The Greatest Ohio State Coaches Early in the Michigan Rivalry

The Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry includes 110 installments, so there are many coaches to choose from. We all know about Woody Hayes and Jim Tressel,  but for this list, I will focus on the first half of Ohio State football history: 1890 - 1950. During many of these early years, Ohio State was a small, upstart program going up against a well-established Michigan program that was widely considered to be one of the best in the country.

Head coach Francis Schmidt in 1934

1. Francis Schmidt (4-3 vs. UM). When Schmidt took over in 1934, OSU already had a fairly successful football team, but they struggled against Michigan every year. Schmidt came from Texas Christian and brought his "razzle-dazzle" offense with him. His Buckeyes immediately made their mark with four straight wins against the Wolverines, who were a serious college football powerhouse at the time.

Francis Schmidt coached OSU from 1934-1940 and was the guy whose comment about UM players putting their pants on one leg at a time started the gold pants tradition at Ohio State. Schmidt's career with the Buckeyes is also decorated by the 1935 and 1939 Big Ten Championships.

Paul Brown leading a pep talk in the locker room in 1942

2. Paul Brown (1-1-1 vs. UM). Although his biggest impact was his career in the NFL coaching the Browns and Bengals, Paul Brown had an important short tenure at Ohio State (1941-1943). In 1941, Brown led the Buckeyes to a tie against Michigan and a No. 13 AP ranking at the end of the season. In 1942, Brown's Buckeyes beat the Wolverines, won the Big Ten and were awarded Ohio State's first National Championship.

Paul Brown is the guy the Bengals' stadium is named after, as well as the Massillon High School Tigers' stadium, where Brown coached before coming to Columbus. Also, the Cleveland Browns are named after him.

John Wilce, the man that brought
national recognition to the Buckeyes

3. John Wilce (4-7 vs. UM). Wilce was the longstanding head coach of the Buckeyes (1913 - 1928) during their formative years. He coached greats like Chic Harley, Pete Stinchcomb and Wes Fesler. He got Ohio State three Big Ten Championships and two undefeated seasons. When he took over from John Richards, the Michigan game was not even an established event yet. UM was a powerhouse at the time and they "won" the "National Championship" in 1918, even though World War I had shortened their season to five games. Under Wilce's guidance, the Buckeyes got their first win ever over UM in 1919, which began a three-game win streak against the Wolverines. Although the 1919 & 1920 Wolverines were rebuilding their former glory, Wilce's Buckeyes handed Michigan their only loss of 1921, spoiling their comeback. Toppling the Michigan giant was now possible, and the rivalry was cemented. Without John Wilce's Buckeyes standing up to Fielding Yost's Wolverines, there would never have been much relevance to The Game.

In addition to beating UM for the first time, Wilce's tenure also saw the Buckeyes' first Rose Bowl and the construction of Ohio Stadium. "Fight the Team" was written in 1915 and was dedicated to John Wilce.