While Thad Matta's teams certainly left quite a bit to be desired in recent years, his spot as one of the best coaches in school history still stands.
But first, a little criteria. I am by no means an Ohio State history buff, no matter how many times I portray myself as one. However, I do know that the universal language of sports greatness is championships. Determining the greatest coaches based solely on number of championships seems a little harsh, though, because it would mean that Paul Brown would get a nod over lots of quality coaches despite coaching only three years for the Bucks and accruing only 18 wins. Longevity matters, people! So I tried to balance out how important national championships are with an overall resume of winning for many years. Here's the list I came up with.
5. Thad Matta, Basketball, 2005-2017
Thad's tenure with Ohio State probably shouldn't be remembered in bad light, but plenty of basketball fans over the past few years might remember him that way. In his 13 seasons at the helm of Ohio State men's basketball, the Bucks missed the NCAA tournament only four times. In one of those years, the team was ineligible and in another the squad won the NIT championship.
Overall, Thad Matta's 337-123 (150-78 in conference) record meant he was winning over 70 percent of his games and consistently taking the Bucks to the NCAA tournament. On top of team success, Matta coached plenty of players who went on to be drafted into the NBA and have some success like Mike Conley, Evan Turner and Kosta Koufos.
4. Fred Taylor, Basketball, 1959-1976
The winner of the only national championship in program history, Fred Taylor is certainly the best Ohio State men's basketball coach in school history. In fact, Taylor won the championship in his second year in Columbus (1960) and guided the team to a 25-3 record (13-1 in conference) that year. In addition, he took the team to the championship game each of the two years after but finished as a runner-up. Overall, Taylor led the team to a first (or a share of first) place finish in the Big Ten seven times.
However, in the years Taylor wasn't stomping the Big Ten, his teams often struggled to compete at a high level with the rest of the NCAA. In 18 seasons as head coach, the Buckeyes finished fifth or worse in the Big Ten seven times, which is a huge detriment to Taylor's ranking on this list. Had he been able to bring home a national championship in '61 or '62, he might have cracked the top three.
3. Jim Tressel, Football, 2001-2010
Jim Tressel's championship win over Miami in 2002 is nothing to scoff at. Seriously, if you need a refresher just look at Miami's 2002 roster (seriously, Frank Gore was the third-string running back. Perhaps even more important than the championship win, though, was that Tressel finally ended the sad era against Michigan that John Cooper had brought to Buckeye fans. In ten seasons, The Vest was 9-1 8-1 against the Wolverines and 106-22 94-22 overall.
Seriously, though, Tressel's 2002 championship win ended a drought of over 30 years for the program and he recruited and coached countless players who went on to have success after college in the NFL. While 12 of his 100-plus wins were vacated, you could always count on the Buckeyes to be in the discussion for the national championship game with Tressel as the head of the program.
2. Urban Meyer, Football, 2012-Present
Alright, time to ruffle some feathers. No this is not a typo: Urban Meyer is ranked as a better all-time coach in school history than Matta, Taylor and Tressel. Here's why.
In only five years, Meyer has won a national championship, beaten Michigan five times and won over 90 percent of all games. While the No. 1 coach on this list (I sincerely hope you can guess who it is) still holds strong in the top spot for now, Urban is coming for him and coming for him fast with the way he is leading the football program. Currently standing at 61-6 as the Buckeyes' coach, no one on this list is even close when it comes to winning percentage.
While other coaches on this list dealt with some years of mediocrity during their tenure, all of Meyer's teams have been the cream of the crop in the NCAA. A few more years like he's had and some more hardware in Ohio State's name, and Meyer will have a legitimate argument as the best coach in school history.
1. Woody Hayes, Football, 1951-1978
Of course, Meyer will have to topple an absolute giant to take the top spot in these rankings. Woody Hayes has become an everlasting icon for Ohio State football, and with good reason.
Having won over 200 games in his Ohio State career, Hayes' longevity helps him a lot here. The five championships during his time in Columbus are also a huge factor as to why Hayes is No. 1 in these rankings. While there were certainly some down years for Woody, it seemed that the Buckeyes were always heading in the right direction under his leadership.
Like many of the other coaches on this list, Woody's coaching also helped many individuals to amazing accolades, but once again, Hayes is in a league of his own once you start comparing. Be it the massive success of Howard Cassady in a year where the Buckeyes were predicted to be one of the worst teams in the Big Ten or Archie Griffin persisting over 40 years as the only two-time Heisman winner in history, Hayes showed he knew how to bring out the best in his players.
In a world where we are quick to crown the best players and coaches right now as the greatest ever, Wayne Woodrow Hayes has endured as the greatest Ohio State coach of all time.
