Buckeye Madness
By: Joe Menzer
Synopsis
Buckeye Madness is a story of Ohio State history. The books starts in the 1800's, right as football was becoming a sport, and ends as Jim Tressel begins his Ohio State coaching career by doing something amazing. During that time span, one of the greatest coaches in football history, Woody Hayes, had coached his squads to 5 National Championships and 13 Big Ten Championships. Along the way, he also coached one of the greatest players to ever play college football, Archie Griffin. Woody and the team up north had a very real hatred for one another, as Woody knew their coach very well, Bo Schrembeckler. Their games against one another became known as the 10 Year War. But once Hayes threw a punch at a Clemson player during a bowl game, his coaching career was over. Following him was a man named Earle Bruce, who went 11-1 his first season, but then strung off many 9-3 seasons or occasionally worse. Buckeye fans got tired of that and soon caused for his departure. John Cooper was next, even though still today many believe he wasn't right for the job, not understanding the deep and rich tradition. But every time he was near firing, he pulled through and survived. Soon he failed and everyone jumped on him to have him gone, and that started a new legacy with Jim Tressel.
Theme and Genre
One major theme in this story is teamwork and brotherhood, as the team must come together and progress towards their goal, a national championship.
This book is a non-fiction book as all of the events happened before, in the past at a real location, Columbus, Ohio.
Woody Hayes
Woody Hayes is often refereed to as one of the greatest coaches in Ohio history. He won 5 National Championships along with many other prestigious awards. He passed away on March 12, 1987.
Earle Bruce
He had the hard job of trying to come up from the shadows of Woody Hayes. Even though he strung together many 9-3 seasons, it wasn't good enough for Ohio State football.
John Cooper
John Cooper was a coach from Arizona State who always bragged about his boys back in Arizona, but could never do well in a rivalry. He rarely beat the rival from up north and was never right for the job.
Archie Griffin
Archie is the only player in college football history to ever with the most prestigious player award, the Heisman Trophy. He then became the Athletic Director at Ohio State following his playing career.
Cris Carter
One of the greatest receivers in Ohio State history making one-handed snags look like routine catches. Carter was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 1987 NFL Draft, and had a great NFL career landing him in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Chris Spielman
Spielman ended his Ohio State career with 546 tackles, third all time in Ohio State history. He later became the sports broadcaster at Ohio State and is still a big part of the program.
Cris Carter's One-Handed Grab -- 1985 Citrus Bowl
Ratings and Recommendations
I would give this book a 4/5 Stars because it clearly explains why the traditions are there at Ohio State and how every key player, played his role in the very storied history. But, occasionally some of the facts aren't cited correctly and are very noticeable.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a Buckeye fan looking to learn more about their school, or a die-hard fan who is reassuring themselves of all the tradition and excellence from Ohio State's past and present. As this book can confirm any doubts and worries you may have about your Buckeyes.
Expert Reviews
P. M. Bradshaw gave this book a 3/5 because he questioned some of the credibility, as he knew one quote wasn't cited correctly. A fan wrote it, but Menzer said Tressel had said it. There are a few other spots where Menzer may have gotten names mixed up, but everyone can understand what he meant if they are a real Buckeye fan.