American college football season
The1971 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was anAmerican football team that represented theOhio State University as a member of theBig Ten Conference during the1971 Big Ten season . In their 21st season under head coachWoody 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] 1924 and were unranked in the finalAP 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] [ 3] [ 3] Tom DeLeone received first-team All-America honors from, among others, theUPI andNEA . Five Ohio State players won first-team honors on the1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team : DeLeone; offensive tackle Rick Simon; defensive tackleGeorge Hasenohrl ; and linebackersStan White andRandy Gradishar .[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
The team played its home games atOhio Stadium inColumbus, Ohio . Home attendance totaled 506,699 in six games, an average of 84,449 per game.[ 3] artificial turf . TheAstroTurf field remained in place through the1989 season .[citation needed
Date Time Opponent Rank Site TV Result Attendance Source September 11 1:30 p.m. Iowa No. 11 W 52–2175,596 [ 7] [ 8] September 25 1:30 p.m. No. 10Colorado * No. 6 L 14–2085,586 [ 9] October 2 1:32 p.m. California * No. 14 W 35–386,280 [ 10] [ 11] October 9 2:30 p.m. atIllinois No. 15 W 24–1053,555 [ 12] [ 13] October 16 1:30 p.m. atIndiana No. 13 W 27–750,812 [ 14] [ 15] October 23 1:30 p.m. Wisconsin No. 12 ABC W 31–686,559 [ 16] October 30 2:30 p.m. atMinnesota No. 10 W 14–1236,281 [ 17] [ 18] November 6 1:30 p.m. Michigan State No. 9 L 10–1786,616 [ 19] [ 20] November 13 1:30 p.m. Northwestern No. 16 L 10–1486,062 [ 21] [ 22] November 20 1:30 p.m. at No. 3Michigan L 7–10104,016 [ 23] [ 24] [ 25] *Non-conference game Rankings fromAP Poll released prior to the game All times are inEastern time
[ 26]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total Iowa 0 7 7 7 21 •Ohio St 17 7 14 14 52
Date: September 11Location: Ohio Stadium ,Columbus, Ohio Game start: 1:32p.m.EST Elapsed time: 2:36Game attendance: 75,596Game weather: Rain, 67 °F (19 °C)
Scoring summary Q1 13:07 OHST Schram 39-yard field goal Ohio St 3–0 Q1 5:39 OHST Bledsoe 3-yard run (Schram kick) Ohio St 10–0 Q1 4:55 OHST Lamka 21-yard run (Schram kick) Ohio St 17–0 Q2 11:37 IOWA Holmes 1-yard run (Kokolus kick) Ohio St 17–7 Q2 7:41 OHST Bledsoe 11-yard run (Schram kick) Ohio St 24–7 Q3 13:26 IOWA Cabalka 10-yard pass from Sunderman (Kokolus kick) Ohio St 24–14 Q3 10:42 OHST Lamka 19-yard run (Schram kick) Ohio St 31–14 Q3 5:20 OHST Lamka 6-yard run (Schram kick) Ohio St 38–14 Q4 12:14 OHST Lamka 1-yard run (Schram kick) Ohio St 45–14 Q4 6:55 OHST Lippert 10-yard run (Schram kick) Ohio St 52–14 Q4 3:02 IOWA Mitchell 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 Buffaloes at Ohio State Buckeyes
atOhio Stadium ,Columbus, Ohio
Date : September 25, 1971Game time : 1:30 p.m.Game weather : Cloudy, 64 °F (18 °C)Game attendance : 85,586
Game information First quarter
COL – Ken Johnson 6-yard run (kick failed), 6:51.Colorado 6–0.Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards. Second quarter
COL –Cliff Branch 68-yard punt return (J.B. Dean kick), 10:49.Colorado 13–0. Fourth quarter
OSU – Don Lamka 1-yard run (Fred Schram kick), 4:28.Colorado 13–7.Drive: 7 plays, 43 yards. COL – Ken Johnson 39-yard run (J.B. Dean kick), 3:30.Colorado 20–7.Drive: 3 plays, 45 yards. OSU –Rick Middleton 14-yard pass from Don Lamka (Fred Schram kick), 2:11.Colorado 20–14.Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards. Top passers COL – Ken Johnson – 4/9, 97 yards, 2 INT OSU – Don Lamka – 20/33, 255 yards, TD Top rushers COL – Charlie Davis – 18 rushes, 135 yards OSU – Don Lamka – 23 rushes, 60 yards, TD Top receivers COL – Willie Nichols – 2 receptions, 61 yards OSU – Dick Wakefield – 11 receptions, 172 yards
Team 1 2 3 4 Total California 0 3 0 0 3 • Ohio St 14 0 0 21 35
Date: October 2Location: Ohio Stadium ,Columbus, Ohio Game start: 1:32p.m.EST Elapsed time: 2:28Game attendance: 86,280Game weather: Clear, 85 °F (29 °C)
Scoring summary Q1 6:17 OHST Lamka 4 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 7–0 Q1 1:50 OHST Bradshaw 12 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 14–0 Q2 7:20 CAL Wersching 47 yard field goal OHST 14–3 Q4 13:02 OHST Hare 40 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 21–3 Q4 9:39 OHST Bradshaw 4 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 28–3 Q4 0:33 OHST Eggers 1 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 35–3
[ 10] [ 11]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total • Ohio St 14 0 10 0 24 Illinois 0 3 0 7 10
Date: October 9Location: Memorial Stadium ,Champaign, IL Game start: 1:32p.m.CST Elapsed time: 2:32Game attendance: 53,555Game weather: Mostly cloudy, NE wind 10 mph (16 km/h), 53 °F (12 °C)
Scoring summary Q1 11:58 OHST Keith 1 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 7–0 Q1 10:09 OHST Keith 2 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 14–0 Q2 9:52 ILL Wells 37 yard field goal OHST 14–3 Q3 9:47 OHST Hare 3 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 21–3 Q3 6:12 OHST Schram 26 yard field goal OHST 24–3 Q4 8:22 ILL Navarro 1 yard run (Wells kick) OHST 24–10
[ 12] [ 13]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total • Ohio State 7 3 3 14 27 Indiana 0 0 7 0 7
Scoring summary Q1 11:06 OHST Keith 3 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 7–0 Q2 0:10 OHST Schram 31 yard field goal OHST 10–0 Q3 12:24 IND St. Pierre 21 yard run (Garner kick) OHST 10–7 Q3 10:23 OHST Schram 40 yard field goal OHST 13–7 Q4 13:15 OHST Keith 1 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 20–7 Q4 0:47 OHST Lamka 25 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 27–7
[ 14] [ 15]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total Wisconsin 0 0 0 6 6 • Ohio St 0 17 0 14 31
Date: October 23Location: Ohio Stadium ,Columbus, Ohio Game start: 2:00p.m.EST Elapsed time: 2:40Game attendance: 86,559Game weather: Rainy, 62 °F (17 °C)
Scoring summary Q2 12:45 OHST Lippert 48 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 7–0 Q2 10:37 OHST Bradshaw 88 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 14–0 Q2 0:44 OHST Schram 41 yard field goal OHST 17–0 Q4 13:49 OHST Galbos 1 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 24–0 Q4 1:07 WIS Lund 12 yard run (pass failed) OHST 24–6 Q4 0:55 OHST Bradshaw 88 yard kickoff return (Schram kick) OHST 31–6
[ 16]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total • Ohio St 0 0 7 7 14 Minnesota 0 6 0 6 12
Scoring summary Q2 1:27 MINN Kingsriter 31 yard pass from Curry (kick failed) MINN 6–0 Q3 7:42 OHST Wakefield 4 yard pass from Lamka (Schram kick) OHST 7–6 Q4 4:00 OHST Galbos 4 yard run (Schram kick) OHST 14–6 Q4 0:39 MINN Curry 2 yard run (run failed) OHST 14–12
[ 17] [ 18]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total • Michigan State 0 10 0 7 17 Ohio State 0 10 0 0 10
Date: November 6Location: Ohio Stadium Game start: 1:29p.m.EST Elapsed time: 2:20Game attendance: 86,616Game weather: Rain/Snow, 35 °F (2 °C)
Scoring summary Q2 14:12 MSU Shlapak 47 yard field goal MSU 0–3 Q2 9:55 OSU Bradshaw 11 yard run (Schram kick) OSU 7–3 Q2 5:54 MSU Allen 5 yard run (Shlapak kick) MSU 7–10 Q2 2:32 OSU Shram 30 yard field goal TIED 10–10 Q4 14:21 MSU Allen 1 yard run (Shlapak kick) MSU 17–10
[ 19] [ 20]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total • Northwestern 7 0 0 7 14 Ohio State 7 3 0 0 10
Date: November 13Location: Ohio Stadium Game start: 1:32p.m.EST Elapsed time: 2:18Game attendance: 86,062Game weather: Clear, 60 °F (16 °C)
Scoring summary Q1 4:19 OSU Lamka 7 run (Schram kick) OSU 7–0 Q1 4:05 NW Strunk 93 yard kick-off return (Planisek kick) TIED 7–7 Q2 5:13 OSU Schram 27 yard field goal OSU 10–7 Q4 7:25 NW Anderson 1 yard run (Planisek kick) NW 10–14
[ 21] [ 22]
Team 1 2 3 4 Total Ohio State 0 0 7 0 7 • Michigan 0 3 0 7 10
Scoring summary Q2 5:19 MICH Coin 32 yard field goal MICH 3–0 Q3 2:07 OSU Campana 85 yard punt return (Schram kick) OSU 3–7 Q4 2:07 MICH Taylor 21 yard run (Coin kick) MICH 10–7
On November 20, Ohio State lost to rivalMichigan , 10–7, before an NCAA record crowd of 104,016 persons in attendance atMichigan Stadium .[ 27] Dana Coin . Ohio State took the lead in the third quarter on an 85-yard punt return byTom Campana . Michigan running backBilly 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 whenThom Darden intercepted a pass with one-and-a-half minutes remaining. After the interception, Ohio State coachWoody 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]
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 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) IneligibleRoster
[ 28] [ 29]
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]
Senior centerTom DeLeone fromKent, Ohio , was the only Ohio State player to receive national recognition. He received first-team honors on the1971 All-America team by theUPI ,[ 30] NEA ,[ 31] Football News [ 32] Time The Sporting News [ 33] AP .[ 34] [ 35]
The following Ohio State players received first- or second-team honors on the1971 All-Big Ten Conference football team :
Tom DeLeone , center (AP-1, UPI-1)Rick Simon, offensive tackle (UPI-1) George Hasenohrl , defensive tackle (AP-1, UPI-1)Stan White , linebacker (AP-1, UPI-2)Randy Gradishar , linebacker (AP-2, UPI-1)Tom Campana , defensive back (UPI-2)Harry Howard , defensive back (UPI-2)[ 36] [ 37] [ 38]
DeLeone and Harry Howard were the team's co-captains.[ 3]
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 draft picks [ edit ] [ 39]
^ "1971 Ohio State Buckeyes Schedule and Results" .SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. RetrievedAugust 12, 2025 .^ "1971 Ohio State Buckeyes Stats" .SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. RetrievedAugust 12, 2025 .^a b c d e f g h "1971 Ohio State team statistics" (PDF) . Ohio State University. RetrievedAugust 12, 2025 .^ "All Big Ten Selected" .Daily Illini . November 24, 1971.^ "Sports Whirl" .The Daily News of the Virgin Islands . November 24, 1971.^ "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.^a b Paul Ritter (September 12, 1971)."Buckeyes Look Strong In Splattering Iowa" .The Cincinnati Enquirer . p. 4C – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Iowa vs. Ohio State)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 28, 2016 .^ John Hannen (September 26, 1971)."Colorado Thumps Bucks: OSU Home-Field Streak Ends" .The Blade . Toledo, Ohio. pp. E1, E5 – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b John Hannen (October 3, 1971)."Buckeyes Pound California" .The Blade . Toledo, Ohio. pp. 1C, 2C – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (California vs. Ohio State)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 28, 2016 .^a b Roy Damer (October 10, 1971)."Buckeyes Beat Illinois 24-10" .Chicago Tribune . p. 3 (section 3) – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Illinois)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 28, 2016 .^a b Bob Hammel (October 17, 1971)."IU Can't 'Buck' The Odds: 27-7" .The Herald-Times . Bloomington, Indiana. pp. 1, 26 – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Indiana)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 28, 2016 .^a b Jim Montgomery (October 24, 1971)."Hello, Columbus! Goodbye, Wisconsin" .The Cincinnati Enquirer . p. 5C – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b Jon Roe (October 31, 1971)."Ohio St. edges by Gophers" .Minneapolis Tribune . pp. 1C, 4C – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Minnesota)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 27, 2016 .^a b Ed Chay (November 7, 1971)."Spartans Jolt Bucks" .The Plain Dealer . Cleveland, Ohio. pp. 1C, 7C – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Michigan State at Ohio State)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 27, 2016 .^a b Ed Chay (November 14, 1971)."Wildcats Stun Bucks" .The Plain Dealer . Cleveland, Ohio. pp. 1C, 8C – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Northwestern vs. Ohio State)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 27, 2016 .^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 – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b Wayne DeNeff (November 21, 1971)."It's Rainbow's End: M 10, OSU 7" .The Ann Arbor News . p. 29 – viaNewspapers.com . ^a b "Summary of Football Game Statistics (Ohio State at Michigan)" (PDF) .National Collegiate Athletic Association . Archived fromthe original (PDF) on November 28, 2016. RetrievedNovember 27, 2016 .^ "1971 Football Season" . Ohio State University. RetrievedAugust 12, 2025 .^ "Here's Breakdown Of That M Crowd" .Detroit Free Press . November 21, 1971. p. 7D – viaNewspapers.com .^ "1971 Ohio State football roster" (PDF) . Ohio State University. RetrievedAugust 12, 2025 .^ "1971 Ohio State Football Information Guide" (PDF) . Ohio State University. 1971. pp. 10– 15.^ "Ohioans on dream team" .The Bryan Times . December 2, 1971. p. 15 – viaNewspapers.com .^ "DeLeone NEA All-American" .The Akron Beacon Journal . November 24, 1971. p. B8.^ "Walker, Majors All-Americans on Two Teams" .The Nashville Tennessean . November 24, 1971. p. 15.^ "Sporting News names Deleone" .The Cincinnati Post . December 11, 1971. p. 9.^ "All-America Lists" .News-Journal (Mansfield, Ohio) . December 2, 1971. p. 42.^a b "Tom DeLeone Is Selected OSU's MVP" .The Times Recorder . November 24, 1971. p. 6B – viaNewspapers.com .^ "All Big Ten Selected" .Daily Illini . November 24, 1971.^ "Sports Whirl" .The Daily News of the Virgin Islands . November 24, 1971.^ "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.^ "1972 NFL Draft" .Pro-Football-Reference.com . Sports Reference LLC. RetrievedAugust 12, 2025 .
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