COACHSPEAK
From Woody to Day: Quick takes from one who was there for so many Ohio State coaches
Few can talk Ohio State football like Jeff Logan.
Logan lit up the Federal League as a North Canton Hoover High School running back. Then came this heady timeline at Ohio State: Freshman on a team that spent much of 1974 ranked No. 1; sophomore backup to Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin; 1,000-yard rusher as a junior; senior co-captain in 1977. Woody Hayes’ Buckeyes went 29-3 in the Big Ten in the four years.
Years later, Logan made a run on the Ohio State Radio Network as the Buckeyes’ color analyst.
Given his expertise, he was asked to put on his analyst hat. Would he share a quick reflection of the Ohio State head coaches with whom he is uniquely familiar?
Logan obliged. Here is what he had to say eight Buckeye pilots, working backward from 2021 to his own coach, Hayes.
RYAN DAY, 2018-present
Record: 25-3, including 1-2 postseason
Logan: “The results speak for themselves in terms of what he has accomplished in his short time as an assistant and interim coach and now the head coach. The interesting thing is, with the exception of Ryan Day and John Cooper, the Ohio State head coaches have been part of the Ohio State heritage or family.
“Ryan and Urban Meyer are different coaches with different strategies and different characteristics about them. But a lot of Ryan’s success goes to accepting, adopting and embracing the culture that Urban Meyer established.
“Think of all the turmoil some elite programs have gone through when they’ve had certain coaching changes. Texas comes to mind ... and Alabama before Nick Saban. Ryan didn’t inherit a broken program.
“Urban turned over a pretty healthy program. Ryan has continued to build on what was already there.”
URBAN MEYER, 2012-18
Record: 88-11, including 5-2 postseason
Logan: “I was on record when Urban Meyer was hired as being very, very concerned about the future of Ohio State football. Not that I didn’t trust the man, but my perception of him was a win-atall costs, damn-the-program, damnthe-history coach. My opinion changed dramatically when I got to know the man.
“I think Urban learned a really, really, really important lesson at Florida. When he came to Ohio State, I think he realized ‘win at all costs’ was not a recipe for long-term success. He established a culture of accountability. He was very honest.
“I’ll share a story. Urban had been on the job for a few weeks. The parents of a player he was inheriting asked for a meeting with him. The parents came in and said, ‘We want you to know our son was not used properly by the previous staff. We think he is a terrific player who has been totally mismanaged, and we expect you will be the solution to his success.’
“Urban listened and finally said, ‘Are you done? OK, I’ll tell you three things. I’ve watched tape of every play your son has had at Ohio State. No. 1, he’s weak. He needs to get stronger. No. 2, he quits on plays, so he’s got to be challenged. No. 3 the only thing that’s going to make him great is for people like you to stop making excuses for him.’
“Urban wasn’t afraid to speak the truth. It ruffled some feathers. I became a great admirer. He’s still a great friend. His record is off-the-charts incredible.”
LUKE FICKELL, 2011
Record: 6-7
Logan: “Luke was dealt a really bad hand in terms of the turmoil the program was going through after the dismissal of Jim Tressel. His work as head coach at Cincinnati has proven that the struggles during his time as Ohio State’s interim head coach were not his fault.
“He’s an Ohio State guy through and through. Whether or not Luke at some point in his future returns to Ohio State and becomes the head coach, I have no
idea. But I cannot say enough about the great job he did.”
JIM TRESSEL, 2001-10
Record: 112-26, including 6-4 postseason
Logan: “I was part of the selection committee when he was hired. Archie Griffin was on that committee. We went through all the interview processes. Jim
blew everybody away.
“It came down to Jim and and Glen Mason. Both Archie and I had the same opinion when we were approached by the athletic director, that either one of the two men would have been fine as far as we were concerned. But we really felt comfortable with Jim Tressel.
“I dont know that in today’s environment you could go out and hire an Ohio State head coach out of Division I-AA, but there was no question with Jim. He was the right guy at the right time.
“It had been quite a while since Ohio State was a national champion. Jim won one in his second year. He went out with a lot of controversy over all the issues that were here. I think his heart led him to the decisions he made.
“I saw his recent quote. ‘I hope I live long enough for the day when Ohio State’s record against the team up north is above .500.’ That’s the place Ohio State holds in his heart.”
JOHN COOPER, 1988-2000
Record: 114-51-4, including 3-8 postseason
Logan: “It was a bit of a shocker to all of us when he was hired. The years of Woody Hayes and Earle Bruce were a continuation of family. All of a sudden you have a coach who wasn’t an Ohio State guy. The athletic director at the time, Andy Geiger, was an outsider as well. I think Andy Geiger had enough of the traditions, if you will, and he wanted to explore something wide open and west coast.
“John Cooper won a Rose Bowl with his previous team (Arizona State). He came in here blazing and brand new and brash. The one thing John could do was recruit like crazy. The talent level Ohio State had then rivals where we are today. He had the talent to win national championships.
“Coop was only guilty of not being able to get that final prize, that national championship. He’s remained in Columbus and is very loyal to the program. Jim Tressel embraced both John and Earle. He had them as advisors. They had offices in the building.
“John didn’t fit our mold. He was a really, really good coach.”
EARLE BRUCE, 1979-87
Record: 86-29-1, including 5-3 postseason
Logan: “Earle was an Ohio State teammate of my father. He was a sprinting champion in Maryland, if you can believe that. He got injured as a freshman and never really got to play for the Buckeyes.
“Earle was the head coach after Woody. How do you follow one of the top few legends of college football coaching and make that work? He was guilty of being ‘9-3 Earle’ and was never able to accomplish a national championship. Nobody had more scarlet and gray in their blood than Earle Bruce. He was angry (about getting fired), but he continued to be a great supporter of Ohio State.
“I worked a lot of radio with Earle. He would be sitting beside me. You had that delay button in case somebody said something that wasn’t supposed to be on the radio. We called it the Earle Bruce button. It had to be pressed three or four times a broadcast. When Earle would transform from radio guy to locker room guy, we hit the button.”
WOODY HAYES, 1951-78
Record: 210-66-10, including 5-6 postseason
Logan: “There’s only two father-son combinations to play for Woody Hayes, Hop Cassady and his son Craig, and my father Dick Logan and me. Craig and I had a special bond. We would talk about what Woody really was all about, ‘paying it forward.’ We won four Big Ten championships when I was there, but the greatest lesson I learned was that this platform was going to enable us to help other people.
“To me, ‘pay it forward’ means when we’re gone from here, any money or titles or trophies or championships are all just things. Your legacy is going to be how many people you helped along the way. We had fabulous success, but Woody instilled the lesson that we had a responsibility far greater than winning a Big Ten championship.
“One time during a season when I was captain, Woody called me and said, ‘I need you to put on a jacket and tie. We’re going to the funeral home to pay respects to a great supporter of Ohio State. I need you to speak at the service.’
“It turned out I didn’t even know the man. I didn’t know who he was. But I went to the funeral and did the best I could when I spoke. Woody told me, ‘It’s part of your responsibility as captain of the team.’ “