Tim May The Columbus Dispatch @TIM_MAYsports It was just before Ohio State took the field for a game at Illinois in 1982 when then-fourth-year OSU coach Earle Bruce turned to assistant Glen Mason and delivered a stunning statement. “I’ll never forget it. He said, ‘Well bud, I’m coaching for my job today,’ ” Mason recalled Friday, in the wake of the news of Bruce’s death. The Buckeyes were coming off three straight losses at home early in that season. All but forgotten was the way Bruce had taken over for the fired Woody Hayes in 1979 and led the team to the brink of a national championship before a one-point Rose Bowl loss to Southern California. They had gone 9-3 in the two seasons since then and seemed on their way to a worse-than-that record in ’82. “But at Illinois we played a heck of a game, we ended up winning (26-21),…
Continue Reading: Ohio State football | Players recall Bruce's passion for Buckeyes
