Ohio State football: Woody Hayes Athletic Center, home locker room

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(Gallery by Doug Lesmerises, The Plain Dealer)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Anyone walking through the main door into the inner sanctum of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, named for Woody Hayes, was always greeted by a mural on the right explaining and extolling the accomplishments of Ohio State's defining coach.

Now, Hayes is praised on the wall on the immediate left of the Buckeyes' football facility as well. And a statue of Hayes was just placed out front of the WHAC on Wednesday.

Hayes would have turned 100 today, and Ohio State is certainly celebrating him.

Special events included a tour for faculty, staff and students on Wednesday night that touched on meaningful Hayes landmarks, including his former home and his gravesite. OSU staffer Larry Romanoff and recently retired staff member Todd Alles, both of whom worked and/or played for Hayes, shared stories at the WHAC and Ohio Stadium of the coach they knew. (See a Woody Hayes tour map.)

The school created a whole slate of events this week for students, and the week will end Friday with a tribute dinner that will include a roundtable discussion about Hayes from former players John Hick, Paul Warfield and Greg Lashutka and his son, Steven Hayes. It will be moderated by Brent Musburger.

The tour included stops at Ohio Stadium and the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, and I joined a group on Wednesday night.

During Jim Tressel's tenure, most interviews with OSU players were conducted in the media room in the middle of that hallway, allowing us a regular look into the the heart of the WHAC. Under Urban Meyer, that room was reclaimed for staff offices, so we don't get a look inside like we used to.

The brief visit showed how Hayes' influence is even stronger than it was. The entry point used to include large photos of every member of the coaching staff and support staff, but that gave way to a wall of recent OSU coaches, starting with Hayes, then moving through Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Tressel and Meyer. The short video included here shows that wall.

There are changes going on at the Woody, as wallpaper of the stands at Ohio Stadium now covers every wall the length of that hallway. The countdown clock for the Michigan game is there, as well as areas highlighting OSU players in the NFL and in broadcasting, academic achievements and college awards.

Four mannequins dressed in OSU uniforms stand in a siting area in the hallway. And like always, an old chalkboard that still holds Hayes' writings holds a special place at the end of the hall.

A visit to the Ohio Stadium locker room showed two of Meyer's favorite sayings on the wall by the door: “Point A to Point B As Fast As You Can” and “4-6 Seconds of Relentless Effort and Focus.”