Woody Hayes was a great coachIt is a pity he's remembered solely for his outburst.
I grew up in Ohio, and watched his outbursts. Woody was remembered for numerous outbursts of conduct unworthy of an NCAA coach. Winning coach yes, role model?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Hayes
Controversies
Woody Hayes confronts Jerry Markbreit during a 1971 college football game between Michigan and Ohio State
Hayes' volatile temper was often on display during key games;
a serious character flaw which often overshadowed his coaching ability. One acquaintance said of Hayes, "Woody's idea of sublimating is to hit someone." In 1956, Hayes
attacked a television cameraman following a defeat to the
University of Iowa, which was followed three years later by an incident in which he
took a swing at
Los Angeles Examiner sportswriter
Al Bine, but missed and instead struck the brother of
Pasadena Independent sports editor
Bob Shafer. The scuffle followed a 17-0 loss to the
University of Southern California.
Another loss to Iowa in the 1960s resulted in
Hayes cutting his face with the large ring on his left hand. His rage with that team stemmed from his feud with Hawkeyes head coach and athletic director
Forest Evashevski. In a May 1965 meeting of Big Ten Conference athletic directors and coaches,
Hayes nearly started a fight with Evashevski.
Hayes had also been seen on television on occasion striking himself in the head and biting his own hand in frustration.
In two instances against arch rival
Michigan, both in
Ann Arbor, his fury also got the best of him: in 1971, he ran onto the field and confronted referee
Jerry Markbreit and
tore up sideline markers, receiving an
unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Hayes was furious over what he thought was a missed defensive pass interference foul committed by
Thom Darden of Michigan. After getting the flag, Hayes began
ripping up the yard markers and throwing the
first-down marker into the ground like a javelin, prompting another unsportsmanlike conduct flag. Six years later, a late fumble
caused him to charge ABC cameraman Mike Freedman, who recorded his frustration. The latter incident resulted in Hayes being put on probation by the Big Ten Conference.
