Strange as it may sound, our story begins in Houston, Texas.
Fresh off the departure of the program's most decorated player, halfback Archie Griffin, as well as an All-American quarterback in Cornelius Greene, Woody Hayes was at a bit of a crossroads in 1976. Sure, bruising fullback Pete Johnson remained in the backfield for one more season, but the legendary coach knew he couldn't rest on his laurels.
While Griffin had been busy winning back-to-back Heismans and making annual trips to Pasadena in the early-70s, Bill Yeoman had turned the Houston Cougars into an offensive powerhouse.