Saint Woody - by Bob Hunter

About the Book

Saint Woody is a Bill Bryson-style look at Ohio State football and the spiritual fanaticism that surrounds it.

Book Synopsis

The Ohio State Buckeyes have been a powerhouse in college football for decades, with numerous national championships and NFL draftees to their credit. With such a successful history, it's no wonder that the passion for Ohio State football has reached a level of devotion that has religious overtones. Saint Woody is a Bill Bryson-style look at Ohio State football and the spiritual fanaticism that surrounds it. Bob Hunter tracks the development of this powerhouse program from its earliest days to its heights under Woody Hayes, the de facto king of Ohio State football, and beyond.

Hayes led the team to three national championships and a record of 205-61-10 over a twenty-eight-year period and was at the heart of the Ten-Year War, a particularly intense period in the infamous Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Hunter also looks at the present state of Buckeye football and the team's scarlet-and-gray-clad followers, as well as its legion of detractors, who voted Ohio State as the "most hated" college team in a nationwide survey. America loves--and hates--a winner. Irreverent, honest, insightful, and always entertaining, Saint Woody will appeal to anyone whose spirit has ever lifted when hearing that famous cry "Go Bucks!"

Review Quotes

"A big part of college football is the lore, and few schools are richer in it than Ohio State. In Saint Woody, veteran Columbus sports columnist Bob Hunter details the sung and unsung men, games, and controversies that make Buckeyes football a magnificent obsession for millions. If you ever wondered if Woody really went for two against Michigan 'because they wouldn't let me go for three' or how snowy was the Snow Bowl, this is the book for you."--Bill Livingston, sports columnist, Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Even the most expert of Buckeye fans will learn more about Ohio State football, Woody Hayes, and others connected to the great tradition than they knew before opening Bob's book!"--Paul Keels, play-by-play announcer, Ohio State-IMG Radio Network

"Woody Hayes was bigger than life and remains so to many Ohio State fans. Bob Hunter, a perceptive and objective observer of the Buckeyes for more than three decades, also reveals the iconic coach, still revered a quarter century after his death, as so much more."--Rusty Miller, retired Ohio sports editor, Associated Press

About the Author

Bob Hunter is a retired sports columnist for the Columbus Dispatch. He is the coauthor of The Buckeyes: A Story of Ohio State Football and author of Chic: The Extraordinary Rise of Ohio State Football and the Tragic Schoolboy Athlete Who Made It Happen and Buckeye Basketball.