hey everyone! OSU is back in session on this wonderful Monday morning :) it's a beautiful day outside, and i hope it's just as beautiful on Saturday when the OSU football team plays their annual Scarlet and Gray Game (Spring Game). i'm not sure if i will be able to attend, but i do know that it is a great time for buckeye fans to gather together and get excited about the upcoming football season. i thought it would be appropriate to share some of the history of the Ohio State football team, so enjoy :) for the complete football history, as well as other information about OSU sports, visit www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.


1890
Football becomes a varsity sport and Alexander Lilley is the first head coach.

1899
The Buckeyes notch a 9-0-1 record, their first unbeaten season.

1910
The construction of new bleachers increases the capacity of Ohio Field to 10,000. Football season tickets are sold for $2.50. Howard Jones, an All-American from Yale, is named head coach.

1915
Varsity manager William A. Dougherty wrote the fight song "Across the Field." The song was dedicated to Coach John Wilce and was first performed at the Illinois game (Oct. 16, 1915).

1919
Ohio State outscored its opponents 176-12 and went 6-1. OSU recorded its first win over Michigan, 13-3. The admittance of Ohio State to the Western Conference and the dramatic success of the football team under Coach Wilce magnified the inadequacy of Ohio Field.

1936
The Ohio State Marching Band performed "Script Ohio" for the first time at the Pittsburgh game (Oct. 10, 1936). OSU dropped its Big Ten opener to Northwestern, 14-13, but steamrolled through its remaining conference schedule with four shutouts in four games.

1949
Ohio State captures a share of the Big Ten championship and collects its first Rose Bowl win, beating California, 17-14.

1951
After a highly-scrutinized selection process, Wayne Woodrow "Woody" Hayes begins his 28-year tenure as head coach. A tireless worker, meticulous planner, and a Lieutenent Commander in the Navy, Hayes led his initial Buckeye team, which struggled to adjust to his T-formation style, to a 4-3-2 finish. Many thought Hayes’ days at Ohio State were numbered. They were wrong.

1956
Ohio State sets a Big Ten record with 17-consecutive victories, breaking Michigan’s previous mark of 15. Offensive guard Jim Parker became the first OSU player to win the Outland Trophy.

1975
Hayes gives West Coast reporters a now famous quote about Archie Griffin: "He’s a better young man than he is a football player, and he’s the best football player I’ve ever seen." Griffin becomes the first two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, leading the Buckeyes to their conference-record fourth-consecutive Rose Bowl. He also becomes the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher in a midseason game against Purdue.

1989
Ohio State celebrates its 100th season of intercollegiate football. The Buckeyes overcome a 31-0 deficit to win 41-37 at Minnesota, equaling the largest comeback in NCAA history. OSU competes in the Hall of Fame Bowl, its 10th different postseason bowl appearance.

2001
Jim Tressel becomes the Buckeyes’ 22nd head football coach. The jerseys of Les Horvath (22) and Eddie George (27), Ohio State’s first and most recent Heisman Trophy winners, respectively, are retired. The Buckeyes defeat Michigan in Ann Arbor, their first win there since 1987. The three-year, $194 million stadium renovation is completed.

ALL-TIME BOWL RECORD
18 Wins, 20 Losses

BCS RECORD
4 Wins, 1 Losses

OHIO STATE’S
ALL-TIME
ROSE BOWL RECORD
6 Wins, 7 Losses

CONSECUTIVE BOWL
GAME STREAK
10 CONSECUTIVE BOWL APPEARANCES FROM 1989-98
Five consecutive New Year’s Day
bowl appearances from 1994-98

OHIO STATE’S
BOWL GAMES
Ohio State has made
appearances in 12
different bowl games