However, for Oklahoma fans, Columbus Day has a completely different meaning. It's the day legendary Ohio State Head Football Coach Woody Hayes discovered the Sooners!
The Stage is Set
September 24, 1977. Ohio Memorial Stadium. The Horseshoe. Legendary Coach Woody Hayes. Twenty-seven years as head coach of The Ohio State Buckeyes. Tradition. Linebacker-U. Seven-time Big 10 Champions and 5-time co-champions. Three National Championships in 1954, 57' and 1968. Four of last 5 Rose Bowls. Top 10 finishes 8-straight years. Three yards and a cloud of dust. Blue-bloods of the college football world. The Establishment.
Enter a bunch of renegades from "upstart*" Oklahoma. Led by a young, brash, chain-smoking, outlaw-head coach named Barry Switzer. "Bootleggers' Boy." Unconventional Wishbone offense. Irreverent bandana-wearing quarterback. Mushroom-Afro-hair-wearing running back from Hooks, Texas. Back-to-back National Champions in 1974-75. Undisciplined. Probation-infected. Non-traditional offense. The Anti-Establishment.
*Oklahoma had won back-to-back National Championships in 1974 and 1975 for the school's 4th and 5th titles but Switzer was still a relatively new head coach (5th year compared to Woody Hayes 27th season) and compared to the already legendary Woody Hayes, these 1977 Sooners were relatively a young bunch and thus the "upstart" label.
Those are the adjectives that could have been used to describe both programs prior to this game. The establishment versus the new world order. Vintage college football match-up. ABC television game of the week. Two years before the birth of ESPN. Old-school Keith Jackson called the game with former Notre Dame head coach Ara Parseghian.
Oklahoma would bring its' high-powered Wishbone offense into Columbus for the first meeting ever between two historic football powers: Ohio State and Oklahoma. The Sooners came of age in the 1950's under legendary head coach Bud Wilkinson. Three National Championships in 1950, 55' & 56'. Ohio State came of age in the 1950's as well under legendary head coach Woody Hayes. Bookend National Championships around the Sooners titles in 1954, 57' and another one in 1968.
Woody the old-school, task-masker versus Barry the new world order swashbuckler. Ohio State was ranked #4 in the country. Oklahoma was ranked #3. Ohio State was playing a rare non-conference Big 10 game against a Big 8 team in September. The largest crowd in Ohio Stadium history: 88,000. As heavyweight of a match-up as could be found in college football in 1977.
Ali vs. Frazier
Oklahoma came out fast and scored early to take a 20-0 lead early into the second quarter. Elvis Peacock and Billy Sims both scored highlight reel touchdowns. ABC switched the regionally-televised game to other regional coverage. However, the Ohio State defense responded and stuffed the Sooners and the Buckeyes offense, aided by a slew of Sooner fumbles, scored 28 points to take a 28-20 lead with minutes remaining. After Oklahoma missed a two-point conversion to tie the game with 1:29 remaining, the Sooners recovered the ensuing onside kick. And, after moving the ball to the Ohio State 24 yard line the Sooners set-up a 41-yard game-winning field goal attempt with :06-seconds remaining. The kicker was a German soccer player from Fort Worth, Texas named Uwe Von Schamman.
The "Kick"
Woody Hayes tried to ice the young, inexperienced kicker and his freshman snapper named Mark Lucky by calling timeout. Von Schamman responded by taking his helmet off and leading the Ohio State crowd in their chant of "block that kick."
In what is simply known now as "The Kick," Von Schamman calmly kicked the ball straight-through the uprights and the Sooners upset the Buckeyes 29-28. Instant ESPN "Classic" today.
A frustrated Woody Hayes is shown on national television punching an Oklahoma assistant after the game. An ominous precursor to his infamous punch of a Clemson player a year later in the Gator Bowl that led to his early forced-retirement.
Historic Aftermath
The Sooners would finish 10-1, have a shot at a 6th National Championship after their sixth-consecutive Big 8 Championship and wound up back in the Orange Bowl. A shocking loss to Arkansas 31-6 resulted in a 10-2 record. Ohio State would finish 9-2and another Big 10 co-championship tying with Michigan. The Buckeyes would lose in the Sugar Bowl to Alabama 35-6 and finish 9-3.
Although, Oklahoma and Ohio State would play again in Norman in 1983, with the Buckeyes winning 24-14, both teams would not find National Championship success again until years later: OU in 1985 and 2000. Ohio State in 2002.
However, for fans across the country, especially Sooner fans, these two will be remembered for their historic first-ever meeting as Columbus Day: The day Woody Hayes discovered the Sooners!
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