Woody Hayes (February 14, 1913 - March 12, 1987) was head football coach at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio from 1951-1978. During this time, Hayes led the Buckeyes to a record of 205-68-10. His Buckeye teams won five national championships and 13 Big Ten Conference titles. He led OSU to 11 Rose Bowl games, including four consecutive games from 1972-75. Hayes twice won National Coach of the Year honors.

He was also notorious for his temper when on the football field, which eventually cost him his job at OSU following the 1978 Gator Bowl. During that game, he punched Clemson player Charlie Baumann on the sidelines after Baumann had clinched the game for Clemson with an interception in the closing seconds.

Before joining OSU, he coached at Denison University for three years and at Miami University (Ohio) for two. Hayes' lifetime record of 238-72-10 places him sixth in all-time NCAA Division I-A coaching victories.