USD Football 1992

BLUE STEEL AND BROWN METTLE we'll have rain and snow. Regardless of the circumstances, the great teams show their 'blue steel' in November."

He had always painted a team's great– ness in terms of "blue steel," . . "the finest grade of steel made in the mills of Massillon." He was correct. Two weeks later against Illinois in a jammed Cleveland Stadium, Tommy James, another of his former Massillon players, returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown; took Illinois' first punt for another score; and Ohio State lead 14-0 before even running a play from scrimmage. They won 44-20, but the high– light of the day was the 203-pound Willis catching Illini halfback Buddy Young, another world-class sprinter, from behind to prevent a TD. The following week in Columbus, with the Big Ten title on the line, the Bucks defeated Michigan as Shaw snatched a pass out of the hands of three defenders and ran 60 yards for one TD, while Horvath and Sarringhaus threw TD passes to each other. Ohio State's final game was against the Iowa Seahawks, a service team, that had beaten every Big Ten opponent. It was coached by Bernie Bierma n, whose Minnesota team had won the national title in I941, and was comprised mainly of NFL players and top collegians. It didn't matter because Sarringhaus and Horvath ran wild and the Bucks won 42-10. "That was the best game we ever played," Brown said later. Ohio State, ranked third going into the final weekend, then got a huge boost to the natio nal championship when the two teams ahead of them, Boston College and Georgia, both were upset the same day. That made it easy for the AP selectors . . and a week later, Ohio State was official– ly crowned national champion.

"I am sure our success that year was due to Paul Brown," Sarringhaus said, a senti– ment echoed by nearly every other surviv– ing member of that team. "His absolute demand for discipline and his relent.~le.:_s:..:s_LJll!,,j•~--_.;.a pursuit of victory are characteristics which were singularly his."

"I am sure our success that year was due to Paul Brown." -Paul Sarringhaus

How good was that team? Only the 1974 Buckeyes ever exceeded its 34-points-per-game average. Some 17 players played pro football, many of them under Paul Brown for the Cleveland Browns, including Willis, enshrined in both the pro and college Halls of Fame and Lavelli, in the pro football Hall of Fame. But for a ll o f those pl ayers, nothing has eclipsed that 1942 national championship. •••

Les Horvath played wingback for the championship team, but later won the Heisman as a tailback.

TOUCHDOWN ILLUSTRATED