 Detractors of Ohio State in general and Woody Hayes in particular have cited Fesler as a victim of unremitting abuse by "big football" at Ohio State but throughout the 1950 season speculation that Minnesota's Bernie Bierman would retire had repeatedly suggested that Fesler was a prime candidate for his replacement.While newspaper references to the "Buckeyes" date back to at least 1919, it was not until 1950 that the school officially adopted "Buckeyes" as the nickname of its athletic teams.The search for a coach to replace Wes Fesler was in some ways a replay of the talent search to replace Francis Schmidt