A Fire to Win: The Life and Times of Woody HayesWoody Hayes is one of the greatest football coaches in history--and one of the most fascinating. More than a brilliant coach, he was a complicated, contradictory man. The former history teacher would tout the ideals of democracy yet run his football empire as an absolute monarchy. But he had a surprisingly altruistic side, hidden from the public,. and Hayes visited local hospitals, donated his time, money, and advice, and insisted that his players graduate. More than just a standard biography, A Fire to Win explores the psychological motivations of one of the most complex of coaches. First and foremost, Woody Hayes was a coach--and his achievements are stunning. While at Ohio State, he won five national titles, and thirteen Big Ten Conference championships, made eight Rose Bowl appearances, and earned two national Coach of the Year awards. His killer instincts, honed in the navy, where he commanded a destroyer escort in the Pacific during World War II, helped him lead his teams to a 30-9 winning average. Moreover, Hayes's lifetime coaching record, 238-72-10, puts him in the first rank of college coaching immortals. No other coach has won more games in a shorter period. John Lombardo uses his extensive sports writing experience to craft an accurate portrait of one of the most complex and fascinating figures in football. Countless interviews of former players, assistant coaches, administrators, faculty, associates, and friends shape the image of Hayes and his career, which spanned the mid-1940s to the late 1970s during a tremendous period of change in American society. A Fire to Win is an honest and revealing biography of Hayes, a man who ranks in the pantheon of football coaches. |
Contents
PREFACE | 1 |
1 NEWCOMERSTOWN | 5 |
2 DENISON | 19 |
3 THE APPRENTICESHIP | 25 |
4 DENISON AGAIN | 37 |
5 PROVING GROUND | 61 |
6 A NEW BEGINNING | 79 |
7 WELCOME TO THE MACHINE | 91 |
11 THE KIDDIE CORPS | 163 |
12 OPPORTUNITY LOST | 189 |
13 FLAM | 201 |
14 INSURRECTION | 217 |
15 THE PUNCH | 231 |
16 TWILIGHT | 245 |
EPILOGUE | 255 |
NOTES | 257 |
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all-American alumni Anne Archie Griffin assistant coaches athletic ball beat Bo Schembechler Brickels Brown Brubaker Buckeyes campus Cassady Chaump college football Columbus Citizen-Journal Columbus Dispatch COURTESY OSU ARCHIVES defense Denison early Enarson fans Fesler football coach Football Encyclopedia football program football team freshman fullback Fullen Gillman graduate Greene Griffin halftime Hayes took Hayes's head coach Heisman Trophy high school hired Jack Park Janowicz Kern knew Larkins locker room Miami Michigan game national championship never night offense Official Ohio Ohio Stadium Ohio State football Ohio State University Ohio State's Olix Parseghian pass play players quarterback recruiting Rex Kern Rose Bowl Schembechler Schlichter scored scrimmage season sideline Sigma Chi sophomore spent spring practice star starters Steve talent talk team's told touchdown town trip undefeated Vare wanted Wayne week Woody Hayes Woody's writers yards young