We're counting down the days to kickoff with “99 Warriors,” the greatest Ohio State Buckeyes by jersey number, as voted by the staff of Eleven Warriors.
No. 50 William "Tippy" Dye
Few athletes in Ohio State history have ever accomplished more within the realm of athletics, both on and off the field, than William "Tippy" Dye.
QB Tippy Dye
1934-36
b. April 1, 1915 (Harrisonville, Ohio)
d. April 11, 2012 (Grass Valley, Calif.)
- Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame (1984)
A three-year starting quarterback for the Ohio State football team, Dye led the Buckeyes to 7-1 seasons in 1934 and 1935 and a 5-3 record in 1936. He was the only quarterback to lead the Buckeyes to three consecutive wins over Michigan until Troy Smith duplicated the feat from 2004 through 2006 (J.T. Barrett became Ohio State's first starting quarterback to win four straight games against Michigan from 2014 through 2017).
A three-sport athlete, Dye was also a star for Ohio State on the basketball court, earning All-Big Ten honors as a guard on the hardwood in 1936 and 1937, also captaining the men's basketball team in the latter year. Dye also played baseball for the Buckeyes in 1935 and 1936.
Following a one-year stint with the first incarnation of the Cincinnati Bengals, Dye became a coach, returning to Ohio State in 1942 to be an assistant coach for both the football and basketball teams. After that season, however, Dye left to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and upon his return in 1946, Dye focused exclusively on basketball, head coaching the Buckeyes in that sport for four seasons.
Dye went on to coach the Washington men's basketball team for nine seasons (1950-59) before becoming the athletic director at Wichita State (1959-62), Nebraska (1962-67) and finally, Northwestern (1967-74).
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Photo: Ohio State University Archives
