6. The 1944 Ohio State Buckeyes
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 solely 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.
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 Felix "Doc" Blanchard (1945) and 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 an AP national championship. But 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 eligibility. 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, three other notable Buckeyes – linemen Bill Hackett (All American in 1944), Jack Dugger (All American in 1944) and Warren Amling (All American in 1945 and 1946) – received military deferments. Finally, Ohio State's excellent tackle Bill Willis (All American in 1943 and 1944) had avoided the draft because he was declared 4F due to varicose veins. With five solid upper classmen now in the fold and a star freshman in fullback Ollie Cline (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. 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, primarily at Notre Dame. 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 (924 yards) and total offense (1,268 yards), while accounting for 15 total touchdowns. Horvath's jersey (#22) has been retired by Ohio State. 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 in reality, what patriotic sports writer was going to vote against Army in the middle of a war? Recognizing the unfair advantage obtained by the service academies during the war years, both on the field and at the ballot box, the 1944 Buckeyes were sometimes called the "Civilian National Champions". The team also claims some minor (unrecognized) national championship honors, most notably from computer pollsters Soren Sorensen and Richard Billingsley.
Final thoughts: The 1942 Buckeyes won an AP national championship with one loss, while the 1944 Buckeyes finished with a perfect record but came in second place. In my opinion the polls should have been reversed, with the 1944 team being named champions and the 1942 team being runners-up, but everything sort of worked out in the end – Ohio State got one national championship during the 1940's, which is probably what they deserved.
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 solely 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.
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 Felix "Doc" Blanchard (1945) and 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 an AP national championship. But 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 eligibility. 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, three other notable Buckeyes – linemen Bill Hackett (All American in 1944), Jack Dugger (All American in 1944) and Warren Amling (All American in 1945 and 1946) – received military deferments. Finally, Ohio State's excellent tackle Bill Willis (All American in 1943 and 1944) had avoided the draft because he was declared 4F due to varicose veins. With five solid upper classmen now in the fold and a star freshman in fullback Ollie Cline (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. 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, primarily at Notre Dame. 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 (924 yards) and total offense (1,268 yards), while accounting for 15 total touchdowns. Horvath's jersey (#22) has been retired by Ohio State. 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 in reality, what patriotic sports writer was going to vote against Army in the middle of a war? Recognizing the unfair advantage obtained by the service academies during the war years, both on the field and at the ballot box, the 1944 Buckeyes were sometimes called the "Civilian National Champions". The team also claims some minor (unrecognized) national championship honors, most notably from computer pollsters Soren Sorensen and Richard Billingsley.
The 1944 Ohio State Buckeyes
Final record: 9-0-0
Poll rankings: #2 AP (no CP in 1944)
Defeated #8 Michigan, #15 Illinois, #17 Great Lakes Naval Training
Final record: 9-0-0
Poll rankings: #2 AP (no CP in 1944)
Defeated #8 Michigan, #15 Illinois, #17 Great Lakes Naval Training
Final thoughts: The 1942 Buckeyes won an AP national championship with one loss, while the 1944 Buckeyes finished with a perfect record but came in second place. In my opinion the polls should have been reversed, with the 1944 team being named champions and the 1942 team being runners-up, but everything sort of worked out in the end – Ohio State got one national championship during the 1940's, which is probably what they deserved.
Last edited:
reading these posts about the Top 10 Greatest Buckeye teams of All Times is certainly a pleasure and these posts almost deserve a mini forum of their own. They are just excellent..