An athletic program is nothing without good coaches.
Gene Smith has been lauded and extolled throughout his career for his hiring prowess, and Ohio State has certainly seen the fruits of his labor in recent years. While there are certainly more than five coaches out of the 37 varsity sports that deserve a spot on this list, I decided to trim it to that number because, you know, five is live. So here we go, from five down to one.
No. 5: Pete Hanson, Men's Volleyball
The longest-tenured coach on this list, having been the Buckeyes men's volleyball coach for the last 33 seasons, Hanson has led the Buckeyes to three national championships in the last seven years (2011, 2016, 2017).
Hanson is a four-time national coach of the year, winning the honors in 1998, 2000, 2011, and 2016. He is a member of Ohio State's Athletic Hall of Fame. His teams have won 20 or more games in a season 21 times, and won five consecutive MIVA crowns from 2007-2011. Simply put: the accolades Hanson has racked up are tremendous.
For a year-by-year look at Hanson's success at Ohio State, click here. I promise you won't be disappointed.
No. 4: Ty Tucker, Men's Tennis
An alumnus of Ohio State, Tucker has won 12 Big Ten Coach of the Year Awards and one National Coach of the Year Honor (2009). He has produced 19 All-Americans and is the Big Ten's All-Time winningest tennis coach, in addition to winning the 2014 National Indoor Championship.
From his Ohio State bio: "Guiding the Scarlet and Gray to 12 consecutive Big Ten regular-season titles (2006-17) and 10 of the last 12 conference tournament crowns, Tucker also has coached the program to 17 consecutive 20-win seasons. Ohio State has also won 30 or more matches in 10 of the last 12 seasons."
With his 521 wins, Tucker is the third-winningest coach in any sport in Big Ten history. He has reached four NCAA semifinals, including a finals appearance in 2009. He is an incredible 26-0 against Michigan, and has won 13 straight Big Ten Championships. It seems to be a matter of when, not if, Ohio State will break through and win a championship with Tucker at the helm.
No. 3: Tom Ryan, Wrestling
Another national champion, winning the NCAA title in 2015, Ryan is indisputably one of the top five coaches at Ohio State. Including 2nd place finishes in 2018 and 2017, Ryan's teams have marched to top-8 team finishes in 10 of the last 11 NCAA Championships. Ohio State has won three out of the last four Big Ten Championships, which led Ryan to receiving the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award this year for, you guessed it, the third time in the last four seasons.
On top of his personal accolades, Ryan is one of the friendliest guys you will ever meet. I, along with 11W Wrestling Guru Andy Vance, ventured over to the Steelwood Facility on a brisk day in early April, as I got the opportunity to interview Myles Martin.
Despite me not knowing very much at all about wrestling, Ryan spoke to me for a good 10 minutes after his 30 minute conversation with Andy, and introduced himself to me. The amount of personality you get from Ryan is more than you'll receive from just about any other coach ever, and I applaud him for it. I will certainly be venturing back for another interview this upcoming year.
No. 2: Urban Meyer, Football
In case you forgot, Urban Meyer has also won a national championship at Ohio State (in addition to his two others at Florida), was barred from playing in another due to NCAA sanctions that preceded his arrival, and has made two of the first four college football playoffs.
Meyer is a twice-in-a-generation coach, excelled by none other except Nicholas Lou Saban down in Tuscaloosa (although Meyer is 13 years younger than Saban). Saving Ohio State from the depths of Tatgate, Meyer pulled Ohio State from a 6-7 record in 2011 to an undefeated season in 2012, although as the aforementioned sanctions would note, he could not play for a national championship.
Known for his recruiting prowess, Meyer has pulled in top-five classes every year at Ohio State, save for one year (2015) when he finished seventh. This year, the fruits of that labor are expected to be borne, as Dwayne Haskins takes over at quarterback handing the ball to star running backs and throwing to highly-touted wide receivers while two five-stars anchor the defensive line. It should be a fun year in Columbus, and perhaps James will be writing another Instacap this year celebrating an Ohio State championship victory.
No 1: Holly Vargo-Brown, Synchronized Swimming
When you have won three national championships in your four years as a head coach, you probably deserve the number one spot on this list. While it is true that Ohio State Synchronized Swimming was a dynasty before Vargo-Brown became the head coach at Ohio State (after all, the former Buckeye participated in it herself), Vargo-Brown has done nothing but enhance the quantity in the trophy case, including winning the program's 31st national championship this past season.
In addition, Vargo-Brown served as the interim coach in 2004 while then-head coach Linda Lichter-Witter was assisting the U.S. Olympic Team in Athens, Greece. Of course, Vargo-Brown led the Buckeyes to the national title. She is probably the best coach you have never heard of, and expect her to continue the dynasty for the foreseeable future.
Back-to-Back National Champions! Thank you, Seniors, for leading this team. #GoBucks #scarletandgraytness #foreachother #forourseniors #respectdefendprotect pic.twitter.com/9lS6qFhQe3
— Ohio State Synchro (@OSUsynchro) March 31, 2018
