A member of the winning OSU football team from 50 years ago spoke to local alumni Thursday evening.
The Ohio State University Alumni Club of Ross County celebrated the 1968 National Championship with Rex Kern, a member of the "Super Sophomores." He said the Super Sophs were a class with a tremendous amount of talent on the football field.
Kern explained how his class helped change "the old man's" plays. Woody Hayes had a small number that he liked to use, but the players threw the ball a little more and changed other things, creating "a great offense."
Kern went on to the NFL, but left the field after injuries and operations...returning to OSU for two more degrees.
He said Woody Hayes made sure his players got their education, unlike some coaches of the time. He described students on one team who were second-year seniors with only a sophomore level.
But Hayes had one of the first athletic academic advisors to make sure his players were monitored and got help when needed. Kern has said he owes his success to his education...and his education to Woody Hayes.
After telling more football stories, Kern helped raise OSU scholarship funds with the auction of an autographed football and a Drew Basil jersey.
Dan Ramey also recorded the entire talk for Litter Media.
Kevin Coleman regularly reports on Chillicothe & Circleville councils and local culture
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