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RB Keith Byars (B10 POY, All-American, OSU HOF, CFB HOF, NFL Pro Bowl)

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FOOTBALLETTER SPOTLIGHT



The recruiting world may have been different four decades ago, but it was no less intense.

The phone rang inside the Byars’ home in Dayton, Ohio, in January of 1982, just before national signing day. Keith Byars’ sister answered, then shouted that “Coach Hayes” was on the phone. Keith thought it was a joke, but when he got on the phone, he recognized the same voice he had been hearing all his life while watching Ohio State games as a child.

“He’s yelling at me because I hadn’t committed to Ohio State,” Byars said, laughing. “He said, ‘Don’t you want to be great, young man? I heard a lot of great things about you.’ I’m like, ‘You heard about me?’ He said, ‘All great players in Ohio stay in Ohio!’ So I was blown away.”

Byars was ready to commit to the Buckeyes right then and there, but he waited to have lunch on campus with both Woody Hayes and then-Ohio State coach Earle Bruce. And even then, Byars upped the drama, waiting to deliver his word to Bruce on the phone later on.

Byars was seemingly destined to go to Ohio State, a decision he still calls one of the best of his life. He raced through the record books in Columbus, and he is now the 26th former Buckeyes player to make the College Football Hall of Fame.

“My heart and my head were saying Ohio State,” Byars said. “That’s not a decision I ever regretted. From day one, I knew I chose the right college all along. So being able to play for a Hall of Fame coach in Earle Bruce was a blessing. He taught me a lot. We had a great coaching staff while I was there, too, and just a perfect storm of friends.”

Entire article: https://spark.adobe.com/page/p1wahUZZNuhQ6/
 
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Ohio State football: New Hall of Famer Keith Byars cherishes ‘Buckeye Brotherhood’

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Byars to be second Miami Valley Buckeye to go into College Football Hall of Fame

Ohio State has never left Keith Byars, and he has never left Ohio State.

The Dayton prep legend makes trips back to Ohio Stadium regularly — and still lives and breaths sports thanks to his radio show on WING-AM — but this weekend will be a little different.

For the first time in a long time, the 100,000-plus fans expected to be in the stands as the Buckeyes take on Penn State will direct their cheers at him Saturday night when Byars is recognized for being selected for the College Football Hall of Fame.

“There will be some fans that will remember every touchdown from when I played, and there’ll be some fans in the stadium who weren’t even born when I when I played,” Byars said, “but that was one of the reasons I chose Ohio State when I was 16-, 17-, 18-years-old. I heard about Ohio State alumni being the best alumni in the world. The fans, if you do something they remember it for life, and I wanted to be a part of that legacy. Ohio State was well-established well before I was even born, and when it was my turn to pick a college, I said, ‘This is a legacy that I want to be a part of.’”

He did his part to ingratiate himself to the fans by running for 3,200 yards and scoring 50 total touchdowns from 1982-85.
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“You hear them talking about the ‘Buckeye Brotherhood’ and things of that nature — it’s a real thing,” Byars said. “So when we get together — guys like Eddie George, Raymont Harris, Mike Doss, Ryan Shazier, Zeke Elliott, Archie Griffin — when we’re all in the same room we sit around and just talk about the brotherhood of what’s going on at Ohio State right now. What was it like when we were there and what we expect of the future players. That’s majority of our conversation.

“A lot of schools are jealous of that because they don’t see that. I go on a Buckeye Cruise for Cancer and it’s nothing for me, Zeke Elliott and other guys sitting around playing cards and laughing and cracking jokes on each other, guys from the ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s. We have that kind of bond.”
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Entire article: https://www.daytondailynews.com/spo...ckeye-brotherhood/NV4DI7QUIRDRDFFQFA6QTIOIN4/
 
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Jake said:
Should have happened sooner but I'm glad it did and he was able to enjoy the moment.

He was a legend on campus in my day.
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I’ve always thought he should have won. Flutie threw on lucky desperation heave to beat him. Apparently he agrees.

Ask Keith Byars if the 1984 Heisman Trophy should have been decided on a desperation heave, and the former Ohio State tailback does not mince words.

Hail Mary? Hail no.

“I should have won,” Byars said this week, still annoyed that he finished second in voting to Boston College quarterback Doug Flutie, whose famous 63-yard Hail Mary pass to wide receiver Gerard Phelan on the final play gave the Eagles a shocking 47-45 win against Miami on Nov. 23, 1984, eight days before Flutie was named the Heisman winner
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https://www.cantonrep.com/story/spo...doug-flutie-beat-keith-byars-1984/6463396001/
 
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Trevi said:
I’ve always thought he should have won. Flutie threw on lucky desperation heave to beat him. Apparently he agrees.

https://www.cantonrep.com/story/spo...doug-flutie-beat-keith-byars-1984/6463396001/
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Yeah, many of his fans were disappointed too:

Keith Byars getting robbed of '84 Heisman still haunts Buckeye fans

The year is 1984 and Keith Byars is the new Ohio State record-holder for all-purpose yards in a single season with 2,441 yards. He also demolished the record for rushing yards in a single season with 1,764 yards while chipping in 22 touchdowns. Byars was an absolute man among boys, averaging a whopping 5.3 yards per carry.

Let’s not forget Byars was also the definition of a total package with insane receiving ability (which would explain the seamless move to tight end during his NFL career). Byars snagged 42 receptions for 479 yards and two more touchdowns. Oh, did we also forget his 35-yard touchdown pass or his eight kick returns for an average of 24.8 yards per return? If you have seen “Friday Night Lights” then Byars was basically Boobie Miles.



Entire article: https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/2...robbed-of-heisman-still-haunts-fans-buckeyes/

I thought (and still do) his Junior year was one of the all time best for any RB at Ohio State and he should have won it. The disappointment was somewhat tempered as he was just a Junior and would probably win it in 1985. Unfortunately 1985 was an injury plagued season for him.
 
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