August 19, 2008

Greatest Buckeyes Of All Time

It's a scarlet-and-gray squad that would be unstoppable in any era. Here are Ohio State's gridiron greats

Andrew Lawrence

MOST POPULAR

The Alltime Buckeyes Team
OFFENSE
QB	TROY SMITH	2003-06	Was 25-3 as starting quarterback and nabbed the Heisman as a senior.
RB	KEITH BYARS	1982-85	Led nation in rushing (1,764 yards) and scoring (144 points) as a junior.
RB	EDDIE GEORGE	1992-95	Rushed for 100 or more yards 12 times during his Heisman season.
RB	ARCHIE GRIFFIN*	1972-75	Only player to win two Heismans also started in four Rose Bowls.
SE	CRIS CARTER	1984-86	OSU's first All-America split end caught 27 TD passes in three years.
FL	TERRY GLENN	1993-95	Caught 64 passes for 1,411 yards in his only season as a starter.
OL	ORLANDO PACE	1994-96	Outland Trophy winner and two-time Lombardi Award winner.
OL	BILL WILLIS*	1942-44	Voted into both the college and pro football halls of fame.
OL	JOHN HICKS*	1970, '72-73	Won Outland and Lombardi in '73; was second in Heisman voting.
OL	JIM PARKER*	1954-56	Woody Hayes measured all others against this run-block specialist.
OL	LECHARLES BENTLEY	1998-2001	Changed position as a junior and won Dave Rimington Trophy as top center.
DEFENSE
DL	JIM STILLWAGON*	1968-70	First player to win Outland and Lombardi awards in same year.
DL	MIKE VRABEL	1993-96	His 36 sacks and 66 tackles for loss are still Buckeyes records.
DL	DAN WILKINSON	1992-93	Big (6' 5", 300 pounds) and fast, he made 44 tackles (13 for a loss) in '93.
LB	TOM COUSINEAU	1975-78	Two-time All-America racked up a record 211 tackles in '78.
LB	RANDY GRADISHAR*	1971-73	Hayes called him "the best linebacker I ever coached at Ohio State."
LB	ANDY KATZENMOYER	1996-98	Three-year starter won the Buckeyes' first Butkus Award.
LB	CHRIS SPIELMAN	1984-87	Lombardi winner was defensive MVP of the Cotton Bowl as a senior.
DB	ANTOINE WINFIELD	1995-98	First Buckeye to win Thorpe Award and first CB to lead team in tackles.
DB	SHAWN SPRINGS	1994-96	Started 37 times in three years; made 40 solo tackles and five picks in '95.
DB	JACK TATUM*	1968-70	Besides covering top receivers, the Assassin also filled in at linebacker.
DB	MIKE DOSS	1999-2002	Three-time All-America was defensive MVP of '02 national title game.
SPECIAL TEAMS
K	MIKE NUGENT	2001-04	His 72 field goals—including 24 straight—are a school record.
P	TOM TUPA	1984-87	Holds Buckeyes top two marks for season punting average (47.1, 47).
KR-PR	TED GINN JR.	2004-06	His eight TDs returning punts and kicks are second to none at OSU.
COACH	WOODY HAYES*	1951-78	Had 205 wins, 13 conference titles and five national championships.
*Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

KEITH BYARS
TB
CAREER: 1982-85
HIGHLIGHTS: 3,200 yards rushing, 902 receiving, Big Ten MVP ('84)

The Dayton native finished second to Boston College's Doug Flutie for the '84 Heisman Trophy after a junior season highlighted by his 274-yard, five-TD effort against Illinois. The preseason Heisman favorite in '85, Byars lost most of his senior season to a series of foot injuries but still is second on the OSU alltime list with 50 touchdowns.

CRIS CARTER
SE
CAREER: 1984-86
HIGHLIGHTS: 2,725 yards receiving, 168 receptions

In his three seasons as a starter, the Troy native set the standard for pass catching with his precise route-running and balletic ability to stay in bounds. As a freshman in January 1985, Carter set a Rose Bowl record with nine receptions for 172 yards. In 1986 he won All-America honors after catching 69 passes for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns.

CHRIS SPIELMAN
LB
CAREER: 1984-87
HIGHLIGHTS: 546 tackles (30 for loss), eight sacks, 11 interceptions; Lombardi Award winner ('87)

The two-time All-America from Massillon holds the school record for solo tackles, with 283. More than a third of those tackles (105) came during a junior year in which he earned the second of three all-conference nods. And almost a third of those (29) came against then No. 6 Michigan.

JIM STILLWAGON
MG
CAREER: 1968-70
HIGHLIGHTS: Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy winner ('70)

JACK TATUM
DB
CAREER: 1968-70
HIGHLIGHTS: All-America ('69, '70), National Defensive Player of the Year ('70)

Before he became one of the most intimidating hitters in football, Tatum (32) was a 6-foot, 204-pound, highly recruited running back on a strong freshman team who didn't move to defense until the spring of his freshman year. Stillwagon (68) was an undersized middle guard (6 feet, 220 pounds) who made 99 tackles in 10 games in 1970. Together they keyed the defense for the Buckeyes juggernaut that went 27-2—including a win in the '68 national championship game—during their three varsity seasons in Columbus.

BILL WILLIS
T
CAREER: 1942-44
HIGHLIGHTS: All-America ('43, '44)

TOP OF STORY

SI VAULT HOME

	ARTICLES	GALLERIES	VIDEO	COVERS
College Football	16867	272		91
Jack Tatum	25	0		1
Cris Carter	55	0		0
Columbus	152	1		0
Bill Willis	3	0		0

GALLERIES

College Football (272)

COVERS

College Football (91)