He was a little too much Woody for ESPN.

A couple of mornings ago, the TV sports guys were at Ohio Stadium filming spots for Saturday's big game and asked him to look into the camera and simply say: "Ohio State versus Michigan."

But on cue, Roger Thomas — in his black ball cap with scarlet Block O, short-sleeve white shirt, loose-at-the-neck red tie and silver-framed glasses straight from the '50s — blurted out:

"Ohio State versus That Damned School Up North!"

The producer waved off the effort, but on the redo, Thomas didn't relent, saying: "Woody never mentioned Michigan by name."

As reincarnations go, Thomas — a 67-year-old commodities trader from Tipp City — is a ringer for the late Buckeye icon.

He's Woody Hayes right down to the scowl and jowls.

So much so that this week, as the Bucks and Michigan meet in the heavyweight battle of unbeatens, his impersonation of the late OSU coach has made him an A-list sports celeb in the state.

Tuesday at Sinclair Community College, he was the luncheon speaker for the Ta-wa-si Club. Then it was off to an evening affair in Mansfield with 1,200 Buckeyes backers. Today, he's in Akron and Cleveland. Thursday, Miami East High and Findlay, and Friday it's breakfast with 3,000 in Columbus.

While he's never had such a whirlwind week, he said there have been "real memorable moments."

At Iowa, there was the girl dancing on an ice chest who waved him over, told him to hold her beer, then flashed her bare chest. In Austin before the Texas game, he was coaxed into a crowded bar and instantly greeted by hundreds chanting "Woody! Woody!"

And then there are those who share personal stories.

"I met George Jacoby and his wife, Nina, at an OSU alumni banquet in Cincinnati," he said. "George played at Ohio State, but when his grades started to drop, Woody called him into the office.

"George explained he was going to Toledo every week to see his girlfriend, so Woody finally told him, 'Marry the girl and bring her to Columbus.' That summer he did, and they got a little apartment and all was fine until the Tuesday before the first game."

"There was a knock at the door. Woody had sent over an assistant, who told Nina 'Now remember, no sex after Tuesday.'

"She was thunderstruck, and it was the same the next Tuesday. But the third week, she answered the door and said, 'Hold it. Who's watching the single guys?' After that there were no more knocks."

Ever since a business client told Thomas five years ago he looked just like Woody, he's absorbed everything he can about him:

"There's a great reservoir of respect and affection for Woody out there, so when people see me and smile or yell, 'Coach, we love you,' I just look at myself as a messenger. I know I'm not Woody. I never get that confused."

But others do.

"I was doing a charity event and a woman came up with her two little sons," he said. "She told me how she was a freshman at Ohio State when her father took her to that (Gator Bowl) game where Woody made his fatal mistake (punching a Clemson player) and was fired.

"As she looked at me, the tears were just running down her face."

Once again, he was a little too much Woody.