CURBSTONE COACHES Earle Bruce visits Monday

The former Ohio State coach will be guest speaker at the noon luncheon.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Former Ohio State football coach Earle Bruce will be the guest speaker of the Curbstone Coaches at their regular noon luncheon Monday at Lockwood House.
Bruce, who will be enshrined Dec. 10 into the College Football Hall of Fame, coached the Buckeyes for nine seasons, following the legendary Woody Hayes. Bruce compiled an 81-26-1 record and led Ohio State to eight bowl games. He beat Michigan five times in those nine seasons.
Bruce began his coaching career as a student assistant at Ohio State after an injury curtailed his playing career.
Coached at Salem
His first head coaching assignment was at Salem High from 1956-59, where he compiled a 28-9 record. Bruce then moved to Sandusky High (1960-64) before taking the job at Massillon from 1965-66, where he compiled a 20-0 record and two state poll championships.
Bruce returned to Ohio State in 1966 as an assistant coach and stayed until 1972, when he was named head coach at the University of Tampa. He guided that school for one season, with a 10-2 record, and defeated Kent State in the Tangerine Bowl.
Bruce then went to Iowa State for six seasons, leading the Cyclones to eight-win seasons from 1976-78 and two bowl appearances. His 1977 squad lost to North Carolina State, coached by Niles native Bo Rein, in the Peach Bowl.
Bruce was then summoned again by Ohio State in January 1979, to replace Hayes. The Buckeyes surprised all predictions by winning 11 consecutive games, including an 18-15 defeat of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and reached the No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press poll before losing to Southern California, 17-16, in the Rose Bowl.
Bruce was fired five days prior to the Michigan game in 1987 and the Buckeyes responded with an emotional victory, again in Ann Arbor. Bruce later coached for one season at Northern Iowa and three seasons at Colorado State.