During any football career, high school, collegiate, or professional, there are different motivating factors for each individual participant. My primary “push” as high school began came from being smaller than every other candidate for the varsity football team and I was madly in love with all aspects of the game. There were players that caught my attention the first time I saw them play and gave me something I could identify with or wished to emulate. There were stars that every fan and player was aware of, those that stimulated Monday morning conversation in offices, coffee shops, and in my case, on the school bus. The big time running backs on the collegiate scene in 1961 were Ernie Davis of Syracuse, Jimmy Saxton of Texas, and Bob Ferguson of Ohio State. HELMET HUT has had numerous features about Ernie Davis and the 2008 movie “The Express” on site [ see  http://www.helmethut.com/College/Syracuse/syracuseindex.html ] and without a doubt, he was one of a kind. Saxton was a whirlwind back with raw sprinter’s speed that helped make Texas a national power, renown in the Southwest for being able to chase and catch jack rabbits with his bare hands. Ferguson was the type of back I could most identify with and the prototype Woody Hayes’ Ohio State fullback. That Davis, Ferguson, and Saxton finished one-two-three in the Heisman Trophy race was no surprise as each had a strong regional and national following, and each brought a dynamic and distinctive style to the college game that season. The 1961 pre-season polls picked Iowa as the class of the Big Ten with Ohio State second or third based upon the Buckeyes’ 7-2 finish in 1960 and what appeared to be an unusually strong backfield. Tom Matte had led the ’60 squad from the quarterback position before becoming a terrific pro halfback with the Colts and his running ability fully explained the Hayes’ approach to offense. The quarterback was a running back, often gaining more yards than the other backs in any specific game, and the fullback was expected to be the workhorse, carrying twenty to thirty times each game and usually between the tackles. Two great tackles, Bob Vogel and Daryl Sanders, were the driving force on the offensive line, and both destined for long and successful pro careers. The quarterback position was shared the entire season by three capable players and future Major League Baseball star Joe Sparma served as the de facto “designated passer” on the rare occasions Hayes saw the need for this approach. The rushing was left to Ferguson, a 1960 All American who punished tacklers and who had never been tackled for a loss of yardage, and halfbacks Paul Warfield and Matt Snell.
 

Homecoming Game on November 4th
Bob Ferguson rips through Iowa in pivotal game for Big Ten crown