Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, a 1979 College Football Hall of Fame inductee from Ohio State, passed away early Friday morning, Sept. 20, in Tampa, Florida, where he has lived since 1974 with his wife, Barb. The 1955 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time All-American was 85 years old.

Cassady rushed for 958 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1955 and was also an All-American. In addition to the Heisman, he claimed the 1955 Maxwell Award and was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year. He played offense and defense and in 1955 had four 60-minute games. He earned All-America honors in 1954 as well.

Cassady played for the Buckeyes and Hall of Fame Coach Woody Hayes from 1952-55. He helped the team to a 29-8 record and the 1954 national championship – the first of five national titles for Hayes – with a 10-0 record. He also helped Ohio State win outright Big Ten Conference titles in 1954 and 1955 and was a part of three victories over archrival Michigan.

He finished his career with 2,466 rushing yards, which was an Ohio State record at the time and still ranks 19th in school history. He scored 37 touchdowns in 36 games.

Cassady earned his nickname of "Hopalong" from Columbus, Ohio, sports writers during his first game, when he scored three touchdowns in a 33-13 win over Indiana and "hopped all over the field like the performing cowboy," a reference to the fictional, clean-cut hero, Hopalong Cassidy.

Cassady, who also started at shortstop for the Buckeye baseball team for three years, had his Ohio State football jersey No. 40 retired in 2000. He is also a member of the Ohio State Sports Hall of Fame (1997) and the Columbus Baseball Hall of Fame (2005).

Born March 2, 1934, in Columbus, Cassady prepped at the now closed Central High School. He was a first-round NFL draft pick of the Detroit Lions after graduating from Ohio State, and he also played with Cleveland and Philadelphia during an eight-year career.

Cassady spent more than 40 years working for longtime NFF Board Member George Steinbrenner and the New York Yankees organization, primarily with the Yankees' Triple-A Columbus Clippers baseball organization.

Cassady will be honored at Ohio Stadium tomorrow during Ohio State's game against Miami. Funeral arrangements are pending.