The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Woody Hayes

Followed Wesley Fesler. Woody Hayes took Ohio State from Power Program I to Blue Blood.

205–61
1951–1978 · 1 stint
Ohio State
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerOHIO STATEDynastythe sport's summitBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderOhio State, 1951: 4-3, Power Program II1951Ohio State, 1952: 6-3, Power Program IIOhio State, 1953: 6-3, Power Program IIOhio State, 1954: 10-0, Blue BloodOhio State, 1955: 7-2, Blue BloodOhio State, 1956: 6-3, Blue BloodOhio State, 1957: 9-1, Blue BloodOhio State, 1958: 6-1, Blue BloodOhio State, 1959: 3-5, Blue BloodOhio State, 1960: 7-2, Blue BloodOhio State, 1961: 8-0, Blue BloodOhio State, 1962: 6-3, Blue BloodOhio State, 1963: 5-3, Blue BloodOhio State, 1964: 7-2, Blue BloodOhio State, 1965: 7-2, Blue BloodOhio State, 1966: 4-5, Power Program IOhio State, 1967: 6-3, Power Program IIOhio State, 1968: 10-0, Blue BloodOhio State, 1969: 8-1, Blue BloodOhio State, 1970: 9-1, Blue BloodOhio State, 1971: 6-4, Blue BloodOhio State, 1972: 9-2, Blue BloodOhio State, 1973: 10-0, Blue BloodOhio State, 1974: 10-2, Blue BloodOhio State, 1975: 11-1, Blue BloodOhio State, 1976: 9-2, Blue BloodOhio State, 1977: 9-3, Blue BloodOhio State, 1978: 7-4, Blue Blood1978+22.4One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 4th career season — faster than 43% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #52 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

Ohio State, 28 seasons
+22.4
Power Program II → Blue Blood.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

18–15 against his rivals. Winless in 3 tries against Rip Engle.

Rivalry record
18–15–1
52.9% · 2 rivals
One-score games
53–28–10
58.2% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
5–6
45.5%
Rivalry ledger
Michigan16–11–157%
Penn State2–433%
The toughest matchup
vs. Rip Engle0–3
3 meetings, 1956–1964
’56 L’63 L’64 L
0% win rate across a real, 3-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
5–6 45.5%
Power Program
64–40 61.5%
National Program
66–10 86.8%
Regional Program
69–4 94.5%

Coaching career

1951–1978
Ohio Statetransformerborderline
Power Program I → Blue Blood
Woody Hayes took Ohio State from Power Program I to Blue Blood.

1st-best Ohio State tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Followed Wesley Fesler (1947–1950) · succeeded by Earle Bruce (1979–1987).

205–61