Woody Hayes: THE LEGEND

Wayne Woodrow “Woody” Hayes

February 14, 1913 – March 12, 1987

THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY 1951-1978

Of all the coaches that have had the privilege of occupying the position of Head Coach at The Ohio State University,   any fan would acknowledge the best and most memorable being Woody Hayes, the longest serving coach of the football program. With a record of 205-61-10, 5 national championships, 13 big ten titles, and eight rose bowls he is the most decorated Ohio State Head Coach ever. What Vince Lombardi of Professional Football, Woody Hayes was to College Football.

BACKGROUND

Hayes is a native of Clifton, Ohio and grew up with football in his veins. He played Center in high school and after World War II he would go reinstate his old college football program at Denison University. Yes, he did serve in the war; in 1941 he would go into the war and eventually move to the rank of Lieutenant Commander serving in both the Atlantic and Pacific Theaters. After the war Woody would start his amazing career as a college football coaching legend.

AGGRESSIVENESS

Woody was known throughout his career as a little bit of a “hot head.” He was the person who would directly tell you if you screwed up or deserved a lashing. Many controversies arose as he had many run-ins with the press over his tenure. He was suspended on many occasions and fined thousands of dollars. He was not like this off the field however.On campus he would walk around

and interact with students casually. Some believe that Hayes’s connection with the student population helped repel the anti-war and violent demonstrations on the campus that plagued many other schools around the area. He was seen as one authority figure the young students had the upmost respect for. But on the football field, Hayes was a menace. His final game was played on December 21, 1978 after he slugged an opposing player and was dismissed the following day from coaching The Ohio State Buckeyes.

MUCK MICHIGAN

Woody Hayes hated Michigan University. He grew up in Ohio and was bred that way. He did not only hate that school but the entire state itself. It is said that while on his way back from recruiting trip into Michigan his car ran out of gas three miles from the border city of Toledo, Ohio. He is believed to have said to his coaching staff, “I be damned if I am to give one cent of tax to this forsaken state and will push my way out if it’s the last thing I do.” The Ten Year War it was called between Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler. The two would go at it with a greater intensity than any other outstanding rival between to coaches in football history. They tied most years in the Big Ten and were forced to share the title even though Woody would claim superiority.

LEGACY

Woody Hayes will be forever remembered for his aggressive play style in football. It was not ok to lose and he expressed anger every lose he took which were not many. He had a way with words of motivating players on and off the field. The Students fell in love with their coach because of his interaction with the student body and the mutual respect he showed the young people. He will be remembered for many years of dedication to The Ohio State University as a head coach and much loved member of The Ohio State family.

“I wanted to talk about football and Woody wanted to talk about foreign policy. And you know Woody, we talked about foreign policy.” -President Richard Nixon

Battlestar Galactica: An Epic to be Remembered

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

OCTOBER 10, 2012

My favorite T.V. show of all time is Battlestar Galactica and obviously the show will be my first blog.

Uniqueness

Battlestar Galactica is a Science Fiction Drama which ran from 2004-2009, a very unique show in my opinion. The series is both a genuine science fiction as it is set in space and depicts a future setting for humans, and a drama as it depicts real world situations of the characters and how they respond and eventually overcome set challenges. The show depicts theological references of the human polytheism and the cylon monotheism. This does lead to culture clash between the races and only deepens the divide between them. Current issues of the present also spring up throughout the series, such as the case of abortion arises and for the survival of the human race abortion is declared illegal in the fleet.

The Challenge

The plot of the series is set in a ragtag fleet of vessels and one Battlestar or space version of a battleship the Galactica. Their mission is to protect and escort the last remnants of humanity to the promised land, Earth after the original twelve colonies (planets) are destroyed by the race super-robots created by the humans known as cylons. I am not one for spoilers so that is all I can give you.

SFX

I do not care for the mainstream drama shows that much (two exceptions-Breaking Bad and Walking Dead) and this series got me very interested in how the characters developed over the four years in the fleet. I liked learning about where the characters came from and how they act. But I am a SFX (Special Effects) Junkie and by far loved the computer generated scenes of the series. The graphics used are by far the best ever used by a television series. The video I posted earlier you can see for yourself the movie quality effects. 

A great quote of the many ways to view the series:

Diane Werts of Newsday wrote: “You can look at this saga any way you want—as political drama, religious debate, psychological suspenser, sci-fi adventure, deep metaphor or just plain fun—and it’s scintillating (witty, clever) from every angle.”

Battlestar Galactica Series Trailer

4-minute intro to familiarize a person with the franchise.