Ohio State Football: Coach Woody Hayes and Memorial Day

It is well documented that Woody Hayes approached coaching Ohio State football and preparing for opponents like he was a general overseeing a military campaign. Hayes got his military mindset honestly.

The man whose scowl is enshrined forever in the form of a statue outside the practice and training facility on the campus of Ohio State University coached and taught what he knew, and what he had experienced. Before he was a legendary coach, he was a young high school football coach when World War II happened.

Hayes was in his mid-20s when he left Ohio and joined the United State Navy in July of 1941. He obtained the rank of Lieutenant Commander and commanded the PC 125 in the Palau Islands invasion and then the USS Rinehart in both the Atlantic and Pacific operations.

Anne Hayes, Woody’s wife once reflected on Woody’s love for the Navy and military history in general. “People talk about how devoted Woody is to football. He was just as dedicated to the Navy. Why, we had been married only five days when he asked to sea duty.”

Following the war, Hayes returned home and transitioned back into coaching, but he was different. War changes a man, and it had obviously changed Hayes. He was more rigid, more strategic, and definitely more aggressive. In just five short seasons, Hayes moved up the coaching ranks quickly and took over the Ohio State program in 1951. After a rough start, Hayes and the Buckeyes won their second National Championship in school history in 1954.

Hayes went on to win five National Championships, 13 Big 10 Championships, four Rose Bowls, and one Orange Bowl. He finished with an overall record of 205-61-10 while going 152-37-7 in conference play. But greater than any of those statistics is the relationships he developed and built with his players. He was stern with his players, but he also loved them fiercely. That respect was reciprocated by every player he recruited, developed, and led.

Hayes’ most famous and greatest player was two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffen, who famously stated about his head coach “What most people don’t know is all the good things the coach did without anybody knowing. For instance, he would grab up a couple of us players and go to the burn unit at the Children’s Hospital. He was always doing things like that and didn’t want any publicity about it.”

Woody may have been a man’s man, but he also had a soft heart. Thankfully for Ohio State football fans everywhere, Hayes was able to return to the United States following his time during WWII to become the iconic man we all cherish today. But he was one of the lucky ones. 416,800 Americans paid the ultimate price during the WWII conflict. 416,800 mothers never got to hold their sons and daughters again.

While we all enjoy the freedom to gather together as friends and family on this Memorial Day, if Woody was still with us, I’m sure he would remind us that on this day, we should all take time to reflect on the individuals who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.

This day is set aside to honor them and reflect on their great sacrifice. Freedom truly isn’t free but has been paid for by the blood and lives of so many Americans who were willing to give it all.