As we count down the rich and storied history of Ohio State football, we look back at the 1929 Buckeyes. A new coach patrols the sideline, and like his predecessor, he mastered Michigan the first time he faced them in Ann Arbor.
Ohio State ended the 1928 season searching for a new head coach following the retirement of John Wilce. The winningest coach in Ohio State history – to that point – had put the program on the map over the course of his 16-year tenure.
Finding his successor was paramount.
| The 1929 Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Record | 4–3–1 |
| B1G Record | 2–2–1, 5th |
| COACH | Sam Willaman (1st year, 4–3–1) |
| Captain | Alan Holman |
Coaching Search
Wilce informed Ohio State of his retirement plans in the June prior to his final season. The early announcement gave Ohio State ample time to hire his replacement.
Many believed Wilce's top assistant, Sam Willaman, would get the job at an athletic department meeting in December of 1928. However, the Athletic Department decided to postpone Willaman's hiring. Why?
Unbeknownst at the time, athletic director Lynn St. John had an angle on a certain coach from South Bend. That's right, St. John was attempting to lure the legendary Knute Rockne to Columbus to become Ohio State's 13th head coach. A few weeks before the December athletic department meeting, St. John was tipped off that Rockne, who married his wife in Sandusky, Ohio in 1914, had an interest in coaching for Ohio State.
Armed with this bombshell, St. John convinced the athletic department to give him time to recruit Rockne. In early January of 1929, St. John met with the Fighting Irish coach in New Orleans during the American Football Coaches Association meeting. Rockne liked what he heard and was leaning towards taking the Ohio State job.
Although Rockne left New Orleans with Ohio on his mind, when he informed Notre Dame of his intentions, the brass in South Bend was able to convince Rockne to stay. The Irish legend went on to lead Notre Dame to undefeated seasons in 1929 and 1930, but his life was cut short in 1931 following a plane crash.
With Rockne staying in South Bend, Ohio State hired Wilce assistant Willaman in January of 1929.
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| OCT, 5 | WITTENBERG | OHIO STADIUM | W, 19–0 |
| OCT. 12 | IOWA | OHIO STADIUM | W, 7–6 |
| OCT. 19 | MICHIGAN | MICHIGAN STADIUM | W, 7–0 |
| OCT. 26 | INDIANA | OHIO STADIUM | T, 0–0 |
| NOV. 2 | PITTSBURGH | PITT STADIUM | L, 2–18 |
| NOV. 9 | NORTHWESTERN | OHIO STADIUM | L, 6–18 |
| NOV. 16 | KENYON | OHIO STADIUM | W, 54–0 |
| NOV. 23 | ILLINOIS | OHIO STADIUM | L, 0–27 |
| 4–3–1, 95–69 |
Games of Note
October 5th • Wittenberg • Ohio Stadium
Sam Willaman could not have started his Ohio State career against a better opponent. Wittenberg entered this contest on a 10-game losing streak to the Buckeyes. In fact, Wittenberg had not scored on Ohio State in 23 years – dating back to when the Tigers defeated the Buckeyes 24-6 in 1896.
The final game between the two schools stayed the course. Ohio State won 19-0 and and completed the final 11 games of the series outscoring Wittenberg 387-0. The final tally: Ohio State 12 wins, Wittenberg 3 wins.
October 19th • Michigan • Michigan Stadium
Willaman guided the Buckeyes to a 2–0 record after Ohio State escaped with a 7-6 win over Iowa in week two. In the third game of the campaign, Willaman and his boys were off to Ann Arbor with hopes of staying undefeated and earning the Buckeyes' first victory in Michigan Stadium.
The 20,000 Ohio State fans who traveled north celebrated when Wes Fesler caught a 22-yard touchdown pass. The celebration continued when the final whistle blew and Ohio State won 7-0. The Buckeyes had shut out the home team in front of 80,000 fans at Michigan Stadium.
Willaman, like Wilce before him, was able to defeat Michigan the first time he faced them in Ann Arbor. The Buckeyes had won consecutive victories over their rivals for the second time in the program's history and improved to 5–19–2 against the Wolverines.
| OPPONENT | STREAK | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| WITTENBERG | W11 | 12–3 |
| IOWA | W1 | 3–4–1 |
| MICHIGAN | W2 | 5–19–2 |
| INDIANA | T1 | 6–6–2 |
| PITTSBURGH | L1 | 0–1 |
| NORTHWESTERN | L1 | 6–2 |
| KENYON | W14 | 17–6 |
| ILLINOIS | L1 | 5–9–2 |
November 9th • Pittsburgh • Pitt Stadium
Ohio State's first contest against Pittsburgh was played in Pitt Stadium on November 9, 1929. Unfortunately, it was a Saturday to forget.
Pitt entered this game with an undefeated record and easily dispatched Ohio State, 18-2. The loss was Willaman's first as Ohio State's head coach. Fear not Buckeye fans, between 1929 and 1954 Ohio State and Pitt will face each other 18 times and the Buckeyes will win 13 of the 18 contests.
November 16th • Kenyon • Ohio Stadium
Like Wittenberg, the 1929 season was the last time Kenyon and Ohio State would meet on the gridiron. Entering this game the Buckeyes were on a 13-game winning streak and had outscored the Lords 373-30 in those contests.
Kenyon could not have faced the Buckeyes at a worse time. The Buckeyes were smarting off of consecutive losses and had not won a game since the week three victory at Michigan. Ohio State took out its frustration and won 54-0. The win was the last of the 1929 season as the Buckeyes were blanked by Illinois 27-0 at home in the finale.
1929 Recap
- Wittenberg faced Ohio State for the last time in football with the Buckeyes closing the series with a 12–3 edge.
- Ohio State played Pittsburgh for the first time, losing 18-2 at Pitt Stadium.
- The Buckeyes defeated Michigan in Willaman's first year as head coach.
- Ohio State played Kenyon for the last time. The Buckeyes ended the series with a 17–6 series lead and won the last 14 games.
- The Buckeyes lost the season finale for the third-straight year.
The fans finally got what they wanted with John Wilce's ouster, but did Ohio State hire the right coach? Although the win over Michigan was nice, Sam Willaman's first season as head coach started off with a bang, but closed with a whimper.
