NATIONAL CHAMPS
Ohio State holds off Notre Dame, 34-23, to win the program's ninth national championship.
For the ninth time in school history, the Ohio State Buckeyes are college football national champions.
Following wins over No. 9 Tennessee, No. 1 Oregon and No. 5 Texas in the College Football Playoff first round, Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame, 34-23, on Monday to claim the program's ninth title.
As the confetti falls at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, we wanted to look back at how the Buckeyes won their previous eight national championships, beginning with their title in 1942 and ending with their title in 2014.
Ohio State's Previous Eight National Titles
1942
Coach: Paul Brown
Key Players: Fullback Gene Fekete, offensive tackle Charles Csuri, guard Lin Houston, end Bob Shaw, halfback Paul Sarringhaus
Record: 9-1
Title Method: AP
Ohio State won its first national championship during World War II. The Buckeyes were dominant on both sides of the ball, as their offense averaged 36.7 points per game, and their defense held opponents to 10.8 points per game. Ohio State's marquee victories included Illinois (44-20) and Michigan (21-7). Its lone blemish was a loss to Wisconsin (17-7) in Madison. A game in which the Buckeyes had a massive case of dysentery due to stale water on the dilapidated rail car they traveled on.
1954
Coach: Woody Hayes
Key Players: Quarterback Dave Leggett, fullback Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, end Dean Dugger, guard Jim Reichenbach
Record: 10-0
Title Method: AP, FWAA, UPI; shared with UCLA
In Hayes' fourth season as head coach, Ohio State claimed its second national championship. One year before he became the program's third Heisman Trophy winner after Les Horvath (1944) and Vic Janowicz (1950), Cassady led Ohio State's offense with 701 rushing yards and six scores. The Buckeyes defeated six ranked teams, including a 31-14 win over No. 2 Wisconsin, a 21-7 triumph over No. 12 Michigan and a 20-7 victory over No. 17 USC in the Rose Bowl.
1957
Coach: Woody Hayes
Key Players: Halfback Dick LeBeau, end Leo Brown, halfback Don Clark, guard Aurealius Thomas, defensive back and kicker Don Sutherin
Record: 9-1
Title Method: AP, FWAA, UPI; shared with Auburn
Ohio State suffered an 18-14 loss to TCU in the season opener but won its final nine games to claim the program's third national title. The Buckeyes defeated a top-five Iowa team (17-13) in Columbus and a top-25 Michigan team (31-14) in Ann Arbor to reach the Rose Bowl. There, Ohio State knocked off Oregon (10-7) with a late field goal from Don Sutherin.
1961
Coach: Woody Hayes
Key Players: Fullback Bob Ferguson, halfback Paul Warfield, linebacker Gary Moeller
Record: 8-0-1
Title Method: AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI; shared with Auburn
A consensus All-American and Maxwell Award winner, Ferguson ran for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns for an Ohio State offense that averaged 24.6 points per game. On the other side of the ball, the Buckeyes suffocated their opponents, limiting them to 9.2 points per game. Ohio State could have represented the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl but declined an invitation due to a faculty council decision, leading Minnesota to represent the conference in Pasadena instead.
1968
Coach: Woody Hayes
Key Players: Quarterback Rex Kern, defensive tackle Jim Stillwagon, offensive tackles Dave Foley and Rufus Mayes, safeties Jack Tatum and Mike Sensibaugh
Record: 10-0
Title Method: AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI
Ohio State achieved a perfect 10-0 season in 1968, culminating in a win over USC in the Rose Bowl. Led by the "Super Sophomores," including Kern, Stillwagon and Tatum, the Buckeyes defeated four top-20 teams during the season: No. 1 Purdue (13-0), No. 16 Michigan State (25-20), No. 4 Michigan (50-14) and No. 2 USC (27-16).
1970
Coach: Woody Hayes
Key Players: Kern, Stillwagon, Tatum, Sensibaugh, running back John Brockington
Record: 9-1
Title Method: AP, FWAA, NFF, UPI; shared with Nebraska and Texas
The Super Sophomores led Ohio State to a national title in 1968 but failed to repeat as champions because of a crushing, season-ending loss to Michigan (24-12) in Ann Arbor. Good news: Kern, Stillwagon, Tatum, Sensibaugh and more returned for their senior years and ended their college careers on top of the mountain. Their contributions, in addition to a stellar season from Brockington (1,041 yards and 15 touchdowns), helped the Buckeyes go 9-0 in the regular season. Despite its loss to Stanford (27-17) in the Rose Bowl, Ohio State shared its title with Nebraska and Texas.
2002
Coach: Jim Tressel
Key Players: Quarterback Craig Krenzel, running back Maurice Clarett, wide receiver Michael Jenkins, wide receiver and cornerback Chris Gamble, linebacker Matt Wilhelm, safety Mike Doss, punter Andy Groom, kicker Mike Nugent
Record: 14-0
Title Method: BCS
In Tressel's second season as Ohio State's head coach, the Buckeyes went undefeated en route to a national championship, defeating top-ranked Miami (31-24, 2OT) in the BCS National Championship Game at the Fiesta Bowl. A first-team All-Big Ten honoree and the Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Clarett powered Ohio State's offense all season, collecting 1,237 rushing yards and scoring a then-freshman record 18 touchdowns. On defense, Wilhelm and Doss earned All-American honors for a unit that allowed 13.1 points per game, a number that ranked second in the FBS.
2014
Coach: Urban Meyer
Key Players: Quarterbacks J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones, running back Ezekiel Elliott, wide receiver Michael Thomas, center Billy Price, defensive end Joey Bosa, defensive tackle Michael Bennett, linebacker Darron Lee, cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Eli Apple, safety Vonn Bell
Record: 14-1
Title Method: CFP
Ohio State's eighth title will be remembered forever as the Buckeyes won the inaugural four-team College Football Playoff with their third-string quarterback. After Braxton Miller suffered a season-ending injury in fall camp, J.T. Barrett took over as the team's starter in the regular season, winning Big Ten Freshman and Quarterback of the Year honors. However, Barrett suffered a season-ending injury of his own in the Michigan game, thrusting Jones into a role as a team's lead signal caller. With the help of Elliott and a stout defense, the Buckeyes went on an unprecedented three-game run to a championship, defeating Wisconsin (59-0) in the Big Ten championship and both Alabama (42-35) and Oregon (42-20) in the CFP to claim the program's eighth title.
