Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer turned to one of the greatest coaches of all time, Woody Hayes, to grab the attention of his brethren at a coaching convention this weekend.
Meyer, during what Ohio State officials later said was a joke, recalled a story early in Meyer's tenure as an Ohio State assistant that will serve only to elevate the aura of Hayes in Buckeye nation. Meyer was in his first season as an assistant, in 1986, when head coach Earle Bruce asked Hayes, who retired in 1978, to come and speak to the Buckeyes? coaches.
It was meant to be motivational. It might have been that, and a little scary, too, as Hayes allegedly demonstrated the kind of toughness the coaches and players needed to have. The story, involving a snapping turtle and male genitalia, went like this, Meyer told listeners at the convention:
?He says, 'We have no toughness, and the reason is because you're not tough. No one on this staff is tough enough, and that's a problem.'
"He reaches down and grabs this box, slides the top and there was something in the box moving around. He reaches in and he pulls out this turtle. He reaches down, this turtle's snapping and he says, 'I'm going to show you toughness.'
?He unzips his pants and takes out whatever he takes out. The turtle reaches up and snaps at him. You see the veins and the sweat (on Hayes). He screams at the coaches, 'That's toughness! That's f'n toughness!' He reaches down, pokes the turtle right in the eye and it falls off. He wipes the sweat off his forehead and says, 'That's the problem. We don't have anybody in this room tough enough to do that right there.'
"(One assistant) raises his hand and says, 'Coach, I'd do this. Just promise not to poke me in the eye.'"
Meyer, during what Ohio State officials later said was a joke, recalled a story early in Meyer's tenure as an Ohio State assistant that will serve only to elevate the aura of Hayes in Buckeye nation. Meyer was in his first season as an assistant, in 1986, when head coach Earle Bruce asked Hayes, who retired in 1978, to come and speak to the Buckeyes? coaches.
It was meant to be motivational. It might have been that, and a little scary, too, as Hayes allegedly demonstrated the kind of toughness the coaches and players needed to have. The story, involving a snapping turtle and male genitalia, went like this, Meyer told listeners at the convention:
?He says, 'We have no toughness, and the reason is because you're not tough. No one on this staff is tough enough, and that's a problem.'
"He reaches down and grabs this box, slides the top and there was something in the box moving around. He reaches in and he pulls out this turtle. He reaches down, this turtle's snapping and he says, 'I'm going to show you toughness.'
?He unzips his pants and takes out whatever he takes out. The turtle reaches up and snaps at him. You see the veins and the sweat (on Hayes). He screams at the coaches, 'That's toughness! That's f'n toughness!' He reaches down, pokes the turtle right in the eye and it falls off. He wipes the sweat off his forehead and says, 'That's the problem. We don't have anybody in this room tough enough to do that right there.'
"(One assistant) raises his hand and says, 'Coach, I'd do this. Just promise not to poke me in the eye.'"