Bo Rein
A brilliant, young coaching star whose life and promising career were tragically lost in a mysterious plane crash over the Atlantic.
1945–1980 (age 35)·American football player and coach, baseball player·Birthday: July 20·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bo Rein's story is one of meteoric rise and profound tragedy in American sports. A standout two-sport athlete at Ohio State, he quickly transitioned to coaching, displaying a sharp, innovative football mind. By age 30, he was the head coach at North Carolina State University, where he compiled a winning record and revitalized the program with an exciting, aggressive style. His success caught the eye of LSU, which hired him in 1979 to lead their storied Tigers program. He never got the chance. In January 1980, a private plane carrying Rein from a recruiting trip veered wildly off course and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean under circumstances that remain unexplained. His death at 34 robbed college football of a visionary, and his legacy is preserved in awards named for him at both Ohio State and NC State.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bo was born in 1945, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1945
#1 Movie
The Bells of St. Mary's
Best Picture
The Lost Weekend
Bo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1945Born
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1950Started school
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1958Became a teenager
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Could drive
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1963Could vote
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Turned 21
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1975Turned 30
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Died at 35
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
Key Achievements
- Served as head football coach at North Carolina State University, compiling a 27–18–1 record from 1976 to 1979.
- Was a two-sport letterman (football and baseball) at Ohio State University.
- Hired as the head football coach at Louisiana State University in December 1979.
Did You Know?
The aircraft carrying him flew inexplicably 1,000 miles off course over the Atlantic Ocean before crashing.
He is one of only two head coaches in LSU history to never coach a game for the Tigers.
The Bo Rein Award is given annually to Ohio State's most inspirational player.
“The game is about angles and leverage; you find an edge, you take it.”
