Ohio State officials had planned it would. Cooper, ironically, was hired because of his demonstrated ability to beat Michigan in big games. As coach at Arizona State in 1985, Cooper led his Sun Devils to a 22-15 victory over the Wolverines in the 1986 Rose Bowl. So when Earle Bruce was fired by Ohio State in 1988, Cooper seemed a logical choice. As it turned out, his selection paid off handsomely.
Cooper is among the nation's top recruiters.
He bolstered the Buckeyes' prestige. He has taken his team to a bowl game every season but his first, and he's earned hundreds of thousands of dollars for Ohio State by playing in preseason games three of the past four years. Buckeyes merchandise is in the top-five in the nation in sales, right up there with Michigan. No wonder, then, that Ohio State soon will have the finest athletic facilities in the world. We lose as a team.