Marty Karow, a 1927 Ohio State graduate, seven-time Buckeye letterman (three each in football and baseball and one in basketball) and 1926 football captain and All-American, returned to Ohio State in 1951 after a successful coaching career at Texas, Navy and Texas A&M.
In his first season at the helm of the Ohio State baseball program, Karow led the Buckeyes to a conference-best record of 10-2 (23-15 overall) and their first appearance at the College World Series. Ohio State would make three more trips to the CWS under Karow, capturing the coveted national title in 1966.
The Buckeyes won a total of five conference titles with Karow at the helm, including three consecutive crowns in 1965, 1966 and 1967. In all, the legendary coach led Ohio State to 16 top three finishes in the Big Ten and, at the time of his retirement in 1975, he owned the school record for all-time wins with 479. His 25 years served as head coach are the most of any Ohio State baseball coach in the first 125 years of the program. Karow retired with a .583 overall winning percentage.
In the summer of 1967, Karow was selected as one of three USA Baseball Team coaches. Team USA won gold that year in the Pan American games by becoming the first U.S. team to defeat Cuba in international competition.
In 1962, Karow served as president of the ABCA.
