Woody knew war and football
"Men, this is war. I don't care anything about the national championship or the Big Ten championship, but if we win this game today and, afterward, if the Good Lord says, 'Woody, it's your time,' I'll say, 'Lord, I'm ready.'"
- Woody Hayes, pregame
vs. Michigan, 1975
They don't make locker room speeches anymore like the ones W.W. Hayes, God rest his soul, used to bark out.
Then, again, it's not politically correct anymore to equate a football game with war. Of course, Woody was a military historian and knew a little bit about it. He was a naval commander in World War II. And he and Bo Schembechler, God rest his soul, had their famous Ten-Year War. And up here in our little corner of the state we have long referred to it as the Border War. So be it.
Remember when the Big Ten was the Big Two and the Little Eight? Since 1935, when the Ohio State-Michigan game was permanently moved to the last game of the regular season, the game has impacted the final Big Ten standings 43 times, including 22 occasions when the winner took all. Five Buckeye teams and three UM squads came into this game ranked No. 1 in the nation. Each school has seen five undefeated seasons ruined by the outcome. For 10 straight years, from 1972-81, the teams squared off for a trip to the Rose Bowl. Call it, The War of the Roses.
Continued..............