(BOOK EXCERPT) 1968: The Year that Saved Ohio State Football

[shetuck]

I should have said it better. Thank for the the clarification. He was an amazing person despite any personality faults, I'm sure. After all, we are who we are, both good and bad. The bad is just as important in shaping us as humans. I am very interested in your book as it seems to be totally unafraid of shying away from showing both sides to the man.

As a relatively new "Buckeye" it is sometimes difficult to understand certain facets of being a Buckeye. A book like yours is actually more intriguing to me than another that might do nothing but paint a glowing picture as it will serve to flesh out the man, Woody, instead of the myth, Woody, if that makes sense.

I think we Buckeyes do deify Woody. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending. To the extent that it makes us lose sight of the fact that we're all human and we're prone to making mistakes, it's a bad thing.

If, on the other hand, if it helps us realize that we're much more defined by the good stuff we do as opposed to the stuff we do with our left hand to other people's necks' (for example)... that's a good thing.

Like you, OCBF, it's always been a fascination/mystery to me how we can care for a guy like Woody as much as we do given some of the unseemly stuff he was capable of unleashing. But then my thoughts turn to a lot people I've admired greatly over the years who also happened to have huge personal challenges and demons that they always struggled to control; whether they be addictions of various sorts, racism, abusive behavior, etc. It kind of reminds of what Barack Obama said about Rev. Wright and the fact he could no more disown him as he could disown his own (white) grandmother.

To me, Woody's faults and shortcomings (as it were) make him that much more of a leader and role model because of his ability to continue to fight those demons to his last breath out of sheer discipline and tenacity. That - keeping your shortcomings in check and making sure you do more good than harm - is part and parcel of being an Apostle of any sort.

 

[BUCKYLE]

I think it's impossible to ignore Woody's darker side, especially because of how it all ended for him at tOSU.

The thing I love about Woody, is that he was undeniabley "real".

Everyone fucks up...not everyones fuck ups are so well known about. And I believe it takes a GREAT person to remain quiet about all the good they do when their own negative personality traits are shoved back in their face on the daily.

 

[iambrutus]

i picked this book up for a christmas present for my father in law yesterday and have started to read it already, looks like FIL is getting a used book for christmas - amazing read

 

[cincibuck]

I've enjoyed the selections -- the bit about the off tackle play took me back to Woody's class. We spent a quarter diagramming plays and all of them centered on 26 and 27 "If you can run this, then it opens up this and this and this" Which sounded good, but Woody always felt like if you could run 26, why the hell not run it again.

The title seems off. 68 sure saved Woody's ass, but if he'd had two more seasons like 66 and 67 he'd have been gone abnd OSU would have found a new coach who would throw the ball. The institution of OSU football was/is bigger than Woody. The program would have been down for a couple of years, but it would still have the facilities, the money base and the alum/booster support to bring the program back.