Woody Hayes

Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes (February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987) was head football coach at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio from 1951-1978. He was also a veteran of World War II, having been a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. Born in Clifton, Ohio, Woody played center on his Newcomerstown,Ohio high school football team and tackle at Denison University. Hayes led the Buckeyes to a record of 205-68-10 during his tenure as head coach. His Buckeye teams won three national championships and 13 Big Ten Conference titles. He led OSU to 11 Rose Bowl games, including four consecutive games from 1972-75. Woody considered his "greatest victory" the 42-21 win over USC during the 1974 Rose Bowl. He twice won National Coach of the Year honors. Hayes was considered "a legend in his own time." According to biographer Jerry Brondfield, Woody Hayes was "the subject of more varied and colorful anecdotal material than any other coach past or present, including fabled Knute Rockne." Hayes' basic coaching philosophy was that "nobody could win football games unless they regarded the game positively and would agree to pay the price that success demands of a team."

Notable Quotes

• "Because they won't let me go for three!"

When asked by assistant Lou Holtz why he was calling for a two-point play when already leading against Michigan by a wide margin late in the game.

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• "Discipline is 95 percent anticipation."
• "Anything easy ain't worth a damn."
• "You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser."
• "You can never really pay back. You can only pay forward."
• "Muck Fichigan!"
• "Hey Bubbi - I can't stand Michigan."
• "You win with people."
• "There are three things that can happen when you throw a pass, and two of them are bad."
• "A guy from Ohio can make it in life if he works hard enough."
• "I've been offered a Cadillac a few times and I know how that works, the first year they give you the Cadillac and the second year they give you the gas to get out of town."
• "Sometimes I wish that my football players could be as good as members of our marching band--because Ohio State has the best damn band in the land!"