Former Ohio State All-American, National Champion Cecil “Cy” Souders Dies At Age 100

Souders played for four different head coaches during his career with the Buckeyes.

Former Ohio State offensive and defensive end Cecil “Cy” Souders passed away on Monday at the age of 100, according to an obituary in the Crawford County Now.

A native of Bucyrus, Ohio, Souders played for four different coaches during his career with the Buckeyes, which spanned from 1939-46. He was recruited by Francis Schmidt and spent his freshman year on Ohio State’s “taxi squad” before he left the team to get married to Jean Hoover, his wife of 81 years.

The 6-foot-1 and 215-pound Souders returned to play for Paul Brown and Carroll Widdoes during the 1942-44 seasons, then served in the U.S. Navy for one year during World War II. After being honorably discharged, he came back to Columbus to earn his degree and play under Paul Bixler.

Souders was a three-time All-American and was named Ohio State’s most valuable player during his final season in 1946. He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the 25th round of the 1945 NFL Draft but ended up playing for the Detroit Lions from 1947-49.

When his playing days were over, Souders worked for Suburban Motor Freight Company, where he was manager and later executive vice president. He retired to Avon Park, Fla., before returning to Columbus in 2019.

At the time of his death, Souders was the NFL's oldest-living alum. He was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.

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