Ohio State Fires Cooper

C O L U M B U S, Ohio, Jan. 2, 2001 -- Ohio State confirmed today it isreplacing John Cooper after 13 years as head coach, the day afteranother bowl loss by the Buckeyes.

Athletics director Andy Geiger said at an afternoon news conference today that the university will begin looking for a new coach immediately.

Geiger said the decision did not hinge on whether Ohio State wonthe Outback Bowl but out of concern over discipline,competitiveness and player academics.

However, he said, “I was dismayed by things that happened inand around the Outback Bowl. The game itself and some of theincidents, or non-incidents, that happened during the week.

“It’s really in the best interest of this program to move on,” Geiger said.

Team Turmoil

The decision came a day after Ohio State’s 24-7 loss to SouthCarolina in the Outback Bowl. The Buckeyes were favored against ateam that had gone 0-11 a year ago and was the only unranked teamplaying in a New Year’s Day game this year.

In the weeks before the Outback Bowl, an Ohio State playerquestioned a captain’s leadership abilities, the leading rusher washeld out of the starting lineup for missing the first practice inTampa, and one offensive lineman sued another for $50,000 in thewake of an on-field fight in the spring.

Cooper’s Ohio State teams went 111-43-4 and finished second inthe final AP poll in 1997 and 1999.

His tenure was the second longest for an Ohio State footballcoach, exceeded only by Woody Hayes, who went 205-61-10 in 28seasons with the Buckeyes. Only Hayes won more games at Ohio Statethan Cooper.

But Cooper’s Buckeyes also struggled in big games. Cooper wasjust 2-10-1 against archrival Michigan and 3-8 in bowl games. Sixtimes in his 13 years, the Buckeyes closed out their season withconsecutive losses to Michigan and in a bowl game.

Buckeyes Were Successful — Except in Bowls

Cooper became Ohio State’s 21st head coach on Dec. 31, 1987.

His predecessor, Earle Bruce, compiled a nine-season record of81-26-1, a winning percentage of .755. But Bruce, a former playerand assistant at Ohio State under Hayes, was fired by OSU presidentEdward H. Jennings two days after a last-second 29-27 loss to Iowa.When told by Jennings to fire Bruce, athletics director Rick Bayresigned. He opposed the firing.

Cooper had won the Rose Bowl just two years before while atArizona State. He was 82-40-2 in 11 years as head coach at ASU andTulsa, and was an assistant at Iowa State, Oregon State, UCLA,Kansas and Kentucky.

Ohio State officials said Arizona State’s 22-15 victory overOhio State’s archrival, Michigan, in the 1986 Rose Bowl was a keyfactor in their decision to hire Cooper.

Cooper failed to win Ohio State’s first national title since1968 — though the Buckeyes came close.

In 1995, the Buckeyes won their first 11 games before losing atMichigan 31-23. Five weeks later, Ohio State lost to Tennessee20-14 in the Florida Citrus Bowl.

The 1996 team won its first 10 games and was ranked No. 2 whenit fell to Michigan 13-9. That team rebounded to edge Arizona State20-17 in the Rose Bowl.

Buckeyes Won Five Straight, Then Skidded

Ranked No. 1 in the preseason, the 1998 team stayed atop thepolls until Nov. 7, when it lost to 17-point underdog MichiganState. The Buckeyes won their last three games, including victoriesover Michigan and against Texas A&M in the Sugar Bowl, to againfinish No. 2 in the final rankings.

Cooper once said he would never be a beloved figure in Ohio andwould always pale in comparison to the revered Hayes, who died in1987.

“A lot of people are never going to like me,” Cooper oncesaid.

The heat was turned up after a 6-6 season in 1999 in which theBuckeyes closed with three consecutive losses and then failed tomake a bowl trip for the first time since Cooper’s first season.

This year, the Buckeyes won their first five games to climb intothe top 10 but faltered down the stretch.

Minnesota, coached by a former Ohio State player and Hayesassistant Glen Mason, upset the Buckeyes 29-17. Mason, who might bea top candidate to replace Cooper, said he cried on the way to thegame when he thought how much Ohio State had meant to his career.

Purdue’s Drew Brees tossed a 64-yard touchdown pass to SethMorales with 1:55 left to give the Boilermakers a 31-27 win overOhio State and take the inside track to the Rose Bowl.

Subsequent upsets still gave the Buckeyes a shot at winning ashare of the conference title, but they lost to Michigan 38-26.