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Making the List: Woody’s Last Great Linebacker
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Back to Football.
The last couple of weeks we journeyed off in announcing two legendary Basketball icons to Making The List. Both completely deserving – both teachers – both the faces of the greatness that would come to Buckeyes Basketball. Of course I speak of Fred Taylor and Phyllis Bailey.
It was appropriate to take a break from football even though I was adamant about picking from the many greats from the gridiron while it was football season – unless, of course, I had an epiphany.
Well! I obviously had two.
Basketball season was upon us, beginning our Buckeyes 2015-16 voyage – the Men’s and Women’s. It just seemed “right” to announce our first two Basketball heroes. It is all about timing, right? So validation for my two epiphany’s are therefore – validated. Besides it also afforded me the opportunity to announce the first woman to Making The List (Who in the world else could it have been other than the Great Phyllis Bailey?).
Now as the stretch of the Football season is coming to a climax we must leap back into the thick of it and allow the pendulum to sway back to a football mention (as many great names remain to choose from).
I have decided to stay on the Defensive side of the ball.
Defensively thus far we have gone with two while offensively we have named three. So allow us to even the score. First on the defensive side I went with the great Jack Tatum. In my mind there is no one else who expresses Buckeyes Football Defense than Mr. Jack Tatum. He was the complete package.
Our second mention was the great Bill Willis. Though I was not even a gleam in the eyes of my parent’s back in his days of ruling Ohio Stadium – all that I read on him – all that I understood of history – made him a shoe-in to be listed as the 2nd Defensive player to Making The List.
So let’s go Linebackers now.
Certainly we all have that first name which pops into our minds when we think of a great Buckeyes linebacker. The first name that arrives to me – every time – is Tom Cousineau.
Thomas Michael Cousineau was born in the Buckeye State in 1957. Come 1975, his senior year in High School, he’d be one of the most sought after recruits in the nation. His choice though would be to head to Columbus to The Ohio State University and play for the Legendary Woody Hayes.
Under the wings of Woody and Defensive Coordinator George Hill he would be a consensus First Team All-American twice, and All-Big 10 three times. Tom would break the School’s record with 211 single tackles in a season in 1978. He also owns the School’s record for the most tackles in a game with 29 and would be the 1977 Orange Bowl MVP in the Buckeyes victory over Colorado 27-10.
Perhaps, and unfairly, my greatest memory of Tom Cousineau is the Gator Bowl played on December 29, 1978. It was the now infamous matchup against Clemson that had the world witnessing the meltdown of the Great Woody Hayes. After the Charlie Bauman punch and the certifying 15-yard penalty for unsportsman-like conduct Woody continued his melee. Another penalty would be tossed for the same infraction. The Buckeyes Football world was disintegrating. We all witnessed in complete silence. Some of The Ohio State University players attempted to “escort” Woody from the field. He would turn on them. Tom Cousineau was one of those players. The picture is completely fresh in my mind.
Tom would go on to be the #1 pick in the NFL Draft of 1979 – going to the Buffalo Bills. He instead elected to play North in Canada with the Montreal Alouettes who doubled the Bills offer. Cousineau would flourish north of the line – even being chosen as the MVP of the Grey Cup in 1979.
Upon his return to the NFL in 1982 the Bills still held his rights. They would trade him to the Cleveland Browns for their first pick (14th overall) in the 1983 NFL Draft – which would get them the great Jim Kelly. Cousineau signed with the Browns for 2.5 million – at the time the highest ever paid to a Cleveland Browns player.
Tom Cousineau absolutely deserves to be the first Linebacker to Making The List – not because of my memories – but on the sheer weight of his numbers and performances in an insane era of brutality.
The post Making the List: Woody’s Last Great Linebacker appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...
jcollingsworth via our good friends at Buckeye Battle Cry
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Back to Football.
The last couple of weeks we journeyed off in announcing two legendary Basketball icons to Making The List. Both completely deserving – both teachers – both the faces of the greatness that would come to Buckeyes Basketball. Of course I speak of Fred Taylor and Phyllis Bailey.
It was appropriate to take a break from football even though I was adamant about picking from the many greats from the gridiron while it was football season – unless, of course, I had an epiphany.
Well! I obviously had two.
Basketball season was upon us, beginning our Buckeyes 2015-16 voyage – the Men’s and Women’s. It just seemed “right” to announce our first two Basketball heroes. It is all about timing, right? So validation for my two epiphany’s are therefore – validated. Besides it also afforded me the opportunity to announce the first woman to Making The List (Who in the world else could it have been other than the Great Phyllis Bailey?).
Now as the stretch of the Football season is coming to a climax we must leap back into the thick of it and allow the pendulum to sway back to a football mention (as many great names remain to choose from).
I have decided to stay on the Defensive side of the ball.
Defensively thus far we have gone with two while offensively we have named three. So allow us to even the score. First on the defensive side I went with the great Jack Tatum. In my mind there is no one else who expresses Buckeyes Football Defense than Mr. Jack Tatum. He was the complete package.
Our second mention was the great Bill Willis. Though I was not even a gleam in the eyes of my parent’s back in his days of ruling Ohio Stadium – all that I read on him – all that I understood of history – made him a shoe-in to be listed as the 2nd Defensive player to Making The List.
So let’s go Linebackers now.
Certainly we all have that first name which pops into our minds when we think of a great Buckeyes linebacker. The first name that arrives to me – every time – is Tom Cousineau.
Thomas Michael Cousineau was born in the Buckeye State in 1957. Come 1975, his senior year in High School, he’d be one of the most sought after recruits in the nation. His choice though would be to head to Columbus to The Ohio State University and play for the Legendary Woody Hayes.
Under the wings of Woody and Defensive Coordinator George Hill he would be a consensus First Team All-American twice, and All-Big 10 three times. Tom would break the School’s record with 211 single tackles in a season in 1978. He also owns the School’s record for the most tackles in a game with 29 and would be the 1977 Orange Bowl MVP in the Buckeyes victory over Colorado 27-10.
Perhaps, and unfairly, my greatest memory of Tom Cousineau is the Gator Bowl played on December 29, 1978. It was the now infamous matchup against Clemson that had the world witnessing the meltdown of the Great Woody Hayes. After the Charlie Bauman punch and the certifying 15-yard penalty for unsportsman-like conduct Woody continued his melee. Another penalty would be tossed for the same infraction. The Buckeyes Football world was disintegrating. We all witnessed in complete silence. Some of The Ohio State University players attempted to “escort” Woody from the field. He would turn on them. Tom Cousineau was one of those players. The picture is completely fresh in my mind.
Tom would go on to be the #1 pick in the NFL Draft of 1979 – going to the Buffalo Bills. He instead elected to play North in Canada with the Montreal Alouettes who doubled the Bills offer. Cousineau would flourish north of the line – even being chosen as the MVP of the Grey Cup in 1979.
Upon his return to the NFL in 1982 the Bills still held his rights. They would trade him to the Cleveland Browns for their first pick (14th overall) in the 1983 NFL Draft – which would get them the great Jim Kelly. Cousineau signed with the Browns for 2.5 million – at the time the highest ever paid to a Cleveland Browns player.
Tom Cousineau absolutely deserves to be the first Linebacker to Making The List – not because of my memories – but on the sheer weight of his numbers and performances in an insane era of brutality.
The post Making the List: Woody’s Last Great Linebacker appeared first on The Buckeye Battle Cry: Ohio State News and Commentary.
Continue reading...