Ohio State To Wear Helmet Decal In Honor Of Late Heisman Trophy Winner Howard “Hopalong” Cassady

The Ohio State football team will be outfitted this afternoon with a helmet decal in honor of 1955 Heisman Trophy winner Howard “Hopalong” Cassady, who passed away on Friday at age 85.

Cassady, who played for the Buckeyes from 1952-55, was a two-time consensus All-American and the third Heisman Trophy winner in program history. He had 2,466 career rushing yards, 4,403 career all-purpose yards and 222 career points — all of which were school records at the time — and was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame in the late 1970s.

Cassady was the first player to ever exceed 2,000 points in Heisman Trophy voting, having received more than three times as many votes as the other finalists.

“He was an all-time great Buckeye in every way,” athletic director Gene Smith said in a statement. “We will have the Cassady family in our thoughts and in our prayers.”

Cassady was selected with the No. 3 overall pick in the 1956 NFL draft and played eight seasons with the the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles. Following retirement, he spent more than three decades working in the New York Yankees organization, which included a stint as the first-base coach for the Columbus Clippers — who were previously the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate.

Kickoff for Ohio State’s game against Miami (Ohio) is set for 3:30 p.m. on ABC. The Buckeyes will honor Cassady during a time out at Ohio Stadium, as well.