Buckeye Dominance: The History of the Ohio State Buckeye Football Program

The Ohio State Buckeyes college football team is one of the greatest college teams ever to play the game. Their storied history is marvelous from its conception in 1889 to its modern day dominance.

Ohio State began their legendary football program in 1889 and played their first game in 1891. This game, an away game, took place at Ohio Wesleyan University and resulted in a win. For the next few years, there were a multitude of coaches at Ohio State. They all failed to truly bring the Buckeyes into dominance before resigning. Soon, Ohio State became known as the "graveyard of coaches."

All this occurred before the great Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes took over in 1951. Beating out many respectable coaches, Coach Hayes enforced a rough regimen, unlike the laid-back one set up by previous coach Wes Fesler. His first season at Ohio State was a horrific one, with Hayes posting a record of four wins, three losses, and two ties. Hayes's T-formation threw off many key players, especially Vic Janowicz. The year before, Janowicz, the team quarterback, won the Heisman Trophy and was the best player in the nation. At the end of the season, Hayes reconsidered his work over the season and decided that next season, he could improve the team.

In fact, the 1952 season was a much better one. Hayes posted a record of six wins and three losses, ending the season in a 27-7 victory over the team's archrivals, Michigan. During the postseason, the underdog Buckeyes upset Illinois, 27-7.

Coach Hayes dedicated his time to his team, both on the field and off. He made sure that each player graduated from school. In fact, he encouraged his players to attempt more difficult degrees, such as engineering, instead of the minimum effort courses. Hayes understood that many of his players would leave football after graduating. For this reason, Ohio State became both an academic and athletic powerhouse.