Today Woody wearily cruises down Woody Hayes Drive on his way back home at the end of a long tour of Columbus. In 1982, a portion of Woodruff Ave. that runs past the stadium was renamed to honor the coach’s contributions to the OSU campus.
Woody’s going to take the rest of the semester off, but watch out for some new adventures this summer!
Today Woody visits the first statue of himself on University property, unveiled earlier this month. It stands outside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and Woody thinks it’s a pretty good likeness!
Today Woody crosses the street and stops by the Ohio Statehouse. Hayes, a life-long Republican, was very active in Ohio politics and was involved in many national and local campaigns.
Today Woody heads downtown to visit his reporter “friends” at the Columbus Dispatch. Hayes made frequent headlines during and after his coaching career and current sports reporter Bob Hunter is one of Woody’s most recent biographers.
Today Woody drops by the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, the only building on campus to bear his name. Many artifacts from his career, including his chalkboard, are on display at the Center, which is used as an indoor practice facility for various sports teams. Tonight it will play host to the Anne and Woody Hayes Tribute Event planned to raise money for scholarship funds in the Hayes’ names.
Today Woody takes a day off from his tour to celebrate his 100th birthday. But check out our facebook page where Woody will wish you and your loved ones a happy Valentine’s Day!
Today Woody grabs a quick snack at Woody’s Tavern in the Ohio Union to visit his Brutus lookalike. Brutus first became the mascot in 1965, while Hayes was coach, and joined Hayes as a fixture on the sidelines of games for the next decade.
Today Woody visits Arps Hall and the dean and staff members of the College of Education and Human Ecology. In addition to his undergraduate degrees from Denison and his honorary doctorates, Woody earned a master’s degree in educational administration from OSU in 1948.
Today Woody stops by the president’s office in Bricker Hall. Hayes had a wide variety of experiences with past residents of this office: he was hired under Novice Fawcett, fired by Harold Enarson, and received an honorary doctorate from Edward Jennings.
Today Woody pays a visit to the staff at the Columbus Educational Association, where his grandson, Phil Hayes, is vice president. As the son of a school superintendent, Woody took academics very seriously and influenced his grandson to pursue a career in education (Phil is in the back row, immediately to the right of Woody).
Today Woody pauses outside before heading in to lunch at the Faculty Club. He regularly ate at the faculty club and enjoyed conversations with members of OSU’s faculty and administration on all manner of subjects.
Today Woody holds a sign used during the spring of 1970 to close campus. The administration brought Woody and others in to calm the protesters, but their efforts were largely unsuccessful and the University shut down for two weeks in an attempt to quell violence. You can read more in our exhibit about the demonstrations: Spring of Dissent
Today Woody surveys the Oval from the steps of Bricker Hall. During the student demonstrations in 1970, he was brought in by University administration to talk with the protestors and attempt to calm them down.
Today Woody stands at the front of a classroom, perhaps planning a lecture on military history. He was a frequent and popular guest lecturer at a variety of classes on historical and political topics.
Today Woody stops by some Naval equipment outside his office in Converse Hall to relieve some memories of his WWII service. He attained the rank of lieutenant commander and commanded two different ships during the five years he spent in active duty.
