Ohio State Football: 10 Best Players in Buckeyes' History
The Ohio State football program has been up and running for 125 incredible seasons, and the amount of talent that has filtered through Columbus is staggering.
The Buckeyes have produced six Heisman Trophy winners (and seven trophies total) and sent 416 players to the NFL via the draft, 69 of which went in the first round.
But who are the 10 best players to ever suit up in the scarlet and gray?
Determining that starts with Ohio State's six Heisman winners. They're part of a fraternity that is comprised of the greatest players in college football history, so they're on this list by default.
The other four spots? Those went to guys who played key roles in their respective championship teams, dominated their position like no other players ever have or own the distinction of putting Ohio State on the map.
10. Troy Smith
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When a top-10 list of the greatest players in school history starts with a Heisman Trophy winner, that says a lot about the level of talent the program has produced.
And that's exactly how this countdown starts.
Troy Smith was Ohio State's most recent winner of college football's highest individual honor, winning the trophy after an outstanding 2006 season. He was the triggerman for one of the most efficient offenses in the country, throwing for 2,542 yards and 30 touchdowns against just six interceptions during his senior season.
The Buckeyes went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country during the regular season before falling to Florida in the BCS title game.
Despite falling to the Gators in his final game, Smith will go down as one of the greatest Buckeyes ever. He's fondly remembered for his domination of rival Michigan. In his three starts against the Wolverines, Smith amassed 1,051 total yards and nine touchdowns, leading the Buckeyes to victories in each game.
9. Chris Spielman
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From Andy Katzenmoyer to A.J. Hawk, the Buckeyes have routinely produced some of the top linebackers in the country.
But from 1984 to 1987, Chris Spielman set the standard for linebacker play at Ohio State.
After a pair of ankle sprains cut his freshman season short, Spielman went on to dominate for the Buckeyes. He was a tackling machine, leading Ohio State in that category in each of his final two seasons. He registered an incredible 546 tackles during his four years in Columbus, and his 283 career solo tackles still rank No. 1 in Buckeyes history.
Spielman collected All-Big Ten honors in his final three seasons and was named an All-American in his final two. In 1987, he won the Lombardi Award as the nation's best linebacker or lineman.
8. Jack Tatum
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There are hard-hitting safeties, and then there's Jack Tatum.
The dominant defensive back came to Ohio State in 1968 as a running back under Woody Hayes, but he switched to defense in the spring leading up to his freshman season. He was good enough to earn a starting role as a freshman, and it didn't take him long to establish himself as one of the country's fiercest defenders.
Tatum was named an All-American during his final two seasons and was the national Defensive Player of the Year in 1970. He helped the Buckeyes pile up a 27-2 record from 1968 to 1970, which included two national championships ('68, '70).
But above all, Tatum, nicknamed "The Assassin," was known for the intensity he brought to the field.
7. Howard Cassady
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Without Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, Woody Hayes' Ohio State career wouldn't have started with such a bang.
The two-way player was the heart and soul of the Ohio State team from 1952 to 1955, thriving in his role as the team's top running back and a shutdown defensive back. During his career, he piled up 4,403 all-purpose yards, an Ohio State record that stood for 27 years.
His all-around play earned him numerous awards. He guided the Buckeyes to a national championship in 1954 and was a two-time All-American. In his final season in 1955, he won the Heisman Trophy and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year.
6. Chic Harley
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Most casual Buckeyes fans won't recognize Chic Harley's name, but he's the reason Ohio Stadium was built.
Back in his playing days (1916-17, '19), fans would swarm Ohio Field to watch him dominate as a running back, kicker, punter and defender. He was Ohio State's first three-time All-American, and he led the Buckeyes to a dominant 21-1-1 stretch during his time at the school. He helped the Buckeyes win their first Big Ten championship in 1916 and was key in Ohio State's first-ever victory over Michigan.
The crowd and interest he drew overwhelmed Ohio Field, which led Ohio State to build the famed Ohio Stadium.
Harley's name and number hang alongside some of the Buckeyes' greatest players in the 'Shoe. It is, after all, the "House that Harley built."
5. Eddie George
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There was a point during Eddie George's freshman season when some doubted his potential.
The Buckeyes were hosting Illinois when the young running back coughed up two costly fumbles inside the 5-yard line—turnovers that got him benched and lost Ohio State the game.
But with a 6'3", 240-pound frame and breakaway speed, George went on to run his way into Ohio State's record book. After a brilliant four-year career, he ranked second all-time in career rushing yards (3,768) while setting the benchmark for rushing yards in a season (1,927) and rushing yards in a game (314).
He collected an impressive amount of hardware during his senior season, as he won the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards in addition to the Heisman Trophy in 1997.
4. Les Horvath
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As a running back and defender during the 1940-42 and '44 seasons, Les Horvath ushered in a championship mentality at Ohio State.
The Buckeyes had won Big Ten championships before Horvath arrived in Columbus, but the tough-nosed runner brought an extra edge to the team. He started at running back during the '42 season, leading Ohio State to its first-ever national championship. After taking a year off in 1943, Horvath returned to the Buckeyes and piled up 1,268 total yards on his way to winning the program's first Heisman Trophy.
3. Vic Janowicz
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Ohio State has been home to some tremendous athletes, but Vin Janowicz may have been the best of them all.
From 1949 to 1951, Janowicz thrived on offense, defense and special teams for the Buckeyes. His best all-around performance came in an 83-21 demolition of Iowa in 1950, when he threw for four touchdowns, ran for two more and converted a then-Ohio State record 10 extra points.
That season, he accounted for 875 total yards of offense and 16 touchdowns, becoming Ohio State's second Heisman Trophy winner.
2. Orlando Pace
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Any player who makes a block famous has to be pretty special.
That's distinction belongs to Orlando Pace, who established himself as one of the most dominant linemen in college football history.
From 1994 to 1996, Pace anchored Ohio State's offensive line, starting at left tackle in each game of his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons. He became the first sophomore ever to win the Lombardi Award in 1995, and a year later, he won the award again. Those awards coincided with consensus first-team All-American honors in his final two seasons.
In 1996, Pace was so good that he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy race.
1. Archie Griffin
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Archie Griffin isn't just the most decorated player in Ohio State history—he's widely regarded as one of the best players the sport has ever seen.
He made an instant impact at Ohio State. During his freshman season, he rushed for what was a single-game school-record 231 rushing yards in a marquee nonconference matchup against North Carolina, which was the launching point for an incredible career. During his four seasons in Columbus, he ran for 5,589 yards—a benchmark that has stood for 40 years.
Griffin is well-known for being the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice, but he also led the charge for some of the most dominant Buckeyes teams in school history. Ohio State was 40-5-1 during his time in Columbus, claiming four consecutive Big Ten titles and appearing in four straight Rose Bowls.
Griffin was also consistent. He eclipsed 100 rushing yards in 31 straight games and 33 times overall, which remain NCAA records to this day, and he was named a first-team All-American in each of his final three seasons.
All stats and player information courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com.
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