1968; The Year that Saved Ohio State
Football by David Hyde
Great Book!
1968 begins in the mens room of an exclusive Columbus restaurant and
ends two years later in The Rose Bowl, an unwitting but flawless metaphor
for Ohio State Universitys rise to the pinnacle of college football. Between
these two events occurs one of the great adventure stories in the history of
the sport.
Against a backdrop of national turmoil and international crises, Coach
Wayne Woodrow Hayes uncharacteristically brings into his lagging
program new young coaches and an impressive bunch of extraordinary
kids, including the first significant number of African-Americans.

There is an irreverent military school lineman who begins the schools lifting
program by bringing his own weights, a Brooklyn fullback who cant believe
Ohios open spaces, a running back with New Jersey street-gang cred, and
a homegrown quarterback with a bad back and an unassailable talent.
All of them labor under the shadow of Hayes, the promethean figure who
would leave an indelible legacy as one of the centurys great coaches- sly,
mercurial, pugnacious, maddeningly contradictory, a larger-than-life figure
who carries the football ambitions of an entire state on his beefy shoulders.
1968 is a rich tapestry of scenes and stories throughout an incandescent
season, including some of the best football dialogue ever written. In scene
after scene, the raw intensity of an unforgettable season pulls the reader
along to its breathless climax in Pasadena when the Super Sophs take on
one of colleges greatest running backs.
It s a story that has everything- great drama, achievement, colorful
characters, and the complex unfolding of Woody Hayess multifaceted
personality.
Near the end of a chaotic decade, the Buckeyes provide a badly needed
feel-good lift to an entire state. And just as Woody predicted, they found
themselves a large, inextricably bound family, tied forever by the
commonalities of blood literally theirs sweat, tears, laughter, and, of
course, their near-miraculous season.
Personal Review: 1968; The Year that Saved Ohio State Football
by David Hyde
The 1966 season was a rough one for the Ohio State Buckeyes and head
coach Woody Hayes; a 4-5 record had fans clamoring for a coaching
change and some in influential spots wondering about the future of the
program.
The head coach since 1951, Hayes last won a Big Ten Conference and
national (National Football Writers of America poll) crowns in 1961, as the
club finished 8-0-1 overall, but did not play in the Rose Bowl due to the
faculty council voting to decline the invitation. It seemed as if that
controversy between academics and athletics was a drag on Hayes and
the team....and college players aren't the ones who get fired.

A 6-3 record in 1967 was not the type of improvement that was going to
buy Hayes many more years to get things turned around. And then came
the magic of 1968.
Author David Hyde does a spectacular job with his research, which
included interviews with players and coaches to piece together this
remarkable era. Hayes retooled his offensive strategy, formed what was
arguably one of the best assistant coaching staffs ever in the major college
game and looked in earnest outside the Buckeye State for top recruits in
the lead-up to '68.
Hyde writes on the hiring of George Chaump, who was brought in to help
revamp the offense for 1968: "(He was) hired that winter out of John Harris
High School in Harrisburg, Pa., where he had been undefeated the
previous three years running a wide-open offense. Dennis Green, who
went on to NFL coaching fame, had played for him. So did Jan White.
Hayes had visited Harrisburg to recruit Chaump's latest quarterback, Jim
Jones, and ended up taking the coach to lunch. It turned into a job
interview. Hayes knew, like it or not, he had to upgrade the offense
some....Jones signed with Southern Cal after hearing about the
quarterback waiting to take over Ohio State, Rex Kern. But Hayes got a
recruit that trip, after all. Chaump signed a few weeks later as its
quarterback and receivers coach."
Other assistant coaches included Lou Holtz, Earle Bruce, Bill Mallory, Esco
Sarkkinen and Hugh Hindman, who - as OSU athletic director - fired Hayes
after the fallout from the 1978 Gator Bowl, when Hayes punched a
Clemson player during the game.
Hayes is shown as a demanding perfectionist, but crafting what had the
potential to be something special. The "Super Sophs" of '68 won the
National Championship by going 10-0, outscoring opponents by 323 to 150
and downing a rugged Southern Cal team - led by running back O.J.
Simpson - 27-16 in the Rose Bowl.
The names on the championship roster continue to resonate in Buckeye
lore - Jim Stillwagon, Jack Tatum, Mark Stier, Larry Zelina, Jim Otis, Kern -
with 11 of the players earning All-America honors in their career, with six
drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in 1969 or 1971. While a few went
on the gridiron glory on Sunday afternoon, others took the lessons learned
on the field of play and applied them successfully in the game of life, which
is a very interesting section in the book.
The history of this triumph by the Ohio State Buckeyes - while facing
incredible odds - is a tremendous read. Hyde captures every angle while
delivering a gem for any college football fan's collection.
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