Jim Otis was a tank. There is really no other way to put it. If you were a linebacker in the Big Ten back in 1968, seeing number 35 coming through the hole wasn't just a defensive assignment—it was a physical problem you had to solve with your entire body. He didn't dance. He didn't juke. He just moved forward until the whistle blew or the goal line was behind him.
Most people know him as the cornerstone of Woody Hayes’ "Super Sophomores." But honestly, his story at Ohio State is way more interesting than just a bunch of rushing stats in an old media guide. It’s a story about a kid who was literally destined to play for the Buckeyes from the time he was in diapers.
The Fullback Who Never Lost a Yard
It sounds like one of those tall tales your grandpa tells you to make the old days sound tougher, but the record books actually back it up. During his entire career at Jim Otis Ohio State, he never had a rushing attempt that resulted in lost yardage. Not once.
Think about that for a second. In three years of smash-mouth Big Ten football, playing against some of the most brutal defenses in the country, he never got tackled behind the line of scrimmage. It speaks to his "takeoff." His teammates used to say he hit the hole so fast that he was already three yards downfield before the defense realized the ball had been snapped.
By the Numbers: Why Otis Was Different
- 2,542 Rushing Yards: At the time he graduated, this was the most in Ohio State history.
- Zero Yards Lost: As mentioned, he was always moving forward.
- 1,027 Yards in 1969: He was the first Buckeye fullback to ever break the 1,000-yard mark in a single season.
- 4 Touchdowns Against Michigan: In the 1968 "Game of the Century," he absolutely demolished the Wolverines.
He wasn't just a stat-filler, though. He was the heart of the 1968 National Championship team. While Rex Kern was the flashy quarterback getting the headlines, Otis was the guy doing the dirty work. He was a 6-foot, 220-pound "barrel of a man" who basically told the opposing defensive line that he was coming through, and there wasn't much they could do about it.
The Woody Hayes Connection: It Was Personal
You’ve gotta love the old-school drama of this one. Jim Otis didn't just stumble into Columbus. His dad, Dr. James Otis, was actually Woody Hayes' roommate and best friend back at Denison University. They were Sigma Chi brothers.
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Legend has it that Woody saw Jim playing as a little kid and told his dad, "This boy is going to play fullback for me one day."
But here’s the kicker: Woody was so obsessed with "impropriety" that he actually stopped talking to Jim's dad the entire time Jim was on the team. He didn't want anyone thinking Jim was getting special treatment. Imagine your dad's best friend being your boss and he won't even say hello to your father for four years. That’s peak Woody Hayes.
It worked, though. Jim earned everything. In 1968, when the Buckeyes beat USC in the Rose Bowl to secure the title, Otis carried the ball 30 times for 101 yards. He was the workhorse. Woody's "three yards and a cloud of dust" philosophy wasn't just a catchy phrase—it was basically Jim Otis’s job description.
The 1968 Michigan Game and the Lucky Chinstrap
If you want to know why Jim Otis is a god in Columbus, you look at November 23, 1968. The Buckeyes were ranked #2, Michigan was #4. The winner went to the Rose Bowl and likely won the whole thing.
Otis played that game with a literal piece of history strapped to his shoulder pads. A kid named "Scooter" Hall had given him a chinstrap that belonged to Bob Ferguson—another legendary OSU fullback who had scored four touchdowns against Michigan back in 1961.
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Otis took that lucky charm and matched the record. He hammered Michigan for 143 yards and four scores. All four of those touchdowns came in the second half. By the time the game ended, the Buckeyes had hung 50 points on their rivals.
When Woody Hayes was asked why he went for a two-point conversion late in that game instead of just kicking the extra point, he famously (and maybe apocryphally) said, "Because I couldn't go for three." Jim Otis was the guy he sent in to try and get those extra points.
What Happened in the 1970 NFL Draft?
This is one of the weirdest parts of his career. Otis was a consensus All-American in 1969. He was seventh in the Heisman voting. Everyone expected him to be a first-round pick.
Instead, he slid. And he slid hard.
He didn't get picked until the 9th round—218th overall by the New Orleans Saints. Why? A completely fake rumor. Someone started a whisper campaign that he had a bad heart. It wasn't true, but back then, teams didn't have the medical scouting they have now. They just panicked and passed.
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He eventually proved everyone wrong, specifically with the St. Louis Cardinals. He led the NFC in rushing in 1975 with 1,076 yards, beating out guys like Chuck Foreman. He was a Pro Bowler. He showed that the "slow" fullback from Ohio State could dominate the pro game just as well as the college one.
Why We Should Still Talk About Jim Otis
Today’s football is all about "space" and "explosive plays." The fullback is basically a dead position. But Jim Otis represents a time when football was about who was tougher.
He wasn't just a bruiser; he was a leader. He was a guy who fumbled twice in a game against Illinois as a sophomore, got benched for two weeks, and instead of pouting, he came back and led a 10-minute fourth-quarter drive against Iowa that broke the Hawkeyes' spirit.
He finished his career with a 24-4 record. He won two Big Ten titles. He won a National Championship.
If you're looking to understand the history of the Buckeyes, you can't just look at the Heisman winners like Archie Griffin or Eddie George. You have to look at the guys who cleared the path. Jim Otis was the guy who made the "Super Sophomores" super.
Next Steps for Buckeye Fans:
If you want to really appreciate the Jim Otis era, track down the footage of the 1969 Rose Bowl against O.J. Simpson’s USC team. Watch how Otis moves. It’s a masterclass in leverage and power. You can also visit the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in Columbus where his 1996 induction plaque resides. For those into deep-dive stats, compare his "yards per game" average (94.4) to modern backs—you’ll find he still ranks near the very top of the list despite playing in a much shorter season.