There aren’t too many more arresting figures in the history of Columbus than Wayne Woodrow Hayes.

While the unfortunate ousting of equally beloved coach Jim Tressel played out on TVs, laptops and Twitter feeds this summer, two men were bearing down on a dramatic portrait of a man more famous than any of our state’s eight former presidents.

Put on your block-“O” hat and tighten your jaw for a night full of Woody: His Life, Times and Teachings, set to open at the Ohio Theatre on September 23rd, the 60th anniversary of his arrival in Columbus. The show is a culmination of 20 years of hard work by writer/producer Walt Adamkosky, who always felt a connection to the icon as a child growing up in Columbus.

“I liked the way he fearlessly spoke his mind,” he said. “I admired how true he was to himself, no matter what the popular culture dictated.”

Adamkosky conducted countless interviews and scoured many sources to construct his show, one he says takes great pains to highlight Woody’s strength as an educator – along with his weakness as a quick-tempered coach. The one-man show takes the audience through Woody’s on- and off-field experiences, with scenes ranging from locker room speeches to hanging out at his favorite campus-area establishment, the old Jai Alai Club on Olentangy River Road.

Jeff Hall auditioned for and landed the presumably exhausting lead role. A Wisconsin native (gasp!), Hall has been an OSU football fan since a lawyer friend took him to a game at Ohio Stadium in 1978.

“It was the last season of Woody in ’78,” he said. “I was enthralled from then on.”

A working actor in New York City for decades, Hall isn’t intimidated by the many pages of dialogue. He is more concerned with capturing the dual-nature of a complicated man both revered and reviled, depending on geography.

“I guess that’s the dichotomy of it,” he said. “You see a man who has that much respect, yet in a single punch of a player, he ended his career. It shows the intensity of the man. He needed to win; he was determined to win,” he said.

The personality traits that made Woody a memorable coach have created a character that jumps off the stage with emotional depth. The lead-up to this season has been a roller coaster for fans, and this play will serve as a reminder that the will to compete and win is instilled in Ohio State football, and that the show must go on.

After all, as Woody said: “You can never pay it back, but you can always pay it forward.”

For more information about Woody: His Life, Times and Teachings, running from September 23 – 25 at the Ohio Theatre, visit www.woodyhayesplay.com.