Welcome to the fourth installment of community articles.
Explanation of the points system: two top ten lists were compiled, one for the community based upon comments and votes, the other based upon the resumes of the players mentioned on the thread. First on a list = ten points, second = nine, and so on.
8(t). Vic Janowicz and Tony Curcillo, 1950 and 1951 athlete (?) combo - 5 points
We kick off this list with an extremely versatile Heisman winner and his also versatile teammate. I have some trouble defining the exact position of these two. Janowicz was listed as a tailback but also threw for a combined 635 yards in 1950 and 1951. Curcillo was named second-team All-Big Ten at quarterback in 1950, but that same year he had 226 receiving yards and 6 TDs catching.
Overall the two combined for a total of 1,074 yards rushing, 404 yards receiving, and 1,874 yards passing for a total of 38 touchdowns. Vic was first-team All-Big Ten in 1951 in addition to his 1950 accolades.
8(t). Bobby Hoying, Terry Glenn, and Rickey Dudley; 1995 QB, WR, TE combo; 5 points
In 1995 Bobby Hoying had one of the best seasons passing in buckeye history, throwing for 3,269 yards (at the time a buckeye record and only once broken since) and 29 touchdowns (third). Of those numbers, Glenn and Dudley combined for 1,986 yards (61% of Hoying’s production) and 24 touchdowns (83%).
Glenn averaged a nation-leading 22.0 yards a catch on his way to a Biletnikoff award and 1,411 yards (second most in a single season in buckeye history) thanks to his play-making ability, and Hoying knew how to get him the ball.
Dudley’s size and route running ability made him a valuable weapon, especially in the red zone.
All three players were first-team All-Big Ten, with Glenn earning All-american honors.
8(t). Orlando Pace and Eddie George, 1994 and 1995 OT and RB combo, 5 points
During his 1995 heisman campaign, Eddie George always knew he could run left.
1995 has two groups on this list. My favorite buckeye of all-time, Orlando Pace, was part of two offensive lines in 1994 and 1995 that blocked Eddie George to 3,369 rushing yards and 36 scores on the ground. George led the country with 24 touchdowns in 1995 and piled up an Ohio State record 1,927 yards while Pace took home a Lombardi award as the nation’s best lineman and an All-American naming.
6(t). Zeke and the Slobs, 2014 and 2015 RB and OL combo, 6 points
Speaking of offensive line and running back combos, here is the driving force behind Ohio State’s 2014 national championship run and the 2015 Fiesta Bowl win. Behind the slobs Elliot amassed 3,699 yards over just two seasons. He added 41 end zone trips to that number. The slobs included Taylor Decker, Billy Price, Jacoby Boren, Pat Elflein, and Daryl Baldwin in 2014 and Baldwin was replaced by Chase Farris a year later.
Admittedly I had second thoughts about putting this group on the list because I said “duos and trios”, but I make another exception later in the list and the choice was pretty popular on the thread. Besides, one could consider this a “duo”...
6(t). Craig Krenzel and Maurice Clarett, 2002 QB and RB combo, 6 points
Krenzel and Slow Mo.
Engineering Ohio State’s 2002 national championship and first ever undefeated season of fourteen wins, Krenzel and Clarett were each second-team All-Big Ten in their season together as lettermen. Craig would throw for 2,110 yards and 12 touchdowns while Maurice averaged 5.6 yards a carry on his way to 1,237 yards and 16 scores on the ground.
Clarett and Krenzel are most famously connected for this play, my favorite in buckeye history (and ironically a bad one for Krenzel):
5. John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas, 1959-1962 Guard and Power Forward combo, 10 points
For three Ohio State basketball seasons, perhaps the two best players in the history of buckeye basketball were on the same team. And the results of those teams speak for themselves.
Each of the three years Lucas and Havlicek were on the floor, Ohio State made the national championship game. They won the title for the first and only time in program history in the 1959-1960 season. The combined record for those three seasons? A ridiculous 78-6.
You could perhaps argue whether Havlicek is the second best player in the history of Ohio State basketball, but without a doubt Lucas is the first. Three consecutive National Player of the Year awards and three consecutive NCAA Tournament MVPs. Of course he was an All-american each of those years. He averaged 26.3 points a game in his sophomore year, his highest in a single season, and on his career averaged 24.3. Lucas was truly known for crashing the boards though -- an incredible 17.2 rebounds a game in his years at Ohio State.
Havlicek was no slouch either, earning a second-team All-america honor for the 1961-1962 season. For his tenure he averaged 14.6 points a game with a 17.0 average in that 1961-1962 year. The pair on the court were lethal.
4. A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, and Anthony Schlegel; 2004-2005 linebacking trio; 14 points
For two years in Columbus this ridiculous linebacking core shut down opposing offenses, the best showing being 2005 when the silver bullets were fifth nationally in both total defense and points allowed per game. In that season the three studs combined for 252 tackles (34 tackles for loss) and 19.5 sacks to follow up a 2004 campaign in which they had 318 tackles*.
The three men share a 2005 Fiesta Bowl ring, and Hawk’s 394 career tackles ranks fifth all time at Ohio State. Hawk was a first-team All-american in 2004 and 2005.
3. Jack Tatum and Mike Sensibaugh, 1968-1970 safety combo, 16 points
No secondary ever struck more fear into the heart of an opposing collegiate passing game.
Tatum was the hardest hitter in buckeye history and Sensibaugh was the best at intercepting passes. Mike picked off a total of 22 in his tenure, five more than the next best defensive back in buckeye history. He also owns a tie for the most in a single season (9 in 1969, tied with Craig Cassady) and 8 in 1970 is good for a tie for third most.
Tatum could assassinate someone with his hits, but he was also a versatile and well-rounded defender. Move him to corner and shut down Purdue Heisman runner-up Larry Keyes. Place him at linebacker and watch him tackle the biggest of fullbacks. He could play seven positions on defense and be the best player on the field at any of them.
The buckeye defenses led by Tatum and Sensibaugh won national titles in both 1968 and 1970, with a should-have-been natty in 1969. Jack was twice named an All-american, Mike twice first-team All-Big Ten. Their career record was 27-2.
2. Troy Smith, Anthony Gonzalez, Ted Ginn Jr., and Santonio Holmes; 2005-2006 QB, WR, WR, and WR combo; 17 points
In 2005 Troy Smith burst on the scene as a passer of 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns. That same season, the trio of Gonzalez, Holmes, and Ginn Jr. caught 2,153 yards worth of passes (80% of team passing offense) and the trio caught every single touchdown pass (a total of 18) thrown that year by a buckeye quarterback, starter or back-up. Santonio led the way with 53 receptions for 977 yards and 11 of the scores, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors. The team won a Fiesta Bowl that year.
After 2005 Holmes departed, but the tandem of Smith, Gonzalez, and Ginn Jr. was still in place. In the 2006 season Troy threw for 2,542 yards and a then-buckeye record 30 touchdowns, taking the Heisman in a landslide. Ginn and Gonzo churned out 1,515 yards and 17 touchdowns.
1. Cornelius Greene, Archie Griffin, and Pete Johnson; 1974 and 1975 QB, RB, and RB; 19 points
Archie got the yards, Pete got the touchdowns, Cornelius led the offense.
Over just two seasons the trio combined for 5,884 yards rushing and an astounding 64 rushing touchdowns. The most unbelievable campaign for the three was 1975 though, as Griffin gained 1,695 (to lead the country) of the group's 3,272 yards on the ground that year, and Johnson set a buckeye single season record that still stands with 25 rushing scores. Greene also threw for 2,005 yards and 15 touchdowns over the '74 and '75 seasons.
The honors were many for both the trio and the team over those two seasons, Archie taking home his famed back-to-back Heisman trophies and of course being an All-american those two years, Greene was named first-team All-Big Ten in both 1974 and 1975, and so was Pete in 1975. The team went a total of 21-3, losing just once in the regular season.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Redd and Scoonie Penn (4 points), Mike Vrabel and Matt Finkes (4 points), and Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller (2 points)
Sports-reference.com and Ohio State's stat-leader Wikipedia page are the two sources for stats, awards, and leaders.
