They say goes winning breeds winning, an adage solidified by Ohio State this past academic year.
Not only did the football team bring home the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship, but the wrestling, pistol and synchronized swimming teams all quickly followed suit.
Ohio State Vice President and Director of Athletics Gene Smith is a firm believer that winning is inspirational, so it comes as no surprise to him that he felt a boost in spring programs like baseball, softball, lacrosse, women's rowing, golf, track and field and tennis this season.
"I didn't see the championships coming, obviously I couldn't forecast that," Smith said Thursday in a sit-down interview with Eleven Warriors, "but I felt confident that we had and have a number of sports where the culture's right, there's talent and there's progression."
Both Ohio State track and field squads, the men's lacrosse, men's golf and women's rowing teams all competed in the postseason this weekend.
The rowing team swept its preliminary races Saturday in Indianapolis, setting it up nicely to put the finishing touches on another Big Ten title Sunday morning. Up next is nationals, for which the team is the heavy favorite as the two-time defending champ.
Men's lacrosse dropped a nail biter, 15-13, to Denver Saturday in the national quarterfinals to end the team's season. The Buckeyes went 12-7 in the inaugural Big Ten season.
The softball team closed the book on its season May 8 in the Big Ten Tournament, but Smith liked what he saw from them this season compared to past years.
"Even though our softball team this year didn't win a conference championship or didn't get into postseason, there's a progression there," Smith said. "I went to a number of their games, that team is much better than they have been in a long time. You could see that a couple more players next year, they might have their opportunity."
The increased production is the direct reason donors are bringing up the non-revenue sports to Smith more.
"I would say that the conversations with donors, people we're going to see that help us with projects ... that's starting to pop up more and more," Smith said.
It's Smith's job to develop championship level programs all across Ohio State, an institution that expects nothing less than national title banners every year. His job is to bring in the coaches that recruit the best talent, mold them into champions who represent the school and reap the financial benefits at one of the lone self-sustaining athletic departments in the country.
But what Smith and Ohio State's done since venturing to Columbus in 2005 is notable, especially with the football program. Yes, Smith inherited Jim Tressel upon his arrival, but led the Buckeyes through a 6-7 season and hired Urban Meyer, one of the most dominant coaches of the last decade.
Jeff Svoboda, the astute editor of Buckeye Sports Bulletin, wrote a column Tuesday outlining the ups and downs of top-tier football programs. While the sport is largely cyclical, this passage from Svoboda's take stood out:
In many ways, Ohio State – which checks in sixth all-time with 863 wins – is the Pittsburgh Steelers of college football. The Buckeyes have had just five full-time coaches since 1950. In that time, there have been just four losing seasons. Over the past two decades while every other school near the top of the list has seemingly had an extended down period, the Buckeyes’ worst span – a 21-15 mark from 1999-2001 – was preceded by a Sugar Bowl win and followed by a national championship.
Why’s the run of success? The coaches. The last four full-time mentors – Woody Hayes, Earle Bruce, John Cooper and Tressel – are in the College Football Hall of Fame; Urban Meyer will assuredly join them once his tenure comes to a close.
Contrast that with a school like Michigan, which has suffered through the disastrous Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke eras. Notre Dame has turned to Bob Davie, Charlie Weis, Tyrone Willingham and Brian Kelly with varying levels of success (or lack thereof). Nebraska’s issues with Bill Callahan and Bo Pelini were well documented.
Whether or not your allegiance lies with Ohio's professional football teams in favor of the Steel City, Svoboda has a point. Consistent success is there at Ohio State unlike many other places, an element largely due to the work of the guy in charge of bringing in Urban Meyer.
"It's inspirational," Smith said of the football program's title run. "I can't say I see more (support for non-revenue sports) with the alums. I do among our donors. It's really, it's like we started and they just don't talk about football they talk about all the other sports. That's pretty huge."
Ohio State's biggest donors, headed by Limited Brands Chairman and CEO Leslie H. Wexner, were a big part of the school raking in a near record $404 million in donations during the 2012-13 fiscal year. A portion of that goes to athletics, so the need to have power programs other than football is essential.
Yet another reason it's pretty good time to be a Buckeye.
