to win both the Rose Bowl and the 1974 UPI national championship.

Everything set up perfectly for Ohio State during the 1975 season. First, the Buckeyes took care of their own business by beating every team on their schedule during the regular season. Then, the number one team in the country, the Oklahoma Sooners, suffered an embarrassing 23-3 loss to the lowly Kansas Jayhawks in week nine. Sitting atop both major polls, with four All Americans and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, all Ohio State needed to do for a consensus national championship was win the Rose Bowl. And once again good fortune was on the Buckeyes' side, as their opponent would not be the mighty Southern Cal Trojans, but rather the UCLA Bruins, a team that Ohio State had beaten handily, 41-20, in week four of the regular season. But UCLA owned the rematch, 23-10, and for the third time in four seasons a loss in the Rose Bowl cost Ohio State a national championship.

From 1968 to 1975, Ohio State had an overall record of 73-11-1 (.865 winning percentage), a record of 5-2-1 in The Game, seven Big Ten titles, a national championship, 31 All Americans, and some of the greatest players in the history of Buckeye football (Archie Griffin, Jack Tatum, Randy Gradishar, John Hicks, Jim Stillwagon, Neal Colzie, Tom Skladany).

But were the Buckeyes of 1968 to 1975 truly a dynasty? Of the eleven losses during that period, five came in what amounted to national championship games (1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, and 1975), and the lone tie (to Michigan in 1973) also cost the Buckeyes a national title. The Buckeyes of that era were probably greatest team in college football, and they certainly had the greatest assortment of individual talent, but their multiple failures in big games prevented them from being a legitimate dynasty. At least that's my opinion on the matter.
 
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1976 - 1978: The Downfall of Woody Hayes

Ohio State won its fifth straight Big Ten championship in 1976, but the regular season ended on a down note with a 22-0 loss against Michigan. The Buckeyes redeemed their season with a victory in the Orange Bowl (the first time that the team would play in a bowl game other than the Rose Bowl) and finished the campaign with a 9-2-1 record. Punter Tom Skladany became Ohio State's sixth three-time All American.

1977 was largely a successful regular season, with a one-point last minute loss to Oklahoma in week three and a 14-6 loss in The Game being the only blemishes. However, the season fell apart in the Sugar Bowl, which was the first contest between legendary coaches Woody Hayes and Bear Bryant. Alabama spanked Ohio State, 35-6, which was the Buckeyes' worst loss since 1967. The Buckeyes finished the season with a respectable 9-3-0 record, but things were beginning to trend in a negative direction. Offensive tackle Chris Ward became a two-time All American.

The 1978 regular season started with another beat down, this time a 19-0 loss to Penn State, and ended with another loss to Michigan, the third in a row. One of the bright spots on the season was the play of linebacker Tom Cousineau, who set a school record with 211 tackles. Cousineau was named an All American for the second time (also in 1977) and he was subsequently selected number one overall in the 1979 NFL draft.

With a record of just 7-3-1, the 1978 Buckeyes were not invited to a major bowl game, and instead had to settle for a spot in the Gator Bowl, where their opponent would be the upstart Clemson Tigers. The Buckeyes fell in that game, 17-15, but it wasn't that they lost, it was how they lost. With two minutes left in the game, Ohio State was already in field goal range and driving for a potential game-clinching touchdown when quarterback Art Schlichter was picked off by Clemson linebacker Charlie Bauman. Bauman was run out of bounds near the Ohio State bench, and before he could re-enter the field of play, Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes punched him. Make that former Ohio State head coach, as Hayes was fired the next day. Woody had always had a fiery personality (some would say that he was prone to temper tantrums), but striking an opposing player was clearly several steps over the line.

Woody Hayes finished his Ohio State career with a record of 205-61-10 (.761 winning percentage), 13 Big Ten titles, five national championships (three major titles), 59 All Americans, 17 Academic All Americans, three Heisman Trophy winners, three Outland Trophy winners, and two Lombardi Award winners. Despite all of that, Hayes will still be remembered for his ill-fated, career-ending punch.
 
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1979: The Buckeyes Almost Pull Off a Miracle

Entering the 1979 season, Ohio State would be without its legendary head coach Woody Hayes for the first time since 1951. They would also be playing with a sophomore starting quarterback who was coming off of a disappointing freshman campaign in which he completed less than 50% of his passes and threw only four touchdowns compared to 21 interceptions. As a result, the Buckeyes were unranked in the preseason polls and were expected to be a non-factor in the race for the Big Ten title.

That young quarterback, Art Schichter, would be much improved in 1979, and he led the team to 11-0-0 regular season while being named an All American. With hard-fought road wins against Minnesota (21-17), UCLA (17-13), and Michigan (18-15), Ohio State seemed to be a team of destiny, and the Buckeyes went to the Rose Bowl as the number one team in the country in both major polls. The Buckeyes' opponent was their old nemesis, the third-ranked Southern Cal Trojans (10-0-1), who were essentially playing a home game in Pasadena. Ohio State led for much of the second half, but Southern Cal, behind the powerful running of Heisman-winning tailback Charles White, scored a late touchdown and won by a single point, 17-16. Alabama (12-0-0) won the consensus national championship, while Ohio State placed fourth in both the AP and UPI polls. Head coach Earle Bruce, in his first season at Ohio State, was named the National Coach of the Year, and the Ohio State football program looked to be in good hands going forward.

The 1979 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1-0)
09/08/79: Ohio State 31, Syracuse 8
09/15/79: Ohio State 21, Minnesota 17
09/22/79: Ohio State 45, Washington State 29
09/29/79: Ohio State 17, UCLA 13
10/06/79: Ohio State 16, Northwestern 7
10/13/79: Ohio State 47, Indiana 6
10/20/79: Ohio State 59, Wisconsin 0
10/27/79: Ohio State 42, Michigan State 0
11/03/79: Ohio State 44, Illinois 7
11/10/79: Ohio State 34, Iowa 7
11/17/79: Ohio State 18, Michigan 15
01/01/80: Southern Cal 17, Ohio State 16 (Rose Bowl)
 
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1979 - 1987: The Earle Bruce Era

After nearly missing out on a national championship in his first year at the helm, Earle Bruce had a series of good-but-not-great seasons. Bruce's Buckeyes went 9-3-0 every year from 1980 to 1985, and they went 10-3 in 1986. At most places, winning 75% of your games would get you a lifetime contract extension, but at Ohio State it gets you a spot on the hot seat.

And Earle Bruce's hot seat became unbearable in 1987 when his team lost to Indiana for the first time since 1951, and then collapsed down the stretch with three consecutive losses to Michigan State, Wisconsin, and Iowa. The Iowa loss in particular was a dagger to Bruce's career, as the Buckeyes gave up the go-ahead touchdown on 4th-and-23 with six seconds left in the game.

The Iowa loss was so bad, in fact, that Bruce was fired before the season finale against Michigan. The firing was the end result of a Byzantine power struggle between Bruce and athletic director Rick Bay on one hand, and president Ed Jennings and booster John W. Wolfe (the head of the Columbus Dispatch) on the other. Jennings, feeling pressure from Wolfe, fired Bruce without consulting Bay, and Bay resigned in support of his head coach. In a strange turn of events, Bruce was allowed to finish his Buckeye career by coaching in The Game. With nothing to play for except pride, the Buckeyes took the field in Ann Arbor sporting "EARLE" headbands and pulled an upset over the Wolverines, 23-20.

Earle Bruce finished with a record of 81-26-1, and his .755 winning percentage was almost as good as Woody Hayes's .761 mark. Bruce won four Big Ten titles (1979, 1981, 1984, and 1986); had a 5-4-0 record against arch rival Michigan; and went 5-3-0 in bowl games, with the highlight being a 28-12 victory over Texas A+M in the 1987 Cotton Bowl. Bruce coached some of the greatest players in Ohio State history, including wide receiver Cris Carter, running back Keith Byars, linebacker Pepper Johnson, linebacker Marcus Marek, and linebacker Chris Spielman, who was a two-time All American and the winner of the 1987 Lombardi Award. Despite being fired by Ohio State, Earle Bruce is still a Buckeye to this day.
 
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1988 - 1994: A New Direction Goes the Wrong Way

From 1951 to 1987, the Buckeye football program was under the control of just two men, Woody Hayes and his former assistant, Earle Bruce. After Bruce's firing, the powers that be at Ohio State wanted to inject some blood into the program, and they decided to hire a complete outsider, a Tennessee native by the name of John Cooper.

Cooper immediately rubbed Buckeye supporters the wrong way with his bumpkinish mannerisms and crass commercialism (pimping hot tubs, for example). The personal dislike of Cooper quickly became a professional dislike when his first team finished 4-6-1, Ohio State's first losing season since 1966, including a 41-7 shellacking at the hands of lowly Indiana and a season-ending loss to Michigan. Despite the losing record, center Jeff Uhlenhake was named an All American.

The 1989 season was a little better, with an 8-4-0 final record, but ending with a 10-point loss in The Game and a 17-point loss in the not-so-prestigious Hall of Fame Bowl. 1990 was more of the same: an undistinguished 7-4-1 record and another loss to Michigan. The 1990 season had a particularly bad ending, with the Buckeyes falling in the Liberty Bowl to the Air Force Academy by the score of 23-11.

Before the start of the 1991 season, running back Robert Smith, who had rushed for 1,126 yards as a true freshman, left the team. Smith, who aspired to become a doctor after his playing days, claimed that the coaching staff would not allow him enough time to concentrate on his academic studies. The Buckeyes didn't really miss Smith, but only because they had another mediocre season without him: 8-4-0 record, loss to Michigan, loss in the bowl game. The Michigan loss that year was especially bitter, a 31-3 thumping most famous for Desmond Howard's Heisman pose after returning a punt 93 yards for a touchdown.

The 1992 season was another clunker, and the Buckeyes finished 8-3-1. The season lowlight was an 18-16 loss to Illinois in which a freshman running back named Eddie George single-handedly lost the game with a pair of costly fumbles. The "highlight" was a 13-13 tie against Michigan, which Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee mockingly called the result "one of our greatest wins ever." Of course, the Buckeyes subsequently dropped their bowl game, their fourth loss in a row in post-season competition. Linebacker Steve Tovar was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and an All American, an honor which he also received after the 1991 season.

Ohio State appeared to turn the corner in 1993, as the team won its first eight contests. Their perfect season was ruined by a 14-14 tie against Wisconsin, but the Buckeyes got back on track win a win against Indiana. Heading into The Game with a 9-0-1 record, the fifth ranked Buckeyes still had an outside chance at a national championship, but they were pummeled by an unranked Michigan squad, 28-0. Ohio State played Brigham Young in the Holiday, and (somewhat) redeemed its season with a 28-21 victory to finish at 10-1-1. Defensive tackle Dan Wilkinson was named an All American and became the first overall selection in the 1994 NFL draft.

1994 saw the team take a step backwards overall, as the Buckeyes finished with a record of 9-4-0, which included a 63-14 loss to Penn State and another defeat in a bowl game. However, the team did beat Michigan for the first time in the Cooper era. Offensive tackle Korey Stringer became a two-time All American (also 1993).

During his first seven seasons in Columbus, John Cooper had a record of 54-26-4 (.667 winning percentage), with a 1-5-1 record against Michigan and a 1-5-0 record in bowl games (none of which was a major bowl), and a single Big Ten co-championship in 1993. Buckeye fans were beginning to miss Good Old "9-3" Earle Bruce.
 
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