Ohio State football was chasing championships while the country—and the Buckeyes’ campus—was coming apart at the seams.

On this episode of The Tim May Show, longtime journalist and author Dave Bennett joins Tim May to explore the unforgettable Ohio State sports era of the late 1960s and early 1970s featured in Bennett’s upcoming book, Just a Shot Away.

Bennett reveals how Woody Hayes and basketball coach Fred Taylor built powerhouse programs during the Vietnam War, campus protests and sweeping cultural change. The conversation uncovers a far more complicated side of Woody Hayes, including his relationships with players, his willingness to debate major social issues and why Buckeye legends remained fiercely loyal to him.

Tim and Dave also discuss:

🏈 Ohio State’s 1968 national championship team
🏈 Rex Kern, Jim Stillwagon, Jack Tatum and the “Super Sophs”
🏀 Fred Taylor’s overlooked basketball powerhouse
🔥 Woody Hayes confronting campus protesters
💰 How Woody might have handled NIL and the transfer portal
📚 The coaches’ obsession with education and character
🌹 The heartbreaking near-misses that cost Ohio State more titles
🎙️ Untold stories from Buckeye legends and historic road trips

Was Woody Hayes misunderstood? Could his old-school leadership survive modern college football? And did Ohio State’s most chaotic era create the foundation for the powerhouse fans know today?

Subscribe for hard-hitting Ohio State football conversations, Buckeyes history and unmatched insight from veteran reporter Tim May.