OL Orlando Pace (7-time Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champion, CFB HOF, NFL HOF)

[TRON]

He was saying Coop DIDN'T leave the program in too much of a mess.

Opps...my bad

 

[Jagdaddy]

If sending a college kid death threats and participating in a chorus of boos is how you show you care, then I'd hate to be in a family with those people. Sure, those people are loyal - and if they're gonna act like that, then it's a shame that we're stuck with them.

I agree completely, but:

1. Cooper called us out, all of us, for lack of loyalty, which is generally b.s.

2. The booing is classless to be sure but hardly unusual in any fan base. Re: death threats you're talking about maybe one fan in 10,000, and those people are sickos.

 

[Jagdaddy]

Correct, sir!

The points being:

(1) If you selectively look at a coach's record, then you can make it appear much better or much worse than it actually was. I think that many people focus far too much on the positives of Woody, and on the negatives of Coop.

(2) From 1951 to 1968, Woody was a great coach - 4 NC's and all that. However, from 1969 to 1978, he was basically John Cooper - consistently the best talent in the land, consistently losing big games (Michigan in 1969, Rose Bowl in 1970, Michigan (tie) in 1973, Michigan State in 1974, Rose Bowl in 1975), consistently coming up short in the hunt for the NC, then finally going out in disgrace after an embarrassing loss in a minor bowl game. Overall, Woody was a great coach and did great things for Ohio State, but his last decade was a unbroken string of "what ifs" and half-finished business, which is how most of us view the Cooper regime (forgetting the good things that Coop accomplished in the process - upgrading team speed, emphasis on national recruiting, creating the pipeline to the NFL, etc.).

Fortunately, Coop's successor has been able to expand upon Coop's positives, while (to date) reducing most of his negatives (big game losses, academic issues, etc.)

The point you leave out is that Woody's selected "Cooper years" don't look like Cooper's entire tenure, but instead look like Cooper's best years while Woody's legend years far exceeded anything Cooper did. The 4-6-1 of 1988, 6-4-1 of 1994, and 6-6 of 1999 were nauseating by OSU standards. Although Woody had a couple of those types of years, they weren't nearly a quarter of his tenure.

 

[Jaxbuck]

Things are so good right now I don't even want to think about Cooper.

I will say this, notice those trying to define his legacy are always just discussing to what degree he sucked. No one is ever using greatness and Coop in the same conversation.

Also, anyone who buys the "unlucky vs scUM" line go look at his ASU teams record vs their main rival Arizona. You'll find a familiar pattern.

2-10-1, Bowl Games, '98 MSU, Air Force, The Outback Bowl....these are Coops legacy in my mind.

 

[Buckskin86]

Orlando Pace is surrounded by Sandusky High School cheerleaders. Pace's jersey was retired during Friday night's football game.

Orlando returns, but Streaks can't win
STEVE WALKER, Morning Journal Correspondent
10/21/2006
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SANDUSKY -- As former Blue Streak great Orlando Pace sat high above in the press box at Stroebel Field, he sat proud.

His former team dug itself into a 35-0 halftime deficit in a 50-14 Greater Buckeye Conference loss, but it was his night as the Blue Streaks honored the greatest player to ever come through Sandusky.

Last night, Pace became the first player in Sandusky's 107-year history to get his jersey, No. 75, retired in a special dedication at halftime.

''When I heard it, I was excited,'' Pace said. ''Anytime you're honored in that respect, and it hasn't happened in 107 years, to be a part of Blue Streak history forever is always special. It's something I cherish. It's always fun any time you come back to your home and visit your family. To be here and to be honored is always special also.''

Pace doesn't get to make it back to Sandusky as much as he would like, but he enjoys his time when he does.

''I'm a little older now and have a family,'' he said. ''I probably don't come home as much as I used to. I try to come a couple times a year.''

The loss wasn't what the Blue Streaks anticipated on Pace's dedication night. Findlay came out and scored five touchdowns in the first half to go up 35-0, dominating every aspect of the game.

Matt Alexander scored two TDs, while Ryan Kuhlman, Chris Schneider and Tom Miller also added scores in the first half for Findlay.

The second half was more of the same as Findlay went up 50-0 before Sandusky found the end zone. Aries Irby broke off an 11-yard TD run and Martel Brown nabbed a 7-yard TD reception from second string quarterback Richie Niehm to make the score more respectable.

Pace smiled when his Blue Streaks scored, while he reminisced with former players and faculty. Pace, now an All-Pro tackle with St. Louis Rams in the NFL, was a 1994 graduate who earned All-Ohio and All-America honors while playing for the Blue Streaks.

He then went to Ohio State, where he was a two-time All-American and won the Outland Trophy in 1996. He won the Lombardi Award in '95 and '96, as the nation's best college lineman. Pace was the first-overall selection in the 1997 NFL draft and helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2000.

Pace also said why he was enjoying his week off.

''The older you get the more you enjoy the bye week,'' he said. ''Anytime you get a week off about midway through the season is always good to get re-energized for the upcoming games. We're 4-2 and we're just trying to make a run. We got the meat of our schedule coming up. We just got to take it game by game and hopefully we got some wins and get into the playoffs.''

?The Morning Journal 2006

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17359381&BRD=1699&PAG=461&dept_id=46370&rfi=6

 

[Buckskin86]

10-Spot: Pace celebrates a decade in Rams uniform
By Bill Coats
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/05/2006

Ten Aprils ago, the Rams held the first overall spot in the NFL draft for the first time in 34 years. They used it to select a man-mountain of a tackle from Ohio State ? the first offensive lineman to go No. 1 in 30 years.

The fledgling St. Louis Rams sent four future picks to the New York Jets for the right to plant 6-foot-7, 325-pound Orlando Pace in the all-important left tackle position.

That investment, which seemed wildly steep at the time, has turned out to be a bargain. Pace, a starter since early in his rookie season, has been selected for the past seven Pro Bowls.

"He's been a dominant player, a true professional," said Kansas City coach Herm Edwards, whose Chiefs will play the Rams at noon Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. "He's one of the better tackles who has ever played that position."

Seated at a table in the lunch room at Rams Park, Pace chewed on the fact that he's spent nearly a decade in the NFL.

"Before the season, you kind of reflect a little bit," said Pace, who turned 31 on Saturday. "To think that it's been 10 years already ... wow. The time really flew by."

Pace speaks quietly and evenly, belying his bulk and strength. His gentleness with his four young children ? Justin, 6; Jalen, 4 (on Monday); Kendall, 20 months; and Landon, 3 months ? is conspicuous.

Rising to the challenge

But on the field, Pace can be ferocious. Publicists at Ohio State coined the phrase "pancake block" as a marketing-savvy description for the way Pace routinely dumped opposing players on their backs.

"For being such a big guy, he glides ... he's very light on his feet," said Rams left guard Todd Steussie, who spent most of his previous 12 NFL seasons at left tackle. "So, he's able to react like a smaller guy. But he's solid against the stronger guys, too."

Marc Bulger, in his fifth season as the Rams' starting quarterback, noted that having Pace protecting his blind side substantially increases his comfort level.

"It's a luxury I don't take for granted," Bulger said.

Pace rarely is outplayed. But he struggled against Seattle on Oct. 15, yielding two sacks to defensive end Bruce Fisher, a former teammate, in a 30-28 loss.

"He had a real bad game, for his standards," offensive line coach Paul Boudreau said. "Then last week (at San Diego), he was back to normal again. Really, nothing fazes him. You can count on him to rise up to a challenge."

Boudreau said Pace never balked when new coach Scott Linehan and his staff arrived.

"You have a guy who's a Pro Bowler, he's a future Hall of Famer, and I'm a new guy coming in, and he didn't try to big-time me," Boudreau said. "He just accepted the change."

Pace said: "With a new coaching staff, it's actually good for a player coming into his 10th year, because there are different challenges and different expectations. It's almost like going to a new team and starting all over."

A timid youngster

Joyce Caffey and her mother, Idella, raised Orlando and his sister, Katrina, in a modest apartment in Sandusky, Ohio, a blue-collar community of about 28,000 on the shores of Lake Erie. Orlando's father, Melvin Reynolds, left the family years ago and has no contact with his son.

Orlando's uncle, John Pace, pushed him toward sports, noting his uncommon size and athleticism. At first, the timid youngster was an unwilling participant, crying when it was time to go to football practice. At Sandusky High, Pace averaged 18 points for the basketball team and starred as a two-way force in football. One national publication named him an All-America offensive lineman; another named him an All-America defensive lineman.

In three seasons at Ohio State, Pace started 33 games, was a consensus All-American twice, won two Lombardi Awards (the only player to do so) and an Outland Trophy. When he left after his junior year, virtually assured of being the first player drafted, he hadn't given up a sack in two seasons.

Caffey, who worked at a crayon factory to support her family, said she never could have guessed how her son's life would evolve. "I heard people saying things, but I really didn't listen," she said. "I just didn't imagine this."

The future

In March 2005, Pace signed a seven-year deal worth $52.9 million. Caffey still lives in Sandusky, but she visits Orlando, wife Carla and the grandkids often. She was in town when Pace suffered a concussion Sept. 17 at San Francisco.

"We saw it on TV; I went into prayer right away," Caffey said. "He didn't want me to worry, but I was kind of concerned."

Pace played the next week, but recurring symptoms sidelined him for the Detroit game Oct. 1 ? the first time he'd been out of the lineup since 2002. Pace acknowledged that he was shaken by the concussion and that it forced him to ponder his future.

"When you're talking about an injury dealing with the brain, it makes you sit back and wonder," he said. "You don't want to be one of those guys that later on down the road has side effects."

For the first time, Pace is mulling how long he'll continue to play.

"When you first set out as a rookie, you wanted to play 10 years. And then once you get to 10, you've got to see how your body feels," he said. "As long as you stay healthy and you still love to play and you're still having fun ... who knows?"

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sp...B1D35F7F034A8C058625721C0020B012?OpenDocument

 

[osugrad21]

Scout $

11/12

Big O tore his bicep.

 

[Steve19]

Yep. He's out for the year. Sorry, big guy. http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/STL/9797480

Rams' Pace done for season with torn triceps

NFL.com wire reports

SEATTLE (Nov. 12, 2006) -- The St. Louis Rams lost Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace for the season after he tore his left triceps against Seattle.

Pace left in the second quarter of the Rams' 24-22 loss to the Seahawks, dropping them two games back in the NFC West. The Rams announced the injury at halftime as a torn biceps muscle, but afterward Pace and coach Scott Linehan said he tore his triceps. Pace's arm was wrapped and immobilized and said he'll have an MRI on Nov. 13.

Linehan ruled Pace out for the year.

Pace, who has been selected to seven consecutive Pro Bowls, was injured while pass blocking with about five minutes remaining in the first half. After a 7-yard pass, he held his limp left arm at his side and called for trainers to assist him off the field.

"I felt something snap a little bit," Pace said. "I thought my elbow might have been dislocated or something like that, but when I got to the sideline, they told me it was a torn triceps."

After a couple of minutes on the bench, Pace walked into the locker room while a trainer held his arm at the elbow.

It was Pace's 143rd game for the Rams in his 10-year career. Adam Goldberg, a fourth-year veteran, replaced him.

"Sometimes on that, you reach out and the guy hits it just right," Linehan said.

Cornerback Travis Fisher left in the second half with a right forearm injury and did not return. Fisher said X-rays were inconclusive and he'd be further examined Nov. 13.

The fifth-year cornerback said he was hurt tackling Seattle fullback Mack Strong.

"It was just a collision, a body-to-body collision," Fisher said.

 

[BuckeyeNation27]

Holy shit. Cooper on the Herd just talked about 3 players and he actually used their names

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

SPORTS WIRE
Thursday, March 08, 2007



COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Cooper among coaches on Hall of Fame ballot

Former Ohio State coach John Cooper is on this year?s ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. Cooper, who won 193 games at Tulsa, Arizona State and Ohio State, is one of eight coaches on the ballot. Among the others are Dick MacPherson, who coached at Massachusetts and Syracuse, and Darryl Rogers, who had successful stints at Fresno State, San Jose State and Michigan State.

Continued....

 

[Buckskin86]

Cooper hopes to join other OSU coaches in hall
Sunday, May 6, 2007 4:01 AM
By Ken Gordon

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

http://www.columbusdispatch.com/dis...fame_setup06.ART_ART_05-06-07_C3_DJ6JM4R.html

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Bob Hunter commentary: Like it or not, Cooper belongs in hall of fame

Wednesday, May 9, 2007 3:45 AM
By bob hunter

MIKE MUNDEN | DISPATCH
In 24 seasons John Cooper coached 193 victories, 111 of them coming during his 13 years at Ohio State.



As soon as one of our editors heard a certain unnamed sports columnist was going to write that John Cooper belonged in the College Football Hall of Fame, he couldn't hold back a laugh. "Boy, you'll get some e-mail on that one," he said.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Caution is word for Pace

By Bill Coats​

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH​

05/22/2007

Rams left tackle Orlando Pace participates in a drill during a Rams OTA (organized team activity) at Rams Park last week.
(Chris Lee/P-D)

Perhaps no one took it harder last season when injury struck down Rams left tackle Orlando Pace than he and wife Carla's four children. Not that they were worried so much about Dad; it was the loss of their annual Hawaiian vacation that saddened young Justin, Jalen, Landon and Kendall.

"Yeah, my kids were a little upset about that. I missed it, too," Pace said, smiling. "Hopefully we can get back and make that trip again."

Pace had spent part of the last seven Februarys in Honolulu, site of the Pro Bowl. But his reign as an NFL all-star was ripped away Nov. 12 in Seattle when the triceps muscle was ripped away from the bone in his upper left arm.

Cont...

 

[Buckskin86]

Pace combines more with less
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
07/30/2007

It wasn't too long ago that Orlando Pace sightings at training camp were as common as football Cardinals playoff wins.

Pace missed more than a month of preseason work (and several exhibition games) in 1997, 2003, and 2004 because of contract impasses, going 0-for-Macomb all three years. But times change. It's now commonplace to see Pace show up on reporting day for training camp.

"I was just thinking that on the way here," Pace said. Then, he added with a "nostalgic" chuckle: "Man, it sure was nice a few years ago. But I guess it's one of those things you have to do now."

STLtoday - Sports - Rams

 

[PlanetFrnd]

Who's Ticketed for Canton? (ESPN)

ESPN has projected Pace in their top 50 to make the Hall of Fame...

Orlando Pace and pancakes. The two have been synonymous since before Pace was the first player taken in the 1997 draft. Pace has contributed mightily to the success of Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson and provided consistent protection to Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger en route to seven Pro Bowl selections in 10 seasons. As talented as the Rams were in 1999, it's difficult to imagine them winning the Super Bowl without Pace making sure that the stationary Warner stayed upright.