Chip Kelly says Woody Hayes inspired T-formation in spring game
The Ohio State Buckeyes Spring Game was the first look for fans at Chip Kelly and the new look offense. However, at the start of the game, it certainly looked like an old-school offense, with the Buckeyes lining up in the T-Formation.
After the game, Chip Kelly explained that the offense started out in the T-formation as a way to pay tribute to the legendary Woody Hayes.
“Mr. Hayes,” Kelly said. “He’s a looming figure around this whole program. We go to work every day at the Woody Hayes Athletics Center. If it was good enough for Woody…We ran some last year. I think we took 21 snaps at UCLA in the T.”
When most fans think of Chip Kelly’s offensive, they think of things like the spread formation and the hurry-up, going back to his time at Oregon. It’s nothing like the T, which traditionally used two tight ends, two running backs, and a fullback.
The running backs and fullback line up behind the quarterback to form a T shape, giving the formation its name. Variations of the T are then adjusted from that base. Its major claim to fame being that it’s the oldest formation in the sport, dating back to Walter Camp.
“It’s been a short option formation for us, and we’ve done some different things. Also, I think our players had some fun practicing that and doing some different things. It’s a small part of the offense. We will not be in the T 21 times in one game, but we may get in situations,” Kelly said.
“I think it’s come back to a lot of schools right now that are starting to. It’s really just you’re trying to get your guys in the game and I think we used three tight ends and two running backs in our formation today with [Patrick Gurd] being the fullback in that situation.”
Woody Hayes was the head coach at Ohio State from 1951-1978. During that time, the Buckeyes won 205 games and five national championships. He was also noted for his fiery personality and preference for the running game out of the T-Formation.
“So, there’s a lot of different things you can do in short yardage, but a little bit of a tribute to Coach Hayes and what he means,” Kelly said.
Chip Kelly reveals why he decided to leave UCLA for Ohio State
Chip Kelly made an interesting move going from being the head coach at UCLA to the offensive coordinator at Ohio State, within the same conference. However, as Kelly explained, it’s a decision he made to coach more.
“I just want to coach football. And I think in this day in age, things are changing. And I coached our quarterbacks in our bowl game. … I haven’t been in a meeting room on a consistent basis since 2008. When I was an assistant. And I have a lot of fun. The best part of football is football, and I love coaching football and getting to do that. I think sometimes the role has changed, to a little bit more of an administrator. Not at all places. But at some places where you’ve got to fundraise, you’ve got to do a lot of those things. And I just wanted to coach football,” Kelly said.
“If I was going to go somewhere, it would be somewhere where the program shows the same values and visions that I have. I’ve known Ryan [Day] since he was a little kid, so you know when he called and he was talking about it a little bit, it was intriguing.”