There are 44 days that separate us from Ohio State's march to Blacksburg. To help pass the time until the Buckeyes put the Sandman to sleep I will countdown Ohio State's top 100 players according to the rubric* listed at the bottom of this article.
Ollie Cline rushed for an Ohio State single season record 936 yards in 1945. Howard Cassady broke Cline's record in 1955.
NO. 44 OLIVER “OLLIE” CLINE, FB (1944-45 and 1947)
Born: December 31, 1925 (Mount Vernon)
Died: May 12, 2001 (Springfield, Ohio)
High School: Fredericktown
OHIO STATE CAREER
- The Buckeyes were 18-8-1 with Cline on the team.
- 1944 Big Ten Title.
- Ohio State went 9-0 in 1944.
- Defeated That Team 18-14 in 1944.
HONORS
- 1945 Big Ten MVP
- 1945 Team MVP
- 1945 All-American
NFL DRAFT
Round 14 to the Chicago Bears* with the 122nd pick of the 1948 draft.
*Cline chose to play for the Cleveland Browns instead of the Bears.
Ollie Cline fighting for yards.
OLLIE CLINE'S OHIO STATE CAREER PER knoxtime.com:
Cline was a fullback and linebacker for the Ohio State Buckeyes, lettering in 1944, 1945 and 1947. In 1944, his blocking helped Les Horvath become the school's first Heisman Trophy winner and the Buckeyes won the 1944 Big Ten Championship with an undefeated, 9-0 record. The following year he became the Buckeyes primary running back, setting school records in rushing. His collegiate career was interrupted by military service in 1946, but he returned to lead the Buckeyes in rushing again in 1947.
In 1945, Cline rushed for 936 yards, which was at the time a school record, surpassing Horvath's total from the previous year by a dozen yards. He was named the Big Ten Conference's Most Valuable Player and was a FWAA All-America selection.
Cline rushed for 229 yards on November 10, 1945 against the University of Pittsburgh. This performance set n Ohio State single-game rushing record that stood for 27 years before being broken by Archie Griffin in 1972.
CLINE'S HIGH SCHOOL CAREER PER Wikipedia:
Cline grew up in Fredericktown, Ohio and attended the local Fredericktown High School, where he played on the football team as a back.[1] In a 1942 game against Mount Gilead High School, he scored seven touchdowns and kicked two extra points, scoring 44 total points in a 79–6 victory.
Go here for an in-depth article about Ollie Cline written by Ray Schmidt.
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | |
| LETTER | 0.75 |
| TOTAL | 20.75 |
For more information on Cline and other players who wore No. 33:
Sources- The Ohio State Team Guide, KnoxTime.com and Wikipedia
| CATEGORY | POINTS |
|---|---|
| HEISMAN | 8 |
| NO. RETIRED / HONORED | 8 |
| BIG TEN MVP | 6 |
| TEAM MVP | 5 |
| ALL-AMERICAN | 4 |
| CAPTAIN | 4 |
| 1ST ROUND NFL DRAFT PICK | 4 |
| ALL-BIG TEN | 3 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN | 3 |
| NFL DRAFT PICK | 2 |
| ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN | 1 |
| LETTER | 0.25 PER YEAR |
