Hall of Fame
Position: Linebacker
Years: 1975-1978
Place of Birth: Fairview Park, OH
Date of Birth: May 06, 1957
Jersey Number: 36
Height: 6-3"
Weight: 227
High School: St. Edward High School (Lakewood, OH)
One of the most dominant linebackers in Big Ten history, Tom Cousineau left Ohio State as the school’s leader in nearly every tackling category. He becomes the 25th Buckeye player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
A two-time consensus First Team All-American for the Buckeyes under College Football Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes, Cousineau’s 569 career tackles are second all-time in Ohio State history. He still holds six school records, setting marks for single-season tackles and solo tackles during his senior campaign when he was named team MVP. The 1978 team captain led Ohio State to three Big Ten championships, three top 12 finishes and four bowl berths, earning MVP honors after a win in the 1977 Orange Bowl. A three-time All-Big Ten honoree, Cousineau owns six of the top 10 single-game tackling performances in school history, and he helped the Buckeyes lead the conference in total defense in 1977. Following his senior season, he was invited to play in the Hula Bowl, where he earned Defensive MVP honors.
Cousineau was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1979 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, but he chose to play for Montreal of the Canadian Football League from 1979-82, earning the league’s Grey Cup MVP honor in 1979. He would later return to the NFL, playing for the Cleveland Browns from 1982-85 and the San Francisco 49ers from 1986-87.
A 1995 Ohio State Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Cousineau was the recipient of the Silver Anniversary Butkus Award in 2003. He later tried his hand at politics, running for a seat in the Ohio House of Representatives in 2006. He now serves as an assistant football coach at his high school alma mater St. Edward in Ohio, where he is enshrined in the school’s Hall of Fame.
