• New here? Register here now for access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Plus, stay connected and follow BP on Instagram @buckeyeplanet and Facebook.

HB Robert Edward "Bo" Rein (Official Thread)

BB73

Loves Buckeye History
Staff member
Bookie
'16 & '17 Upset Contest Winner
Halfback Bo Rein was the career receptions leader at tOSU after his playing days ended (1964-66).

He was also an excellent baseball player, having been named to the College World Series All-Tournament team in both 1965 and 1966. The Buckeyes won the baseball national championship in 1966.

Rein died in a plane crash in 1980, before he had coached his first game as head coach at LSU.

In his honor, the Ohio State football team names a "Bo Rein Most Inspirational Player Award" at the end of each season.

wikipedia

Bo Rein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Robert Edward "Bo" Rein (July 20, 1945 - January 10, 1980) was a noted two-sport college athlete in the United States, and a rising college football head coach, before his tragic death in an aircraft accident in 1980. Rein is the namesake of post-season player awards at two universities.//
[edit]

Baseball Career

Rein played baseball for the Ohio State University Buckeyes from 1965 through 1967, helping that school win its only NCAA title in 1966. Rein variously played either shortstop or left field. He led his team in stolen bases in 1965 and 1966, and in doubles and scoring in 1966. Rein had 49 career stolen bases, which stood as a team record until he was surpassed by Roy Marsh in the early 1990s.

In 1965 and 1966 Ohio State participated in the College World Series, and Rein was selected both years to the All Tournament team. In 1965 the Buckeyes lost the championship game to Arizona State University. In 1966 Ohio State won the championship, defeating Oklahoma State University. In the championship game, Rein contributed with a double.

After he finished his college career, Rein was drafted by the Cleveland Indians. He was playing for the Portland Beavers, the Indians' Triple-A farm team, when Achilles tendon and hamstring problems ended his baseball career.
[edit]

Football Playing Career

Rein was a three-year starter at left halfback for the Ohio State University football team, from 1964 to 1966. He led his team in receptions in 1964 and 1965, and in rushing in 1966. Rein finished at Ohio State the team career receptions leader. Following his Ohio State career, Rein was drafted by the Baltimore Colts.

Former teammate, and later Mayor of Columbus, Ohio, Greg Lashutka said of Rein, "He wasn't the biggest guy, but pound for pound he was tough as they come. He had that inner drive and did everything to the fullest. He could play." A continuing tradition at Ohio State is that at the end of every season, the team votes to award one teammate the "Bo Rein Most Inspirational Player Award."
[edit]

Football Coaching Career

Lou Holtz, a former assistant coach at Ohio State, had taken the head coaching position at William and Mary in 1969, and Holtz offered a job to Rein. When Holtz accepted an offer from North Carolina State University in 1972, Rein went with him. Holtz moved on to the University of Arkansas in 1976, and Rein stayed at North Carolina State as the new head coach.
Rein became the youngest college football head coach upon his 1976 hiring by North Carolina State University. Guiding the Wolfpack, Rein was an advocate of the coaching philosophy of Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes. During Rein's four years with the school, he led the team to two bowl games, defeating Iowa State in the 1977 Peach Bowl and defeating the University of Pittsburgh in the 1978 Tangerine Bowl. In Rein's final year at North Carolina State, the team won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.

Following every season, North Carolina State awards the "Bo Rein Award" to a player that makes a vital contribution in an unsung role.
[edit]

Death

Following the 1979 season, Rein was hired away from North Carolina State by Louisiana State University. In January 1980, Rein took a recruiting trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. On his return trip back to Baton Rouge, his private aircraft crashed leaving no survivors.

Rein and experienced pilot Louis Benscotter left Shreveport in a Cessna Conquest aircraft. The flight was supposed to be a 40-minute trip, but after going east to avoid a storm, air traffic control lost contact with Benscotter.

The plane suddenly climbed to 40,000 feet, much higher than it was designed to go, and kept heading due east. After being tracked on radar, the plane was eventually intercepted by U.S. National Guard aircraft over North Carolina, a thousand miles off course. The military pilots could not see anyone in the cockpit. The plane continued on over the Atlantic Ocean, where it crashed after running out of fuel. The military pilots spoitted some debris, but no wreckage was ever recovered. The bodies of Rein and Benscotter were never found.

The most likely reason given was that the two men apparently lost consciousness due to slow depressurization of the cabin. However, no one knows why the two were not seen in their seats. It has been theorised that they undid their restraints before passing out.

Rein, one of the most promising young coaches in football history, was dead at 34, before he ever coached a game for LSU. Cessna later settled out of court with his widow for an undisclosed amount. Out of respect, LSU paid for his children's college educations at the universities of their choice.
 
Last edited:
0105_rein_sp_01-05-08_C1_6Q8VJ55.jpg


Promising start ended tragically
Rein's career at LSU cut short by '80 plane crash
Saturday, January 5, 2008 3:08 AM
By Rob Oller
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

NEW ORLEANS -- Bo Rein always aimed higher, never settling for the status quo. It's fitting then, that the former Ohio State football player and short-time Louisiana State coach met his end going above and beyond.

Something horrible happened up there, high above the Louisiana landscape, where a veteran pilot and his tired passenger sailed in silence. Nearly 30 years later and still no one is certain why the plane depressurized and went cold. It could have been a crack in the fuselage. Or maybe a broken seal. We'll never know, because the men and the plane were never found.

Born in Niles, Ohio, Robert "Bo" Rein (pronounced RI-an) was the Buckeyes' starting running back (1964-66) and played shortstop and left field on OSU's baseball team that won the 1966 national championship. He was drafted by the Baltimore Colts and Cleveland Indians, but injuries ended his career before it really began and he returned to coaching, where his intensity and sanguine personality put him on the fast track.

"He was intense and passionate about life," former Ohio State tight end Greg Lashutka said. "You wanted him as a teammate. He was in the mold of that wonderful group of characters we had who pursued life real hard."

Ohio State honored Rein by naming its postseason inspiration award after him. Former OSU defensive back Mark "Bo" Pelini, now serving as LSU's defensive coordinator and about to become Nebraska coach, won the award in 1990.

Pelini never met Rein but grew up knowing who he was.

"He was a big name in Youngstown," Pelini said. "I remember playing in Bo Rein Stadium (in Niles) a couple of times."


BuckeyeXtra - Promising start ended tragically
 
Upvote 0
Do yourself a favor and read the whole article by Ramzy, linked below. Great stuff.

Eleven Warriors


Ramzy said:
...
The many faces of inspiration

Rein isn't forgotten by any stretch. There's Bo Rein Memorial Stadium in Niles, OH. NC State gives its own Bo Rein award to the player making the the most vital contribution to the team in an unsung role. And there's the guy at Ohio State every year who inspires the most.

There is nothing formulaic about winning the Bo Rein award at Ohio State. Recently, Dan Potokar valiantly battled cancer. Tyler "Tank" Whaley did it with sheer effort. Tyson Gentry won it with grace and attitude.
Current Nebraska coach Bo Pelini won it with energy. Antonio Smith won it with perseverance. Troy Smith won it with resilience. Mike Nugent won it for being more than a kicker.
Every type of player you can imagine has won, from the physically gifted to the physically incapacitated; the full-time star and the part-time specialist.

...
 
Upvote 0
Remembering Bo Rein

A Vet buddy sent me a post this morning that included a list of famous birthdays and funerals and up popped the name of Bo Rein.

Bo was one of Woody's favorites, as pugnacious as the coach himself. Absolutely fearless, he gave and took hits that made the entire stadium gasp.

He was also an outstanding player on the baseball team. Once, while chasing down a potential home run, he impaled himself on the top of the cyclone fencing on the old OSU baseball diamond- and still made the catch.

He was hired by LSU to bring that program back from post Charlie McClendon disaster. He was flying an LSU jet to meet up with a recruit when the tower lost contact. Bo's body was never found.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Rein

http://www.dispatch.com/content/sto.../bcs_bo_rein.ART_ART_01-05-08_C1_I28VJCT.html
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
Back
Top