Harold Enarson; fired Woody Hayes
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Harold Enarson, the former Ohio State president who fired Woody Hayes after the football coach slugged an opposing player in a 1978 college bowl game, died Friday in Port Townsend, Wash. He was 87.
Mr. Enarson was Ohio State's president from 1972 to 1981. During his tenure, the university grew in enrollment and increased its hiring of women and minorities.
He presided over Cleveland State University and OSU during tumultuous times on American campuses and wrestled with anti war demonstrations in addition to labor and fund-raising problems. Despite those accomplishments, he was most often associated with the downfall of Hayes, Ohio State's volatile and successful coach for 28 years.
With 1:59 remaining in Ohio State's Gator Bowl loss to Clemson on Dec. 29, 1978, linebacker Charlie Bauman intercepted an Ohio State pass. Bauman ran out of bounds and Hayes hit him.
Mr. Enarson met with Hugh Hindman, then Ohio State's athletic director, and Hayes was fired the next morning. 