Between 1936 and 2016 Ohio State had 43 running backs* selected in the NFL Draft. Below you will find trivia questions, random facts and the entire list of Buckeye running backs drafted.
FIVE RUNNING BACK TRIVIA QUESTIONS
Who was the last Buckeye running back (most current) to get picked in the NFL Draft?
Can you name the last Ohio State running back drafted by the Browns? The year?
How many of the 43 Buckeye running backs selected in the NFL Draft were 1st round picks?
Who is the highest drafted Ohio State running back?
Which decade had the most Buckeye running backs drafted?
FIVE RANDOM FACTS
Nine Ohio State coaches have had running backs drafted: Woody Hayes (20), John Coooper (8) Jim Tressel (4), Earle Bruce (3), Paul Brown (2), Urban Meyer (2), Francis Schmidt (2), Wes Fesler (1) and Luke Fickell (1).
Seven of Woody Hayes' 20 drafted running backs were 1st round selections.
Three is the largest amount of Buckeye running backs selected in a single draft. Larry Zelina, John Brockington and Rich Galbos were all picked in the 1971 draft.
The Bengals have drafted four Buckeye running backs. That is the most by a single NFL team.
The longest yearly streak for Ohio State running backs to get selected is five (1975-1979).
*Position for player while at Ohio State.
| YEAR | PLAYER | ROUND | PICK | TEAM | COACH | NUMBER |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | FRANK ZADWORNEY | 8 | 64 | DODGERS | FRANCIS SCHMIDT | 1 |
| 1941 | JIMMY STRAUSBAUGH | 20 | 186 | PACKERS | FRANCIS SCHMIDT | 2 |
| 1943 | LES HORVATH | 6 | 45 | RAMS | PAUL BROWN | 3 |
| 1944 | PAUL SARRINGHAUS | 9 | 80 | EAGLES | PAUL BROWN | 4 |
| 1949 | GERRY KRALL | 6 | 59 | BEARS | WES FESLER | 5 |
| 1952 | VIC JANOWICZ | 7 | 79 | REDSKINS | WOODY HAYES | 6 |
| 1955 | BOBBY WATKINS | 2 | 23 | BEARS | WOODY HAYES | 7 |
| 1956 | HOPALONG CASSADY | 1 | 3 | LIONS | WOODY HAYES | 8 |
| 1959 | DON CLARK | 1 | 7 | BEARS | WOODY HAYES | 9 |
| 1961 | TOM MATTE | 1 | 7 | COLTS | WOODY HAYES | 10 |
| 1964 | PAUL WARFIELD | 1 | 11 | BROWNS | WOODY HAYES | 11 |
| 1964 | MATT SNELL | 4 | 49 | JETS | WOODY HAYES | 12 |
| 1965 | BO SCOTT | 3 | 32 | BROWNS | WOODY HAYES | 13 |
| 1966 | TOM BARRINGTON | 3 | 38 | REDSKINS | WOODY HAYES | 14 |
| 1970 | JIM OTIS | 9 | 218 | SAINTS | WOODY HAYES | 15 |
| 1971 | LARRY ZELINA | 8 | 196 | BROWNS | WOODY HAYES | 16 |
| 1971 | LEO HAYDEN | 1 | 24 | VIKINGS | WOODY HAYES | 17 |
| 1971 | JOHN BROCKINGTON | 1 | 9 | PACKERS | WOODY HAYES | 18 |
| 1973 | RICH GALBOS | 9 | 218 | REDSKINS | WOODY HAYES | 19 |
| 1973 | JOHN BLEDSOE | 8 | 203 | LIONS | WOODY HAYES | 20 |
| 1975 | CHAMP HENSON | 4 | 89 | VIKINGS | WOODY HAYES | 21 |
| 1976 | ARCHIE GRIFFIN | 1 | 24 | BENGALS | WOODY HAYES | 22 |
| 1977 | PETE JOHNSON | 2 | 49 | BENGALS | WOODY HAYES | 23 |
| 1978 | JEFF LOGAN | 7 | 191 | COLTS | WOODY HAYES | 24 |
| 1979 | RON SPRINGS | 5 | 136 | COWBOYS | WOODY HAYES | 25 |
| 1981 | CALVIN MURRAY | 4 | 110 | EAGLES | EARLE BRUCE | 26 |
| 1983 | TIM SPENCER | 11 | 307 | CHARGERS | EARLE BRUCE | 27 |
| 1986 | KEITH BYARS | 1 | 10 | EAGLES | EARLE BRUCE | 28 |
| 1989 | VINCE WORKMAN | 5 | 127 | PACKERS | JOHN COOPER | 29 |
| 1993 | ROBERT SMITH | 1 | 21 | VIKINGS | JOHN COOPER | 30 |
| 1994 | JEFF COTHRAN | 3 | 66 | BENGALS | JOHN COOPER | 31 |
| 1994 | BUTLER BY'NOT'E | 7 | 212 | BRONCOS | JOHN COOPER | 32 |
| 1996 | EDDIE GEORGE | 1 | 14 | OILERS | JOHN COOPER | 33 |
| 1999 | JOE MONTGOMERY | 2 | 49 | GIANTS | JOHN COOPER | 34 |
| 2000 | MICHAEL WILEY | 5 | 144 | COWBOYS | JOHN COOPER | 35 |
| 2001 | DEREK COMBS | 7 | 228 | RAIDERS | JOHN COOPER | 36 |
| 2002 | JONATHAN WELLS | 4 | 99 | TEXANS | JIM TRESSEL | 37 |
| 2005 | MAURICE CLARETT | 3 | 101 | BRONCOS | JIM TRESSEL | 38 |
| 2007 | ANTONIO PITTMAN | 4 | 107 | SAINTS | JIM TRESSEL | 39 |
| 2009 | BEANIE WELLS | 1 | 31 | CARDINALS | JIM TRESSEL | 40 |
| 2012 | DAN HERRON | 6 | 191 | BENGALS | JIM TRESSEL | 41 |
| 2014 | CARLOS HYDE | 2 | 57 | 49ERS | URBAN MEYER | 42 |
| 2016 | EZEKIEL ELLIOTT | 1 | 4 | COWBOYS | URBAN MEYER | 43 |
| AVERAGE | 4.6 | 91 |
Trivia Question Answers
Who was the last Buckeye running back to get picked in the NFL Draft?
Ezekiel Elliott by the Cowboys as the 4th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Can you name the last Ohio State running back drafted by the Browns? The year?
Larry Zelina in 1971.
How many of the 43 Buckeye running backs selected in the NFL Draft were 1st round picks?
12 of the 43 drafted running backs were 1st round picks.
Who is the highest drafted Ohio State running back?
The Lions took Hopalong Cassady with the 3rd overall pick in the 1956 NFL Draft.
Which decade had the most Buckeye running backs drafted?
In the 1970s, 11 Ohio State running backs were drafted.
