Top three head coaches in Ohio State football history

#1: Woody Hayes

The final former Ohio State head coach on the list is Woody Hayes. Hayes began his coaching career at Dennison where he coached for two seasons. He would then be hired as the head coach of Miami University. Hayes held this position for only one season. The next year, Hayes would become the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Hayes was the longest-serving head coach in Ohio State history with 276 games coached. He is the all-time leader in wins, losses, and ties as a head coach for the Buckeyes. He finished his career with a record of 205-61-10. This was good for a win percentage of 76.1%. This is good for the 6th highest winning percentage for an Ohio State head coach. Only behind Ryan Day, Urban Meyer, Carroll Widdoes, Jim Tressel, and John Eckstrom.

Hayes won five national titles during his tenure with the Buckeyes. Along with this, he accumulated thirteen Big Ten titles throughout his twenty-seven year run with Ohio State.

Under Hayes, the Buckeyes had a 5-6 record in bowl games. All five wins being in national championship games. Hayes finished his career with a 16-11-1 record against Michigan.

Some notable players that were coached by Woody Hayes were Jack Tatum, Archie Griffin, Howard “Hopalong” Cassidy, Pete Johnson, John Hicks, and Jim Stillwagon.

While Hayes did not have the best winning percentage or a perfect record against Michigan, he is still by far the best coach in Ohio State history. He characterized Ohio State football and spent twenty-seven seasons with the team. The Buckeyes have never had a coach that had a deeper hatred for Michigan or more of a love for Ohio State.

Hayes’ career with the Buckeyes came to an end after a string of outbursts against his players, coaches, officials, and opposing players. It came to a head in the Gator Bowl against the Clemson Tigers. After a game-ending interception by Clemson, Hayes punched Clemson nose guard Charlie Bauman in the throat. This led to a brawl in which Hayes reportedly was abusive to a referee and was even violent towards his own player Ken Fritz.

The Ohio State football program is one of the most storied programs in history. These coaches have made that possible.