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NOTE:My name is George Ashburn. I operate this tribute profile of Legendary Ohio State Head Football Coach Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes.

I also operate these MySpace Sites:

My own - George Ashburn ("Jam-Dawg")
The Westerville Browns Backers
The West Siders (Columbus, OH) Browns Backers
Troy Area Browns Backers (Troy, Ohio)

Check out my Video Channel on MySpace

ABOUT COACH WOODY HAYES

I was born in Clifton, Ohio on February 14, 1913. I was raised in Newcomerstown, Ohio which at the time was the residence of legendary Hall of Fame Pitcher Denton "Cy" Young. I played Center on the Newcomerstown High School Football Team. My Father was a School Principal and School District Superintendent so the importance of education was instilled in me early.

I graduated from Denison University with a B.A. in English and History in 1935 and from Ohio State with a M.A. in Educational Administration. I was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities from Ohio State in 1986, which I consider one of the greatest honors of my life because of all that OSU did for me.

I served in the United States Navy from 1941 to 1946 where I rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander and Commanded PC 1251 in the Invasion of The Palau Islands and later, the Destroyer Escort Rinehart in both the Atlantic & Pacific Theaters.

I started my College Football Coaching Career at my Alma Mater Denison University in Granville, Ohio. Then I moved on to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio before becoming Head Coach at Ohio State in 1951.

My record at Ohio State was 205-61-10. I won five National Championships (1954, 1957, 1961, 1968 & 1970.) and thirteen Big Ten Conference Titles. I also won two National Coach of the Year Awards.

I am even more proud of the fact that I made sure that my players recieved an education. I felt that bringing in a player only for football and ignoring his education just cheats the youngster and hurts him later in life.

I'm also proud of the fact that I did away with the unwritten rule about only recruiting one African American Player a Year. I actively recruited players of character and did not care about the young man's skin color, religious or financial background. Once in a while, I would find a player from a broken home or no home at all, but could see that he had it in him to rise above those circumstances. A player like that I would give double the chances.

I did once get in trouble with the NCAA back in the late 1950's, but it did expose a policy that I felt was wrong and it did get it changed. Back then, The White Players got twice the Grant-In-Aid Money as the Black Players which I felt was grossly unfair. I came up with ways to even it out. This did get me in trouble but at least this was changed.

I was also among the first to hire African Americans as Assistant Coaches.

I also made sure that my teams played clean football and would raise hell if the other team resorted to dirty play.

Yes, I know I would lose my temper during practice and on the sidelines during games, but I loved my players, coaches and staffs as if they were my own kids.

I am so happy that the Ohio State Football Program is in the capable hands of Jim Tressel. A man of character & integrity.

I would also visit hospitals meet with the patients there. (Especially Handicapped Children, which I always had a soft spot in my heart for.)

In short, just about everyone I ever wanted to meet, I did.