Woody vs. Bo
| The Ten Year War |
Bo makes a point |
Of all the coaching match-ups in the long Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, none has been more intense and at times bitter than that between Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. For ten years the two dominated the "Big 2 and Little 8," splitting ten conference titles between and finishing second eight times. Hayes supposedly could not bring himself to speak the name of "that school up north" and Schembechler, who played for Hayes at Miami of Ohio and was an Ohio State assistant coach, savored nothing more than putting it to his old mentor. After a decade of memorable on-field stratagems, sideline antics, and locker room psychological ploys, the two coaches came out almost dead-even, Schembechler holding a slim 5-4-1 advantage.
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Woody makes a point |
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| Wayne Woodrow Hayes | | Glenn E. Schembechler |
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| Feb. 14, 1913 | Birthdate | April 1, 1929 |
| Newcomerstown, OH | Hometown | Barberton, OH |
| Denison University, 1935 | College | Miami of Ohio, 1951 |
Denison University, 1946-1948
Miami of Ohio, 1949-1950
| Prior Coaching
Experience | Ohio State, 1952-53 (graduate assistant)
Presbyterian College, 1954 (assistant)
Bowling Green, 1955 (assistant)
Northwestern, 1958 (assistant)
Ohio State, 1959-1963 (assistant)
Miami of Ohio, 1964-1968
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| 238-72-10 | Career Record | 234-65-8 |
1951-1978
28 seasons | Years at OSU/UM
| 1969-1989
21 seasons |
| 205-61-10 | OSU/UM Record | 194-48-5 |
| 152-38-7 | Big Ten Record | 143-24-3 |
| 16-11-1 | UM vs OSU | 11-9-1 |
| 4-5-1 | Woody vs Bo | 5-4-1 |
| 13 | Big Ten Titles | 13 |
| 5 | National Championships | 0 |
| 4-4 | Rose Bowl Record | 2-8-0 |
| 5-6 | All Bowl Games | 5-12-0 |
| 56 | All-Americans | 39 |
| 3 | Heisman Trophy Winners | 0 |
| 29 | 1st Round Picks | 13 |
| 2 | National Coach of the Year | 1 |
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Bitter rivals on the field, Woody and Bo had a deep respect
for each other and their mutual commitment to winning.
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| Woody on Bo:
"If Bo is not a winner, I never saw one and I should know. He beat me the last
three games we played. We've fought and quarreled for years but we're great friends." [Quoted in The Lantern February 10, 1986.] |
| Bo on Woody: "There was plenty to criticize about Woody Hayes. His methods were tough, his temper was, at times, unforgivable. And, unless you knew him or played for him, it is hard to explain why you liked being around the guy. But you didn't just like it, you loved it. He was simply fascinating."
[From Bo by Bo Schembechler and Mitch Albom.]
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| Ufer on Woody and Bo: Michigan radio announcer Bob Ufer recites his epic
"Burying Wood Hayes" |
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| Woody vs Bo, 1969-1978 |
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| Date |
Site |
Ranking |
Results |
Big 10 Finish |
Attendance |
| UM |
OSU |
W |
UM |
OSU |
UM |
OSU |
| 11/22/1969 |
Ann Arbor |
12 |
1 |
UM |
24 |
12 |
1st (T) |
1st (T) |
103,588 |
| 11/21/1970 |
Columbus |
4 |
5 |
OSU |
9 |
20 |
2nd (T) |
1st |
87,331 |
| 11/20/1971 |
Ann Arbor |
3 |
|
UM |
10 |
7 |
1st |
3rd (T) |
104,016 |
| 11/25/1972 |
Columbus |
3 |
9 |
OSU |
11 |
14 |
1st (T) |
1st (T) |
87,040 |
| 11/24/1973 |
Ann Arbor |
4 |
1 |
T |
10 |
10 |
1st (T) |
1st (T) |
105,233 |
| 11/23/1974 |
Columbus |
3 |
4 |
OSU |
10 |
12 |
1st (T) |
1st (T) |
88,234 |
| 11/22/1975 |
Ann Arbor |
5 |
3 |
OSU |
14 |
21 |
2nd |
1st |
105,543 |
| 11/20/1976 |
Columbus |
4 |
8 |
UM |
22 |
0 |
1st (T) |
1st (T) |
88,250 |
| 11/19/1977 |
Ann Arbor |
5 |
4 |
UM |
14 |
6 |
1st (T) |
1st (T) |
105,312 |
| 11/25/1978 |
Columbus |
6 |
16 |
UM |
14 |
3 |
1st (T) |
4th |
88,358 |
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| The Ten Year War |
1969: Michigan 24, Ohio State 12
Woody Hayes called his 1969 team the "best team we ever put together, probably the best team that ever played college football." The top-ranked Bucks were 9-0 and riding a 22-game winning streak before the 12th-ranked Wolverines shocked the college football world with a victory in Ann Arbor. Schembechler said it "was probably like throwing gasoline on a fire" and a rivalry reached new heights.
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1970: Ohio State 20, Michigan 9
Michigan was No. 4. Ohio State was No. 5. The Big Ten title was on the line. A national title was possible. And, of course, OSU wanted a little revenge. Not much at stake here, huh? Called one of the most emotional games ever in Ohio Stadium, the Buckeyes won 20-9 and while they lost to Stanford in the Rose Bowl, still claimed a national title.
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1971: Michigan 10, Ohio State 7
It was the only time in the Ten Year War that both teams weren't ranked. Still the unranked Buckeyes gave No. 3 Michigan all it could handle before the Wolverines escaped with a 10-7 win.
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1972: Ohio State 14, Michigan 11
The ninth-ranked Buckeyes use a pair of goal-line stands -- one in each half -- to beat No. 3 Michigan and earn a share of the Big Ten title and the trip to the Rose Bowl.
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1973: Ohio State 10, Michigan 10
Ohio State was a loaded team in 1973. It was the first school to have three of the top five vote getters for the Heisman Trophy. But No. 4 Michigan battled the top-ranked Buckeyes to a 10-10 tie and the two split the Big Ten title. A vote of conference ADs sent Ohio State back to the Rose Bowl.
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1974: Ohio State 12, Michigan 10
For the second straight season, both teams are ranked in the top five and for the second time in three years, Ohio State comes out on top. Woody Hayes -- by now an even greater figure in college football after suffering a heart attack in June, yet is back coaching by the opener -- leads the fourth-ranked Bucks a win over No. 3 Michigan for a share of the conference crown and another trip to the Rose Bowl.
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1975: Ohio State 21, Michigan 14
They're rollin' along in Columbus by now. Archie Griffin becomes the first two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy and the third-ranked Buckeyes cruise to their Big Ten record fourth straight trip to the Rose Bowl with a win over the fifth-ranked Wolverines.
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1976: Michigan 22, Ohio State 0
The only shutout of the Ten Year War snaps Ohio State's four-game unbeaten streak over the Wolverines. No. 4 Michigan earned a share of the conference crown with a win over the eighth-ranked Buckeyes and finally returned to the Rose Bowl.
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1977: Michigan 14, Ohio State 6
Now it's Michigan's turn to win a couple in a row. The fifth-ranked Wolverines win a share of the Big Ten title and return to the Rose Bowl after beating the fourth-ranked Buckeyes. It's the sixth time in nine years the two have shared the conference crown.
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1978: Michigan 14, Ohio State 3
The sixth-ranked Wolverines win their third straight over the 16th-ranked Buckeyes to share the conference crown with Michigan State. It's the Wolverines, however, who head to the Rose Bowl due to MSU being banned from postseason play. It's also the final game between the two as Hayes was suddenly fired after striking Clemson's Charlie Bauman during the 1978 Gator Bowl.
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