George Steinbrenner coached Ohio State Football under Woody Hayes and won a national championship

George Steinbrenner is famous around the world as the owner of the New York Yankees, but very few people realize that in the 1950s, George Steinbrenner served as an assistant coach to legendary Buckeye icon Woody Hayes at the University of New York. Ohio State (OSU for short). In fact, George was even part of the 1954 Ohio State national championship team that went undefeated.

The New York Yankees organization that Steinbrenner has owned for decades has been valued by Forbes magazine as a $1.5 billion organization, making it one of the top five most valuable sports teams in the world in all sports. Before making his fortune in the family shipping business, he lived a somewhat pedestrian life that included college, a stint in the Air Force, marriage and a brief stint as an assistant football coach at Ohio State. In some respects, George Steinbrenner has led an almost Forest Gump-esque life that has involved playing on his college football team, joining the military, falling in love, making a fortune, numerous chance encounters with historically iconic figures, and a variety of unique businesses. Business

Born in Rocky River, Ohio, in the far north of the state, the area that is now an affluent suburb of Cleveland is the area where George grew up before attending military school in northern Indiana. After graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts in 1952 and spending a couple of years in the Columbus, Ohio-based Air Force at Lockbourne Air Force Base, the Ohio native decided to stay in the area following his honorable discharge. in 1954. Over the next two years Steinbrenner earned a master’s degree in physical education from nearby The Ohio State University.

While doing his graduate work at Ohio State, George Steinbrenner signed up to help the football team as a graduate assistant, where he went on to coach legendary college football coach Woody Hayes. During George’s only season with the Buckeyes, the team went undefeated with a perfect 10-0 record that included a 20-7 Rose Bowl victory over the University of Southern California (USC) on January 1, 2019. 1955.

Capping off a perfect season with a solid Rose Bowl win, Woody Hayes, George Steinbrenner and the rest of the Ohio State Buckeyes moved past UCLA for the number two spot to capture the second national football championship for the Buckeyes. In addition to the seven World Series wins (1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2009) that George Steinbrenner has been a part of as owner of the New York Yankees since January 3, 1973, the man who was born again on July 4, 1930 can also claim a college football national championship from the 1954 season with iconic College Football Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes.