Urban Meyer's retirement has us thinking: Where do you slot Urban in the pantheon of great Ohio State football coaches. He's certainly in the top three, but where exactly?
Coach | Term | W | L | T | Win% | B1G Titles | National Championships | CFB Hall of Fame |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FRANCIS SCHMIDT | 1934–1940 | 39 | 16 | 1 | .705 | 2 | 0 | YES |
PAUL BROWN | 1941–1943 | 18 | 8 | 1 | .685 | 1 | 1 | NO |
WOODY HAYES | 1951–1978 | 205 | 61 | 10 | .761 | 13 | 5 | YES |
EARLE BRUCE | 1979–1987 | 81 | 26 | 1 | .755 | 4 | 0 | YES |
JOHN COOPER | 1988–2000 | 111 | 43 | 4 | .715 | 3 | 0 | YES |
JIM TRESSEL | 2001–2010 | 94 | 22 | 0 | .810 | 6 | 1 | YES |
URBAN MEYER | 2012–2018 | 82 | 9 | 0 | .901 | 3 | 1 | SOON |
Dating back to Wes Fesler's tenure (1947–1950), the last five permanent head coaches at Ohio State have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (Fesler, Hayes, Bruce, Cooper and Tressel). Meyer will certainly make it six.
Most of these coaches are not without their share of minor scandals or black eyes, either, which must be taken into account.
So, who are your top three Ohio State football coaches of all time, ranked? And why?