As we count down the rich and storied history of Ohio State football, we look back at the 1924 Buckeyes, trying to avoid three-straight losing seasons.
The year is 1924. Ohio State was coming off back-to-back losing seasons for only the second time in program history.
Head coach John Wilce, now in his 12th season, was starting to feel the heat from fans and alumni. He'd considered taking the job at his alma mater, Wisconsin, following the 1923 season, but decided to stick around Columbus, hoping desperately to right his ship.
Unfortunately, the 1924 season would not be the rebound year Wilce needed. However, there were highlights, including the birth of a special – if quirky – trophy.
| The 1924 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 2–3–3 |
| B1G Record | 1–3–2, 7th |
| Coach | John Wilce (12th Year, 58–23–7) |
| Captain | Francis Young |
Games of Note
October 4th • Purdue • Ohio Stadium
This game marked the first time Ohio State had ever opened the season against a league opponent.
The Buckeyes would prove victorious, taking the game 7-0, and moving to 5–0 all-time against the Boilermakers. At this point in the series, Ohio State had outscored Purdue 104-0.
Strange but true: This game would also be the first time Ohio State defeated a Big Ten opponent in the now three-year-old Ohio Stadium.
October 11th • Iowa • Iowa Field
Ohio State's first trip to Iowa ended with the Buckeyes still in search of their first win over the Hawkeyes. The Buckeyes didn't exactly lose to Iowa this time, but the 0-0 tie wasn't a win, either.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| OCT. 4 | PURDUE | OHIO STADIUM | W, 7–0 |
| OCT. 11 | IOWA | IOWA FIELD | T, 0–0 |
| OCT. 18 | OHIO WESLEYAN | OHIO STADIUM | W, 10–0 |
| OCT. 25 | CHICAGO | OHIO STADIUM | T, 3–3 |
| NOV. 1 | WOOSTER | OHIO STADIUM | T, 7–7 |
| NOV. 8 | INDIANA | OHIO STADIUM | L, 7–12 |
| NOV. 15 | MICHIGAN | OHIO STADIUM | L, 6–16 |
| NOV. 22 | ILLINOIS | MEMORIAL, IL | L, 0–7 |
| 2–3–3, 40–45 |
November 1st • Wooster • Ohio Stadium
Ohio State entered the fifth game of the 1924 season 2–0–2. Surely a game against Wooster would be good enough for another notch in the win column.
Not so fast.
The Fighting Scots tied the Buckeyes in Ohio Stadium, 7-7, thanks to a late fourth quarter touchdown, and would enter the history books. Technically, Oberlin is the last in-state program to defeat Ohio State (1921), but the 1924 game with Wooster was the last time Ohio State did not defeat a school from Ohio in a game of football.
This was the Ohio State football team's 300th game and the Buckeyes stood 184–92–24 at this point.
November 15th • Michigan • Ohio Stadium
Ohio State (2–1–3) welcomed Michigan (5–1) to Ohio Stadium as heavy underdogs when the two teams met in mid-November.
The game started out well for the Buckeyes as John Wilce's team took an early lead behind a touchdown pass from Bill Hunt to Harold “Cookie” Cunningham that surprised Michigan's secondary on the third play of the game.
| OPPONENT | STREAK | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| PURDUE | W5 | 5–0 |
| IOWA | T1 | 0–2–1 |
| OHIO WESLEYAN | W22 | 23–2–1 |
| CHICAGO | T1 | 2–2–1 |
| WOOSTER | T1 | 3–2–2 |
| INDIANA | L1 | 4–6–1 |
| MICHIGAN | L3 | 3–16–2 |
| ILLINOIS | L2 | 4–7–2 |
It would be an exercise in bad passing – from both schools – after that, as the two teams combined to throw 11 interceptions, with the Buckeyes grabbing five and the Wolverines grabbing six. You can only imagine how an 11-year-old Woody Hayes felt when he heard this news.
Michigan would rally, scoring 16 points in the second half to defeat the Buckeyes, 16-6, in the Horseshoe. Ohio State was now 3–16–2 in the series.
November 22nd • Illinois • Memorial Stadium
In 1924 Illinois was led by sensational junior Harold “Red” Grange. Just a month earlier, Grange had torched Michigan to the tune of 262 yards and four touchdowns in just 12 minutes, as the Illini throttled the Wolverines, 39-14.
However, Grange was not available in the season finale against Ohio State.
Even without the talented Grange, the Illini dominated. Illinois ran 66 plays from scrimmage to Ohio State's 27 and outgained the Buckeyes 318 to 101 in total yards.
The final score may have read 7-0, but the contest wasn't close.
This game is noteworthy for being the start of the Illibuck trophy. The Illinois junior honor society, Sachem, kept a live turtle following the win. In 1927, the turtle died and was replaced with a wooden turtle. To this day, Ohio State's Bucket and Dipper and Illinois' Sachem pass the turtle to the winning side.
Death of a Turtle
The following won't be found in history books or other written records. Most accounts of the death of the original Illibuck is that it died and nobody is sure why. Members of Bucket and Dipper and Sachem were disappointed because the turtle was chosen due to its long life span. That's about all of the detail that goes into why the turtle passed on to the great pond in the sky. However, there is another version that you may not have heard.
I had a family member who was president of Bucket and Dipper and this is the tale that I recall. It has been over 15 years since I heard this story so some details may be left out or inaccurate.
The opening game of 1926 was played at Illinois' Memorial Stadium. Ohio State left Champaign with a 7-6 victory and the living Illibuck turtle. Members of Bucket and Dipper kept the turtle in their house and were responsible for its well-being.
Rumor has it that the honor society had a party in the spring of 1927 that contributed to Illibuck's death. With the alcohol flowing, a few members wanted to see if the turtle could swim in beer. Illibuck was then carried and placed into a bathtub. Party attendees proceeded to dump gallons of beer (and other alcohol) on top of the living trophy. The society members reveled in the fact that the turtle was swimming in their lake of libation. Illibuck remained in the tub for the rest of the party.
I can't recall if the turtle was found the next morning or if the members decided to leave the turtle in the tub of fun for a few days. Either way, Illibuck did not survive. At least that's the unofficial version I heard.
1924 Recap
- Ohio State opened the season against a Big Ten opponent for the first time.
- Purdue failed to score against Ohio State. Again.
- The Buckeyes played at Iowa for the first time.
- Ohio State defeated a Big Ten opponent in Ohio Stadium for the first time. (Thanks, Purdue!)
- Wooster becomes the last in-state program to avoid losing to Ohio State.
- Ohio State is on a three-game losing streak to Michigan.
- The Buckeyes had a losing season for the third straight season. This is the only time it's happened in school history.
- The Illibuck tradition began with Illinois.
- Harold Cunningham was named an All-America.
A third-straight losing season only gave more energy to the Wilce detractors in town. Although he was the longest-tenured and most successful coach in Ohio State history to that point, the coach continues to feel considerable heat as the Buckeyes were now 8–11–14, including an even more dismal 1–7–1 in Ohio Stadium.
