Wayne Woodrow Hayes

College Football Coach. After earning a degree in English from Denison University in 1935, he embarked on a coaching career rivaled by few in the field. After briefly coaching high school football in Ohio and Pennsylvania, he served in the military during World War II, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy. Following his military service, Hayes returned to Denison as head football coach for three years, followed by a two-year tenure at "the cradle of coaches", Miami University of Ohio. He was appointed head coach of Ohio State University in 1951 after earning his Masters degree at that institution; he would later earn an appointment as a full professor. His career at Ohio State spanned 28 seasons, during which he would compile a record of 205 wins against 68 losses and 10 ties, bringing his full collegiate record to 238-72-10. His teams won shares of four national championships and 13 Big Ten titles; he would also coach three Heisman trophy winners and three Outland trophy honorees. Though famously released from his Ohio State service following his erratic behavior in the 1978 Gator Bowl, Woody Hayes would return to Ohio State in 1986 to deliver a moving commencement address, and the football team's indoor training center would be named in his honor the following year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.