All Earle Bruce had to do was replace Woody Hayes.
Replacing a legend is a tall task, but Bruce built a legacy of his own as Ohio State's coach, and remained revered in Columbus (and all of college football) in the decades after his departure.
The school announced Friday that Bruce, at age 87, had died. He had been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease in August 2017.
Bruce coached the Buckeyes from 1979-87 and won four Big Ten championships. He was 81-26-1 overall and 57-17 in the conference. He also had coach stops at Iowa State, Colorado State and in the Arena Football League.