Great Ohio State Coaches from 1978 On

Great coaches have been at Ohio State since Woody Hayes was let go. They all called Columbus, Ohio home. Earl Bruce came in as the heir apparent to Hayes. He was fired and replaced by John Cooper. Cooper had very talented teams with excellent records however he did poorly against rival Michigan and was ultimately fired. 

Native Ohioan Jim Tressel replaced Cooper. When Tressel was hired as Ohio State head coach in January he came to a basketball game and announced to the crowd everyone would be proud of the football team in 310 days, when they played Michigan. Tressel was very successful overall and against Michigan, but was ultimately undone by scandal and after a season-long interregnum, Ohio State hired Urban Meyer.

Meyer was fantastic and 7-0 against Michigan but stepped down due to health concerns. He was replaced by the current head football coach at Ohio State Ryan Day. Day has an excellent record too, but has lost three games in a row to Michigan, a streak that will end this Saturday.

Coach Earl Bruce: The Heir To Woody Hayes

Earl Bruce coached on Woody Hayes’ staff and when Hayes choked a Clemson player, Bruce was the head coach at Iowa State. When Ohio State fired Hayes, Bruce was a natural selection. Bruce was the head football coach at Ohio State until 1987. After an 11-1 1979 season, Bruce lost three games each year until 1987 when he was 6-4-1.

Bruce was 5-4 against the University of Michigan and his moderate success there and his ties to Woody Hayes probably kept him in his job, but 6-4-1 in 1987 was the last straw and he was replaced in 1987. Bruce was fired just before the Michigan, but he was allowed to coach that game. He won, coached at two other colleges, and then in the Arena Football League. The reason for his firing was never released, but his poor record in the final season had to be a major reason.

Coach Jon Cooper Failed In Big Games

John Cooper was hired away from Arizona State when Bruce was fired. His time as the coach can be easily summarized. Cooper had a great record, however, he lost almost every year to the University of Michigan and that eventually became too much and got Cooper fired.

Coach Jim Tressel: An Ohio Son Makes Good

Fans were very frustrated with Cooper’s inability to beat the University of Michigan,  but fans were pleasantly surprised by native Ohio Son Jim Tressel. Tressel was from a coaching family with lots of coaches in it. His brother was a coordinator for him and his father was a long-time head coach in Ohio. Tressel told a packed basketball arena that everyone would be proud when his team played against Michigan in 310 days. Tressel also had a countdown clock to the Michigan game installed in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

In all, Tressel was 9-1 against Michigan.  However, he was undone by “Tattoo Gate.” Tressel resigned as the head coach at Ohio State University. He withheld emails from the NCAA and federal government and used ineligible players. He was suspended and his position became untenable, so he resigned. That cleared the way for Urban Meyer.

In Urban Meyer We Trust

After a year of interregnum, Ohio State hired television analyst Urban Meyer as its head football coach. Meyer was probably the best of the post-Woody Hayes Ohio State coaches. Meyer previously had success at The University of Utah and the University of Florida so there was great anticipation in Columbus for the coaching tenure of Meyer. He did not disappoint.

Meyer coached at Ohio State for seven seasons and only lost nine games. He was 7-0 against rival Michigan and was 12-0 in his first season when Ohio State had a postseason ban due to the Tressel violations. Ultimately, Meyer stepped down due to health concerns, and he hand-picked his successor, Ryan Day.

Ryan Day, Meyer’s Hand-Picked Successor

Ryan Day is the current head football coach at Ohio State. He still coaches, so it is premature to evaluate his career. However, heretofore he has a very good record. However, he has lost three straight games to the University of Michigan. That should be reversed this Saturday. It is without question that Day must win games against Michigan and other top-five teams.

Conclusion

Ohio State has been lucky to have had a string of great coaches since Woody Hayes was fired. Earl Bruce, John Cooper, Jim Tressel, and Ryan Day are all very good football coaches and all (except Urban Meyer) have their flaws. Since the head coaching job at Ohio State is a marquee job, Ohio State will always attract quality candidates.