Lengend of the Fall
Wayne Woodrow Hayes, or as he was more commonly known “Woody”, was born in the small rural town of Clifton, Ohio. Woody played center at Newcomerstown High School, where his father served as the school superintendent. He went to college at Denison University and played tackle on the football team.
Woody’s parents instilled in him his love for academics and a strong work ethic. According to Woody, he got his incredible stubbornness and determination from his mother who reportedly “when she believed in something all hell couldn’t change her mind.”
Woody once said “I’ve had smarter people around me all my life, but I haven’t run into one yet that can outwork me. And if they can’t outwork you, then smarts aren’t going to do them much good. That’s just the way it is. And if you believe that and live by it, you’d be surprised at how much fun you can have.”
Woody’s basic coaching philosophy was that “nobody could win football games unless they were willing to pay the price success demands.” His conservative style of football was often described as “three yards and a cloud of dust”. Time and time again he would run the same basic play – fullback off-tackle run – until the other team stopped it. Most of the time the opposing team couldn’t.
Woody was a great coach and an icon at Ohio State, but a serious character flaw often overshadowed his coaching ability. Woody had a volatile temper. He would hit his players for making mistakes, rip up sideline markers over bad calls, and crush his glasses in his bare hands because of a bad play. A Big Ten commissioner called Hayes, “indomitable in defeat and insufferable in victory.”
But his temper finally did him in. It happened in a game against Clemson. On third down Woody called a pass play. The pass was intercepted by a Clemson player, who returned it toward the OSU sideline where he was run out of bounds. As the player rose to his feet, Woody punched him in the throat.
Woody was fired over this incident. He never apologized.
As coach, of Ohio State, he won three national titles and 13 Big Ten championships in 28 years. He was a legend, but you would never know it if you met him in person.
When I was working I would occasionally eat lunch at the Big Bear Grocery Store Deli in Upper Arlington. One day I was standing at the deli counter eating lunch when I happened to look up and standing next to me eating a hoagie and drinking a cup of coffee was Woody. I said hi and he said hi and for the next 30 minutes we had a pleasant friendly conversation…and we never once talked about football. We talked about family, politics, the economy, everything but football. After we ate Woody said it was nice meeting me and I told him the same and he left. I never got the occasion to meet him again….but the thing I like about Woody was that he was down to earth – just an ordinary guy.
Woody died on March 12, 1987.
“Woody Hayes was a legend in college football. Colorful and sometimes even controversial, he cared deeply about his players, his team, and his school. Under his coaching, Ohio State University won 13 Big 10 titles and became one of the Nation’s most respected college football teams. Coach Hayes’ greatest satisfaction came from getting to know his players. He enjoyed a special relationship with them, many of whom stayed in touch with him years after their collegiate days were over. He was an institution at OSU and seemed to have a special knack for knowing just what to do to get an athlete to go “the extra mile”.
Editor’s note: I was at that Clemson-OSU game. It was at the Gatorbowl in the late 1970′s. I was in the Mauldin High School band and there was a marching band competition that included the actual competition, a parade, and all the participating bands played together at half-time. Our HS was from South Carolina and half of the band were Clemson fans anyway. We saw the hit first-hand. I don’t know what got into that man, he just hauled off and hit the crap out of the Clemson guy. I bet Woody hurt his hand on that hit.