1971 Ohio State Buckeyes football team

1971 Ohio State Buckeyes football
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Record6–4 (5–3 Big Ten)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorGeorge Hill (1st season)
MVPTom DeLeone
Captains
  • Tom DeLeone
  • Harry Howard
Home stadiumOhio Stadium
1971 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 6 Michigan $ 8 – 0 – 0 11 – 1 – 0
Northwestern 6 – 3 – 0 7 – 4 – 0
5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Michigan State 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Illinois 5 – 3 – 0 5 – 6 – 0
Wisconsin 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 6 – 1
Minnesota 3 – 5 – 0 4 – 7 – 0
Purdue 3 – 5 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Indiana 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
Iowa 1 – 8 – 0 1 – 10 – 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1971 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented the Ohio State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1971 Big Ten season. In their 24th season under head coach Woody Hayes, the Buckeyes compiled a 6–4 record (5–3 in conference games), finished in a three-way tie for third place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 224 to 120.[1] An early season loss to No. 10 Colorado snapped the Buckeyes' 19-game home winning streak. The Buckeyes ended the season with three consecutive losses for the first time since 1924 and were unranked in the final AP and UPI polls.

The Buckeyes gained an average of 211.6 rushing yards and 102.6 passing yards per game. On defense, they allowed 164.7 rushing yards and 118.2 passing yards per game.[2] The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Don Lamka (718 passing yards, 50.5% completion percentage), tailback Rick Galbos (540 rushing yards, 3.8 yards per carry), right end Dick Wakefield (31 receptions for 432 yards), and linebacker Vic Koegel with 61 solo tackles and 126 total tackles.[3] Lamka and kicker Fred Schram each scored 48 points to lead the team in scoring.[3] Center Tom DeLeone received first-team All-America honors from, among others, the UPI and NEA. Five Ohio State players won first-team honors on the 1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team: DeLeone; offensive tackle Rick Simon; defensive tackle George Hasenohrl; and linebackers Stan White and Randy Gradishar.[4][5][6]

The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. Home attendance totaled 506,699 in six games, an average of 84,449 per game.[3] This was the first season the field had artificial turf. The AstroTurf field remained in place through the 1989 season.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 111:30 p.m.IowaNo. 11
W 52–2175,596[7][8]
September 251:30 p.m.No. 10 Colorado*No. 6
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
L 14–2085,586[9]
October 21:32 p.m.California*No. 14
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
W 35–386,280[10][11]
October 92:30 p.m.at IllinoisNo. 15
W 24–1053,555[12][13]
October 161:30 p.m.at IndianaNo. 13
W 27–750,812[14][15]
October 231:30 p.m.WisconsinNo. 12
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
ABCW 31–686,559[16]
October 302:30 p.m.at MinnesotaNo. 10
W 14–1236,281[17][18]
November 61:30 p.m.Michigan StateNo. 9
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
L 10–1786,616[19][20]
November 131:30 p.m.NorthwesternNo. 16
  • Ohio Stadium
  • Columbus, OH
L 10–1486,062[21][22]
November 201:30 p.m.at No. 3 Michigan
L 7–10104,016[23][24][25]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[26]

Game summaries

Iowa

Team 1 234Total
Iowa 0 777 21
• Ohio St 17 71414 52
  • Date: September 11
  • Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
  • Game start: 1:32p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:36
  • Game attendance: 75,596
  • Game weather: Rain, 67 °F (19 °C)
Scoring summary
Q113:07OHSTSchram 39-yard field goalOhio St 3–0
Q15:39OHSTBledsoe 3-yard run (Schram kick)Ohio St 10–0
Q14:55OHSTLamka 21-yard run (Schram kick)Ohio St 17–0
Q211:37IOWAHolmes 1-yard run (Kokolus kick)Ohio St 17–7
Q27:41OHSTBledsoe 11-yard run (Schram kick)Ohio St 24–7
Q313:26IOWACabalka 10-yard pass from Sunderman (Kokolus kick)Ohio St 24–14
Q310:42OHSTLamka 19-yard run (Schram kick)Ohio St 31–14
Q35:20OHSTLamka 6-yard run (Schram kick)Ohio St 38–14
Q412:14OHSTLamka 1-yard run (Schram kick)Ohio St 45–14
Q46:55OHSTLippert 10-yard run (Schram kick)Ohio St 52–14
Q43:02IOWAMitchell 6-yard run (Kokolus kick)Ohio St 52–21

Don Lamka, who spent the last two seasons as a reserve defensive back, made his debut at quarterback with 211 total yards and four touchdowns.[7] [8]

Colorado

See also: 1971 Colorado Buffaloes football team
Colorado Buffaloes at Ohio State Buckeyes
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colorado 6 7 0720
Ohio St 0 0 01414

at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio

  • Date: September 25, 1971
  • Game time: 1:30 p.m.
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 85,586
Game information

California

Team 1 234Total
California 0 300 3
• Ohio St 14 0021 35
  • Date: October 2
  • Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
  • Game start: 1:32p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:28
  • Game attendance: 86,280
  • Game weather: Clear, 85 °F (29 °C)
Scoring summary
Q16:17OHSTLamka 4 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 7–0
Q11:50OHSTBradshaw 12 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 14–0
Q27:20CALWersching 47 yard field goalOHST 14–3
Q413:02OHSTHare 40 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 21–3
Q49:39OHSTBradshaw 4 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 28–3
Q40:33OHSTEggers 1 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 35–3

[10][11]

Illinois

Team 1 234Total
• Ohio St 14 0100 24
Illinois 0 307 10
  • Date: October 9
  • Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL
  • Game start: 1:32p.m. CST
  • Elapsed time: 2:32
  • Game attendance: 53,555
  • Game weather: Mostly cloudy, NE wind 10 mph (16 km/h), 53 °F (12 °C)
Scoring summary
Q111:58OHSTKeith 1 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 7–0
Q110:09OHSTKeith 2 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 14–0
Q29:52ILLWells 37 yard field goalOHST 14–3
Q39:47OHSTHare 3 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 21–3
Q36:12OHSTSchram 26 yard field goalOHST 24–3
Q48:22ILLNavarro 1 yard run (Wells kick)OHST 24–10

[12][13]

Indiana

Team 1 234Total
• Ohio State 7 3314 27
Indiana 0 070 7
Scoring summary
Q111:06OHSTKeith 3 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 7–0
Q20:10OHSTSchram 31 yard field goalOHST 10–0
Q312:24INDSt. Pierre 21 yard run (Garner kick)OHST 10–7
Q310:23OHSTSchram 40 yard field goalOHST 13–7
Q413:15OHSTKeith 1 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 20–7
Q40:47OHSTLamka 25 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 27–7

[14][15]

Wisconsin

Team 1 234Total
Wisconsin 0 006 6
• Ohio St 0 17014 31
  • Date: October 23
  • Location: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
  • Game start: 2:00p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:40
  • Game attendance: 86,559
  • Game weather: Rainy, 62 °F (17 °C)
Scoring summary
Q212:45OHSTLippert 48 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 7–0
Q210:37OHSTBradshaw 88 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 14–0
Q20:44OHSTSchram 41 yard field goalOHST 17–0
Q413:49OHSTGalbos 1 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 24–0
Q41:07WISLund 12 yard run (pass failed)OHST 24–6
Q40:55OHSTBradshaw 88 yard kickoff return (Schram kick)OHST 31–6

[16]

Minnesota

Team 1 234Total
• Ohio St 0 077 14
Minnesota 0 606 12
Scoring summary
Q21:27MINNKingsriter 31 yard pass from Curry (kick failed)MINN 6–0
Q37:42OHSTWakefield 4 yard pass from Lamka (Schram kick)OHST 7–6
Q44:00OHSTGalbos 4 yard run (Schram kick)OHST 14–6
Q40:39MINNCurry 2 yard run (run failed)OHST 14–12

[17][18]

Michigan State

Team 1 234Total
• Michigan State 0 1007 17
Ohio State 0 1000 10
  • Date: November 6
  • Location: Ohio Stadium
  • Game start: 1:29p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:20
  • Game attendance: 86,616
  • Game weather: Rain/Snow, 35 °F (2 °C)
Scoring summary
Q214:12MSUShlapak 47 yard field goalMSU 0–3
Q29:55OSUBradshaw 11 yard run (Schram kick)OSU 7–3
Q25:54MSUAllen 5 yard run (Shlapak kick)MSU 7–10
Q22:32OSUShram 30 yard field goalTIED 10–10
Q414:21MSUAllen 1 yard run (Shlapak kick)MSU 17–10

[19][20]

Northwestern

Team 1 234Total
• Northwestern 7 007 14
Ohio State 7 300 10
  • Date: November 13
  • Location: Ohio Stadium
  • Game start: 1:32p.m. EST
  • Elapsed time: 2:18
  • Game attendance: 86,062
  • Game weather: Clear, 60 °F (16 °C)
Scoring summary
Q14:19OSULamka 7 run (Schram kick)OSU 7–0
Q14:05NWStrunk 93 yard kick-off return (Planisek kick)TIED 7–7
Q25:13OSUSchram 27 yard field goalOSU 10–7
Q47:25NWAnderson 1 yard run (Planisek kick)NW 10–14

[21][22]

Michigan

Team 1 234Total
Ohio State 0 070 7
• Michigan 0 307 10
Scoring summary
Q25:19MICHCoin 32 yard field goalMICH 3–0
Q32:07OSUCampana 85 yard punt return (Schram kick)OSU 3–7
Q42:07MICHTaylor 21 yard run (Coin kick)MICH 10–7

On November 20, Ohio State lost to rival Michigan, 10–7, before an NCAA record crowd of 104,016 persons in attendance at Michigan Stadium.[27] Michigan took a 3–0 lead at halftime on a 32-yard field goal by Dana Coin. Ohio State took the lead in the third quarter on an 85-yard punt return by Tom Campana. Michigan running back Billy Taylor put Michigan back in the lead with a 21-yard touchdown run with two minutes and seven seconds left in the game. Ohio State's final drive ended when Thom Darden intercepted a pass with one-and-a-half minutes remaining. After the interception, Ohio State coach Woody Hayes ran across the field, berating the officials for Darden going over the back of intended receiver Dick Wakefield. The officials assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct against Hayes. When the official moved the first-down markers to assess the penalty, Hayes pulled the markers from ground, threw one onto the field and threw the other to the ground, proceeding to then rip the plastic flag from the pole with his hand. The victory gave Michigan an undefeated record in the regular season for the first time since 1948.[23][24][25]

Roster

1971 Ohio State Buckeyes football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
SE 23 Tom Battista Jr
OT 78 Charles Beecroft Jr
OT 77 Earl Belgrave Jr
FB 34 John Bledsoe Jr
G 58 Charles Bonica Jr
QB 15 Bill Boyle So
HB 25 Morris Bradshaw So
HB 24 Tom Campagna Sr
G 64 Bill Conley Sr
C 52 Tom DeLeone (C) Sr
FB 37 Pat Eggers So
HB 46 Michael Gaffney So
HB 33 Richard Galbos Jr
HB 22 Richard Gales So
QB 18 Greg Hare So
SE 85 Jimmie Lee Harris Sr
SE 82 David Hazel So
G 57 Tom Houser Sr
G 61 John Husband So
SE 84 Scott Jones So
G 63 Jim Kregel So
QB 19 Don Lamka Sr
HB 47 Elmer Lippert So
OT 74 David Long Sr
C 54 James Meckstroth So
E 32 Richard Middleton So
QB 12 Ross Moore Jr
OT 72 Greg Mountz Sr
C 56 Tom Nixon Jr
E 80 Fred Pagac So
G 50 Tony Pistick Jr
OT 76 Dan Scott So
OT 73 Richard Simon Sr
E 96 John Smurda So
G 60 Milan Vecanski Sr
SE 91 Dick Wakefield Sr
G 65 Tim Wersel Jr
OT 71 Bob Willard So
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DT 99 Tom Baxa Jr
DE 93 Jeff Brown Jr
DE 86 Richard Cappell Sr
CB 11 Randall Cowman Jr
S 8 Dan Cunnigham Sr
DB 16 Jeff Davis So
LB 51 Ken Dixon Jr
LB 39 Richard Ferko Jr
MG 55 Kevin Fletcher Jr
LB 53 Randy Gradishar So
DT 70 George Hasenohrl Jr
CB 28 Harry Howard (C) Sr
DB 14 Robert Kelly So
DB 21 Carl Kern So
CB 20 Marvin Kinsey Jr
LB 62 Victor Koegel So
DE 87 Ken Luttner Sr
DE 81 Tom Marendt So
MG 36 Glen Mason Sr
CB 30 Louis Mathis So
LB 59 Fred Pisanelli Jr
MG 35 Rocco Rich So
DE 83 Mike Scannell Jr
DB 26 Warren Sharpp So
DE 94 Terry Strong Jr
DB 6 Monty Thompson So
LB 88 Stan White Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
PK 2 Paul Johnston Sr
P 92 Gary Lago Jr
PK 1 Fred Schram Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured Injured
  • Redshirt Redshirt

Roster
Last update: 2016-Oct-18

[28][29]

Statistics

Rushing

Player Attempts Net yards Yards per attempt Touchdowns
Richard Galbos 141 540 3.8 3
Morris Bradshaw 65 340 5.2 4
Don Lamka 107 308 2.9 8
Elmer Lippert 53 265 5.0 2
John Bledsoe 61 265 4.3 2
Randal Keith 66 216 3.3 4
Greg Hare 25 84 3.4 2

[3]

Passing

Player Attempts Completions Interceptions Comp % Yards TD
Don Lamka 107 54 5 50.5 718 2
Greg Hare 59 25 5 42.4 299 0

[3]

Scoring

Player TD PAT FG Points
Don Lamka 8 0-0 0-0 48
Fred Schram 0 27-27 7-13 48
Morris Bradshaw 5 0-0 0-0 30
Randal Keith 4 0-0 0-0 24

[3]

Receiving

Player No. Yards Avg TD
Dick Wakefield 31 432 13.9 1
Rick Middleton 11 152 13.8 1
Jimmy Harris 9 200 22.2 0
Richard Galbos 9 47 5.2 0
Fred Pagac 5 59 11.8 0

[3]

Awards and honors

Senior center Tom DeLeone from Kent, Ohio, was the only Ohio State player to receive national recognition. He received first-team honors on the 1971 All-America team by the UPI,[30] NEA,[31] Football News,[32] Time magazine, and The Sporting News.[33] He received second-team honors from the AP.[34] He was also selected as the team's most valuable player.[35]

The following Ohio State players received first- or second-team honors on the 1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team:

[36][37][38]

DeLeone and Harry Howard were the team's co-captains.[3] Other team awards included:

  • Sigma Alpha Epsilon trophy as outstanding performer in the homecoming game - Randy Gradishar
  • Quarterback Club - Randy Gradishar and Vic Koegel
  • Jack W. Stephenson award as outstanding tackle - George Hasenohrl

[35]

1972 NFL

Player Round Pick Position NFL club
Tom DeLeone 5 106 Center Cincinnati Bengals
Harry Howard 9 225 Defensive back Los Angeles Rams
Jimmy Harris 12 312 Wide receiver Dallas Cowboys
Tom Campana 13 316 Defensive back St. Louis Cardinals
Dick Wakefield 16 409 Wide receiver Cleveland Browns
Stan White 17 438 Linebacker Baltimore Colts

[39]

References

  1. ^ "1971 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  2. ^ "1971 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "1971 Ohio State team statistics" (PDF). Ohio State University. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  4. ^ "All Big Ten Selected". Daily Illini. November 24, 1971.
  5. ^ "Sports Whirl". The Daily News of the Virgin Islands. November 24, 1971.
  6. ^ "Unbeaten Michigan Dominate UPI Team Picked by Coaches: Ohio State Places 7 On All-Big Ten Teams". The Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. November 25, 1971. p. 9D.
  7. ^ a b Paul Ritter (September 12, 1971). "Buckeyes Look Strong In Splattering Iowa". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Iowa vs. Ohio State)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  9. ^ John Hannen (September 26, 1971). "Colorado Thumps Bucks: OSU Home-Field Streak Ends". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. pp. E1, E5 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b John Hannen (October 3, 1971). "Buckeyes Pound California". The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (California vs. Ohio State)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Roy Damer (October 10, 1971). "Buckeyes Beat Illinois 24-10". Chicago Tribune. p. 3 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Illinois)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Bob Hammel (October 17, 1971). "IU Can't 'Buck' The Odds: 27-7". The Herald-Times. Bloomington, Indiana. pp. 1, 26 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Indiana)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Jim Montgomery (October 24, 1971). "Hello, Columbus! Goodbye, Wisconsin". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ a b Jon Roe (October 31, 1971). "Ohio St. edges by Gophers". Minneapolis Tribune. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Minnesota)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  19. ^ a b Ed Chay (November 7, 1971). "Spartans Jolt Bucks". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. pp. 1C, 7C – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Michigan State at Ohio State)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Ed Chay (November 14, 1971). "Wildcats Stun Bucks". The Plain Dealer. Cleveland, Ohio. pp. 1C, 8C – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Northwestern vs. Ohio State)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  23. ^ a b Curt Sylvester (November 21, 1971). "Whew! U-M 10, OSU 7: Woody Throws Tantrum Before 104,016". Detroit Free Press. pp. 1D, 7D – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ a b Wayne DeNeff (November 21, 1971). "It's Rainbow's End: M 10, OSU 7". The Ann Arbor News. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Michigan)" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  26. ^ "1971 Football Season". Ohio State University. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  27. ^ "Here's Breakdown Of That M Crowd". Detroit Free Press. November 21, 1971. p. 7D – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  28. ^ "1971 Ohio State football roster" (PDF). Ohio State University. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  29. ^ "1971 Ohio State Football Information Guide" (PDF). Ohio State University. 1971. pp. 10–15. (coaching duties)
  30. ^ "Ohioans on dream team". The Bryan Times. December 2, 1971. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  31. ^ "DeLeone NEA All-American". The Akron Beacon Journal. November 24, 1971. p. B8.
  32. ^ "Walker, Majors All-Americans on Two Teams". The Nashville Tennessean. November 24, 1971. p. 15.
  33. ^ "Sporting News names Deleone". The Cincinnati Post. December 11, 1971. p. 9.
  34. ^ "All-America Lists". News-Journal (Mansfield, Ohio). December 2, 1971. p. 42.
  35. ^ a b "Tom DeLeone Is Selected OSU's MVP". The Times Recorder. November 24, 1971. p. 6B – via Newspapers.com.
  36. ^ "All Big Ten Selected". Daily Illini. November 24, 1971.
  37. ^ "Sports Whirl". The Daily News of the Virgin Islands. November 24, 1971.
  38. ^ "Unbeaten Michigan Dominate UPI Team Picked by Coaches: Ohio State Places 7 On All-Big Ten Teams". The Times Recorder, Zanesville, OH. November 25, 1971. p. 9D.
  39. ^ "1972 NFL Draft". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
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