As I have had the pleasure visiting with so many former players and coaches that have played and coached for Woody Hayes, one element that has been a common denominator in all of these past stories is that every one of them feels that Woody was the greatest influence on their lives or the second greatest behind their fathers.

Woody positively impacted our lives in so many ways. All of these former players and coaches, including myself, are now in their 50's, 60's and 70's and have related to me that they all have "life lessons" which they learned from Woody, that they continue to apply to their lives and daily routines to this very day. There are not enough pages to begin to cover the thousands of lessons coach Hayes taught, but let's look at a few.

The first lesson I relate was a personal experience that I had with coach Hayes and my parents. I had signed my national letter of intent to attend the Ohio State University and despite my family's extensive Big Ten background, my parents had never been to Ohio State or to Columbus (Ohio).

We packed up the Delta 88 and drove eight hours to the capitol city to watch the Buckeyes spring game and to allow my parents to see the beautiful Ohio State campus where their youngest son was going to be spending the next four years. It just so happened to be the spring of 1978 and after that spring game, a ten-year reunion party was being held for the 1968 Buckeye National Championship team and we were invited.

My eyes were as big as full moons as I walked into French Field House along with the likes of Rex Kern, John Brockington, Jack Tatum, Jim Otis, Leo Hayden and Ted Provost. My heart was even bigger when in line to fill our plates with some of the great barbecued food, Woody came up to my mom and dad and asked if he could take them on a personal tour of the campus. Given that Woody was hosting his 1968 National Championship team, my parents were flattered, but politely declined. Woody, being Woody would have none of that and he insisted. Away they went in Woody's El Camino, while I stayed behind with some of my football heroes. Man, did I feel important.

The story advances three years to Riverside Methodist Hospital, where I was having surgery after I had blown out my knee as the starting left tackle for Earle Bruce.

Woody had been the head coach three years earlier during my freshman year. I was simply a "scout team" player for Woody, which meant that the only contribution I made to that team was the harder I practiced, the better the starters became. Yet, as I was groggy and awaking from anesthesia, there was Woody, at the foot of my bed, with his arm around my mother.

This was in a time prior to arthroscopic and less invasive surgeries. I had a cast from my hip to my toe and I was in the hospital for eight days, as was Woody. He brought me assignments from my missed classes. He washed my back and when I was able to get up on crutches and he took me throughout the hospital to visit other less fortunate patients to raise their spirits.

We visited with former Ohio State Kicking coach, Ernie Godfrey, who was literally on his deathbed in the final stages of a battle against cancer. Woody told him what a fine young man I was as he held Ernie's hand. Again, I felt so important and so proud.

What I have learned over the years was that Woody made everyone feel that way. Being cared for and feeling important builds confidence. Confidence builds success and in Woody's life success meant victories for the Buckeyes.

That lesson of caring and building confidence allowed me to be the best leader that I could be, once I entered the business world.

Here are some similar life lesson experiences that other great Buckeyes have had:

I always thought that was amazing, so I made up some t-shirts for my kid's teams, imprinted with the letters, B.A.M., which stands for, 'Believe in yourself, Attitude and mental Toughness'.

Kids doubt themselves and they don't understand how good they are or how good they can be. Woody was the master of building confidence and it's just amazing when you think back on all the things that Woody taught us, and how true they are. It's really something.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of Woody or apply one of his teachings and I think it was just yesterday when one of our entry level employees came to me and said that he was going to take a day off of training and I said to him, 'My old coach used to tell me that if you miss one day of practice you know it. If you miss two days of practice, your critics will know it. If you miss three days of practice, everybody will know it.'

Life teaches you how right those sayings were that he used and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about him some way; something that he said or a funny story or an axiom that he left me with for the rest of my life that proved so true. He was just a great man and an inspiration to everybody that ever played for him.

Not everybody liked him while they played for him, but I don't know of anybody that doesn't revere him and like him for the experiences he gave them that last a lifetime.

Wayne Woodrow Hayes grew up in a family where education was prevalent in everything they did, given that his father Wayne B. Hayes was the school superintendent of Newcomerstown High School. It is no wonder that Woody went on to earn his two bachelor's degrees in English and History from Denison University and his Master's degree in Education from the Ohio State University, but more importantly, he became an academic professor and a "Life Professor", molding and positively influencing thousands of lives along the way. Some things should never change.

[rl]