Earle Bruce Biography

Earle Bruce was an American football coach born on March 8, 1931, and passed away on April 20, 2018. He served as head football coach at the University of Tampa in 1972, Iowa State from 1973 to 1978, Ohio State from 1979 to 1987, the University of Northern Iowa in 1988, and Colorado State from 1989 to 1992. Earle Bruce led Ohio State after Woody Hayes and secured four Big Ten Conference championships. Bruce returned to coaching in 2001 to lead the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League for one season. Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes asked Bruce to join the coaching staff, which he did until his graduation in 1953. Massillon High School hired Bruce as head coach, where his teams went undefeated in 1964 and 1965. Bruce returned to Ohio State in 1966 after his tenure at Massillon, initially serving as a position coach for the offensive line and later for defensive backs.