Ohio State vs N. Carolina – Sept. 30, 1972

I'm enjoying the college football season so far, watching Ohio State (my Alma Mater) cream their opponents – the latest being Rutgers on Saturday. It's not that I'm a big sports fan; it's just nice to have something else occupy for mind for a while and get some relief from the stresses and problems of everyday life.

(By the way, did you know that the famous cartoon character Mister Magoo is a Rutgers alumnus? It's part of the bio that United Productions of America created for their popular cartoon star.)

Anyway, fifty years ago, Ohio State had just beaten the N. Carolina Tar Heels 29-14 on September 30, 1972. It was just the second game of tailback Archie Griffin's freshman year, and he ran for a school record 239 yards. Below is the article that ran in the Journal on Sunday, October 1, 1972.

As Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes was quoted in the article, "Archie has power, speed and a definite sense of timing.

"He's a strong 185-pounder. He's a man and a great one to coach. Actually all you have to do with Archie is throw him the ball."

The article also notes that Junior Elmer Lippert from Sandusky had a good day at tailback, alternating with Archie Griffin. "Lippert totaled 116 yards in 10 carries, prompting Hayes to consider moving starting tailback Morris Bradshaw to split end."

But as the 247sports.com website observed, Elmer would pretty remain be the back-up runner to Archie Griffin during the rest of his OSU career. "Elmer Lippert had sterling credentials and just happened to be in the wrong place when Archie came along."

Ohio State vs. Michigan – Nov. 1971

Courtesy bleacherreport.com

Fifty years ago, Ohio State lost to Michigan 10-7 in the infamous game with the controversial interception call late in the fourth quarter. 

Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes believed that interference should have been called on a pass interception play that helped Michigan defeat the Buckeyes. Michigan’s Tom Darden intercepted a pass that was intended for Avon Lake’s Dick Wakefield, and that ended any hopes of Ohio State coming back to win in the final minutes.

Woody was pretty upset. As the above article noted, “Hayes wasn’t satisfied with merely expressing his concern vocally, although that alone drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty followed by his being hustled off the field by his own players.

“While many in the crowd of 104,000 booed loudly and threw litter in his direction, Hayes stood boiling on the sidelines.

“Moments later his team drew another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and the volatile veteran coach exploded. He snapped a down marker in half across his knee and threw it onto the field. Then he tore down the two bright orange 10-yard chain markers held by officials.

“Hayes was screaming incoherently and hard to be restrained further by two of his assistant coaches.

“He did not shake hands with U-M Coach Bo Schembechler afterwards, nor did he allow newsmen in the locker room."

Hayes was still fuming in an article in the sports pages of the Journal a few days later on November 23.  In a story by UPI Sports Writer Gene Caddes, (which included the photo at right), Hayes said that officials didn’t call interference because they were cowards.

As Caddes noted, “Hayes said he rushed onto the field because he was ‘positive’ Wakefield had been interfered with.

““If I can see the interference from almost 50 yards away,” Hayes asked, “why can’t the officials, two of them, who were right on the play, see it?”

““I’ll tell you why,” Hayes answered his own question, “because they’re cowards.”

“Hayes earlier had charged the officials were intimidated by the record crowd of 104,000, mostly Michigan rooters.

“Hayes said the films showed Darden moving in on Wakefield from the rear, and with the ball still several yards away, Darden hit Wakefield in the head with his arms, bending the Buckeye receiver’s head forward so he was unable to make an attempt to catch the ball.

“Darden caught the ball and the officials awarded it to Michigan.

““I was ashamed of myself for going onto the field,” Hayes said. “But after looking at the films, I would have been more ashamed of myself if I hadn’t gone out.

Here’s footage of the play, courtesy of YouTube. If you’re a Buckeye fan, you might want to watch it with the sound turned down. The audio is from a Wolverine football radio broadcast – and it's not very sympathetic to Woody.

Here’s hoping tomorrow’s game turns out better. Go Bucks!

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For more Ohio State/Woody Hayes fun, visit these old posts!

OSU Clobbers Michigan – 1970

My souvenir photo of Coach Woody Hayes. The Columbus Dispatch
sold them through the mail after he was fired in 1978.

Well, the big game between the Buckeyes and the Wolverines may be cancelled this year, but we can still look back at what happened at the November 1970 match-up. Namely, Ohio State beat Michigan 20-9.

It was revenge of sorts for the Buckeyes, who had lost to the team from up north the previous year, 24-12. Read all about it on the Lorain Journal sports page of November 22, 1970.

The funniest thing in the article is learning about Woody Haye’s ‘secret weapon’ utilized in the preparation for the game. The article notes how OSU running back Leo Hayden “picked up most of his yardage running an off-tackle play which Hayes refined after countless hours viewing a set of Michigan play films which he purchased from the Michigan Athletic Department for $80.

“"It was the best $80 we’ve ever spent,” Hayes said. “I’d recommend it highly.””

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Woody Hayes, much like Woody Mathna (and Woodrow the Woodsman for that matter), seems to pop up here on the blog every so often. 

I wrote about my own memories of Woody Hayes (and how I ‘met’ him) here. I also posted a 1967 Journal article about him here.

Go Bucks! Go Huck! – Oct. 1959

Well, this is Homecoming Weekend 2019 at Ohio State University, my Alma Mater.

The tradition goes back to 1912, making this the 107th celebration. (You can read more about the history of it here.) There's plenty of activities in store besides the football game: a big Homecoming parade; a pep rally; the election of a king and queen; and the decoration of the dorms and the Greek houses around a Homecoming theme.

This year’s theme is “Back to the Future.” But do you know what it was back in 1959 – 60 years ago?

Huckleberry Hound!

That’s right, Huckleberry Hound – one of my all-time fave-o-rite cartoon characters. Huck's TV show had gone on the air in October 1958 and turned out to be as popular with adults – especially the college crowd – as it was with kids.

This article from the September 6, 1959 Des Moines Register examines his popularity on campus.

As the article noted, Huck was going to be the theme of Ohio State’s upcoming homecoming game.

And here’s the cover of the football program, and the page spotlighting the festivities featuring Huck. Looks like Pixie (one of the two “meeces” on the show, along with Dixie) got in on the act too.

And here’s a photo from the big event, taken from a WTVN-TV Columbus promotional flyer (courtesy of yowpyowp.blogspot.com.)

And just to refresh your memory, here’s the Huckleberry Hound TV show theme, which the Ohio State Marching Band no doubt played on the football field that day. (Note that Huck isn’t even in the sequence; instead, the Kellogg’s rooster does the honors.)

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Huckleberry Hound has been spotlighted on this blog a few times, including this post when Huck was featured in a Meyer Goldberg ad; this post, from when Daws Butler (Huck’s voice) visited Elyria in 1960; this post about our Kenner Super Show Projector; and this post which shows several Huckleberry Hound Halloween masks.

Some of my earliest memories of being a kid are of watching Huckleberry Hound after dinner in the house at 1604 W. 30th Street in the early 1960s. Happy memories of a carefree time. I guess that’s why I’m still a fan of the ol’ blue hound dog.

Ohio State vs Michigan – 1968

1968 Football Program Cover
(Courtesy Ohio State University archives)

Well, it’s the day of the big game. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Since I’ve been featuring snippets of Ohio State’s 1968 National Championship season here on the blog, above is the cover of the football program for the game against Michigan that year.

And here is the Journal’s coverage the next day of the Buckeye blowout victory.

The funny thing is, while I was at Ohio State, I never attended a Michigan game in Columbus. My dormitory roomies and I used to scalp our tickets. (Greed is a terrible thing.)

I guess that’s why the cover of the 1978 program (below) featuring Tom Cousineau doesn’t look familiar to me.

Courtesy Ohio State University archives

It’s too bad Ohio State lost that game and ended up in the Gator Bowl, where Woody Hayes unfortunately wrapped up his coaching career.

Anyway, Go Bucks!

Ohio State Beats the Spartans – 1968

What with Victory Park taking over this blog for a few days beginning last Friday, I never did get to post this. It’s the Lorain Journal’s November 3, 1968 account of the Ohio State Buckeyes taking on and beating Michigan State.

Well, the Buckeyes did exactly again that this past weekend. But unlike 1968, the march to a National Title for Ohio State doesn’t seem very likely at this point.

Anyway, as my sports buff pal Gene at my place of employment would confirm, I’m a big fan of vintage college mascots. Below is a vintage decal of  Sparty, the mascot of Michigan State.

By George, he looks like was designed by cartoonist Robert Crumb.

Ohio State Upsets Purdue – October 1968

Ohio State plays Purdue tomorrow.

That reminds me that it was 50 years ago this month that the Buckeyes attracted a lot of attention by shutting out top-ranked Purdue on October 12, 1968.

Above is the coverage of it that ran in the Lorain Journal the next day.

Alongside the article about Ohio State is a portion of the coverage of the 1968 Olympic Games, held in Mexico City.

And by the way, that's an early version of Purdue Pete, the Purdue mascot at right. You can read all about his origin here.

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A week later on October 20, 1968, Ohio State pummeled Northwestern.

Back in the 1980s and 90s, I used to read a nationally syndicated weekly sports column in the Journal called "The Bottom Ten," written by sportswriter Steve Harvey. Harvey ranked the ten worst college football teams in a hilariously written analysis. There was also a carefully selected “Crummy Game of the Week,” and the upcoming schedule for that week’s Bottom Ten indicated their “Next Loss."

Harvey often had funny nicknames for each awful team. He would refer to the Northwestern Wildcats (who weren’t too good in the 80s and early 90s) as the "Mildcats."

Since those days, however, Northwestern is no longer a team to be taken lightly.

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Here's a sample of the aforementioned "Bottom Ten" feature, from October 25, 1990. It's a special edition that takes a look at college football mascots.

1964 Ohio State University Homecoming Game Program

Saturday was the big Homecoming Game at Ohio State University, my Alma Mater. Gee, it just seems just like yesterday that I was hanging around Siebert Hall, my dormitory. (I wish I was there now.)

Nevertheless, it’s not too late to post these images from the Football Program from the Homecoming Game back on October 24, 1964. The images are courtesy of the Ohio State University Knowledge Bank.

The program’s cover photo is interesting to me, because it shows the original University Hall. The building dates from 1873, but was demolished in 1971. (Click here to read about its history and demolition.)

A souless replica of University Hall – built at the same location as the original – opened in 1976, a year before I made it down to the campus.

Anyway, here are a few ads from that 1964 program. (Note how I included ads for Sinclair gasoline and Howard Johnson's, favorite topics on this blog.)

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You might be wondering: are any of those businesses still around?

The Howard’s Johnson’s on Dublin-Granville Road is long gone. Here’s a 1962 view courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch.

The Olentangy Inn is history as well. 

The Lincoln Lodge, however, lives on; not as a resort-style hotel, but as the Lincoln Lodge Retirement Residence (below).

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I’ll be doing some more Ohio State posts in the coming weeks, since the 1968 season ended with the Buckeyes as the national champions.

Ohio State vs Michigan – 1932 & 1957

It’s the big game tomorrow – Ohio State (my Alma Mater) versus Michigan – so here's a look back at some of the hoopla surrounding past games as it appeared in the Lorain Journal.

Above is a nifty little graphic featuring key players that was featured in the Lorain Journal on October 14, 1932 on the eve of the big game that year. Ohio State had creamed Michigan the previous year 20 - 7, so the Wolverines were looking for revenge.

They got it all right, beating the Buckeyes 14-0.

A more recent game’s aftermath is shown below in a page from the sports section of the Journal from Monday, November 25, 1957 – 60 years ago. Note how the coverage of the Buckeyes’ victory is completely overshadowed by the story of Jim Brown and the Cleveland Browns.

The Buckeyes ended up finishing the season 9-1, beating the Oregon Ducks in the Rose Bowl, and earning their third national title.

1960s Ohio State Football Program Covers

To help take your mind off the Cleveland Indians (as well as the Cleveland Browns), remember – you can always root for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

And to close out this week on the blog, here's a nice selection of old Ohio State Football program covers from the 1960s, courtesy of the Ohio State University's Knowledge Bank. They're fun to look at with their vintage views of the campus and stadium. I love the classic simplicity of the designs.

After looking at them, though, I have a few questions. Why do several of the covers have little Brownie-like characters? And more importantly, why is the Ohio State player depicted as an unflattering galoot on the Sept. 27, 1969 cover?

Woody Hayes Article – Sept. 2, 1967

(Courtesy
Cleveland.com)

I’ve mentioned before on this blog that I went to Ohio State and, like my father, was a big fan of Woody Hayes. (Back here, I even mentioned how I “met” him once.)

Well, since it’s Friday, here’s a little look back for all you Ohio State fans from the sports pages of the Lorain Journal. It ran in the September 2, 1967 edition – 50 years ago this month – and features Woody Hayes talking about the upcoming season.

It’s strange how few games they played back then (nine, with two non-conference) and how late they started (September 30th). The Buckeyes would go 6-3 during that 1967 season.

The 1968 season would be the one in which Ohio State would earn its fifth national championship. And by the time the Buckeyes won their next national championship in 1970, I knew that Ohio State was where I wanted to go.

Now in 2017, I think too much attention is given to trying to win the national championship. The team should follow Woody’s example and focus on just beating Michigan!

I also hate the divisional realignment of the Big Ten conference that happened in the last few years, and I’ll probably never get used to it. There was something interesting about Ohio State battling just about the same conference teams every year. While I was at Ohio State, the football team played Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Northwestern and Michigan all four years, with only Purdue and Michigan State taking turns. You knew Ohio State might have a little trouble with Indiana, but would usually pulverize Northwestern. There was something reassuring about that.

Memories of Woody Hayes

Ohio State played Clemson in the Orange Bowl over the weekend, and not surprisingly, the media used the occasion to remind sports fans that the last time the two teams had met had been in the 1978 Gator Bowl – Woody Hayes' last game as Coach of the Buckeyes.

I remember that game well. I was on break from Ohio State at the time, and was watching the game with some buddies in the lounge at Lake Erie Lanes in Vermilion.

After Woody Hayes punched the Clemson player who had intercepted the Ohio State pass (thus assuring a Buckeye loss), I remember my disbelief. Surely the player had taunted Woody, or provoked him somehow, I thought. But there was no plausible explanation as to why he did it, and Woody was fired the next day.

A few days later I was back on campus in Columbus, and it never really felt the same again. Woody Hayes was Ohio State, and I felt bad about his firing.

It was because of Woody Hayes – his great character and integrity, his personal interest in his players' educations, and what he stood for – that I wanted to go to Ohio State in the first place. Besides, his great teams of the 1960s and 70s (and their multiple Rose Bowl appearance) made Ohio State seem like an exciting place, and I wanted to be part of that excitement.

I know it was the wrong way to pick a college, but I've never regretted my decision. I look back on my Ohio State years as some of the best years of my life. In fact, I'm still good friends with two of my dorm roommates more than 30 years after graduation, and I keep in touch with a few other pals from the dorm as well.

Anyway, The Columbus-Dispatch covered Woody's firing extensively, and even offered a souvenir photo for sale (the one shown above). I bought one for Dad, who was a huge Woody Hayes fan, and stuck it in a frame for him. It hung in his basement for a long time. (I have custody of it now.)

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The combination of Woody Hayes and Bob Hope – another favorite of mine – form a special memory of my college days.

I'm somewhere in the crowd on the left
behind the glass.
(Photo by Tom Sines and courtesy
of Columbus Dispatch)

It was during late October of my sophomore year that Bob Hope filmed part of one of his TV specials in Columbus. The gimmick was that he was going to be filmed driving up to the Ohio Theater in a 1928 roadster.

So a bunch of guys from my floor in Siebert Hall Dormitory decided to witness it firsthand. One of them had a car, so we all jammed into it and headed Downtown, arriving at the Ohio Theater shortly before the TV cameras began filming. We proceeded to push and shove our way through the crowd until we were pressed up against the glass doors to the theater entrance.

It was almost surrealistic to watch Bob Hope drive up in his antique jalopy, get out, and then walk up to the theater, passing within a few feet of us.

But the real highlight was the next day, when Bob Hope dotted the "i" in Script Ohio at the Homecoming Game halftime show – and Woody ran out onto the field to greet him.

Courtesy Ohio State University Libraries collection

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I almost forgot to tell you my story about how I "met" Woody Hayes.

Although Woody had been fired as football coach in late December 1978, he was still a professor of military history at Ohio State and taught classes. So he maintained an office on campus, and despite his firing as Coach, I remained a big fan.

Now, my dorm (Siebert) was on South Campus, which to me is still the most beautiful part of the Ohio State Campus. I had the privilege of walking by Mirror Lake regularly, crisscrossing the Oval to get to class, and seeing fine old buildings such as Orton Hall and the Faculty Club.

I was walking back to the dorm one afternoon around 1979 or 80, and had taken a shortcut near the Faculty Club, when I noticed none other than Woody Hayes walking towards me. He was alone, in suit and tie, and obviously heading to the Club for some function.

I was pretty excited, and as I got closer to him, I couldn't help blurting out, "Hi, Woody!" He smiled, and said, "Hello, son!"

It made my day to be greeted by a living legend, as well as the man responsible for my wanting to go to Ohio State in the first place.