Hall of Fame Inductees
- Induction:
- 2021
Football Coach (1934-40)
Francis Schmidt was the head coach of the Ohio State football program from 1934 to 1940 and his comments about arch-rival Michigan – “Those fellows put their pants on one leg at a time, the same as everyone else” – led to the tradition of awarding gold pants to players and coaches following wins over the Wolverines.
During his seven seasons with the Buckeyes, Schmidt’s team went 39-16-1 with an offense that was dubbed “razzle dazzle” by the media because of its use of reverses, laterals and passes. His inaugural team in 1934 scored 267 points, second most in school history up to that point. His second team, in 1935, was nearly as good, outscoring opponents 237-57. Those Buckeyes finished 7-1 and won their first Big Ten title in 14 years. The season was punctuated with a 38-0 season-ending win over Michigan, part of a stretch from 1934-37 that saw the Buckeyes outscore the Wolverines 114-0. In 1939, Schmidt led Ohio State to an outright Big Ten championship, the school’s first in 19 years. Schmidt, who also coached basketball and baseball at various stops prior to Ohio State, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
