Buckeye may refer to:

• Buckeye (tree), several tree species of the genus Aesculus
• Buckeye (nickname), a nickname for residents of the U.S. state of Ohio, the "buckeye state"
  • Ohio State Buckeyes, the intercollegiate athletic teams of The Ohio State University
  • Brutus Buckeye, the mascot of The Ohio State University
• Buckeye (chicken), a breed of chicken originating in Ohio
• Buckeye, a named passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad between Cleveland, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Buckeyes, the athletic teams of Nelsonville-York High School, Nelsonville, Ohio
• Buckeye Industries, an American aircraft manufacturer
• Junonia coenia, also called Buckeye, a butterfly in the family Nymphalidae found in the United States and Canada
• T-2 Buckeye, an aircraft
• Buckeye candy (a.k.a. Buckeyes), a peanut butter and chocolate candy made to resemble the nut of a buckeye tree
• "Buckeye", a song by Lamb of God from the album Burn The Priest

Places in the United States

• Buckeye, Arizona
• Buckeye, California (disambiguation)
• Buckeye, Colorado
• Buckeye, Indiana
• Buckeye, Iowa
• Buckeye, Kansas
• Buckeye, Kentucky
• Buckeye, New Mexico
• Buckeye Township (disambiguation)
• Buckeye, West Virginia
• Buckeye Lake, Ohio
• Buckeye-Shaker, a neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio

People[link]

• Garland Buckeye (1897-1975), a former professional football and baseball player

Fictional characters

• Nathan "Buckeye" Heywood or Citizen Steel, a DC Comics character

See also[link]

• Buckeye Trail, a long-distance trail in Ohio
• Buckeye Steel Castings, a former steelmaker in Columbus, Ohio
• Buckeye Division or 37th Infantry Division, a division of the US Army
• Buckeye Pipe Line
• Buckeye CableSystem, a cable company
• Buckeye coupler, a type of railway coupling used to connect locomotives and rolling-stock

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Urban Frank Meyer, III (born July 10, 1964) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head football coach at The Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011. Meyer has previously served as the head football coach at Bowling Green State University from 2001 to 2002, at the University of Utah from 2003 to 2004, and at the University of Florida from 2005 until his retirement at the end of the 2010 season.^[1] He coached the Florida Gators to two BCS National Championship Game victories, during the 2006 and 2008 seasons. Meyer's winning percentage through the conclusion of the 2009 season (.842) was the highest among all active coaches with a minimum of five full seasons at a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program.^[2] He is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of the University of Cincinnati, where he played college football. During 2011, he worked as a college football analyst for the television sports network ESPN.

Coaching career[link]

In 2004, Meyer was recognized as the college football "coach of the year" at the University of Utah by both sportswriters (Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year) and television commentators (Home Depot Coach of the Year Award).^[3] He has twenty years of college coaching experience, including nine as a head coach.^[3] His overall record as a head coach through the end of the 2009 season is 96–18, and he is 49–14 in conference play.^[4] His winning percentage (.842) through the end of 2009 season ranks first nationally among active college football head coaches.^[5]

Meyer is a devout Roman Catholic^[6][7] and on several occasions has referred to the head coaching position at the University of Notre Dame as his "dream job," leading to speculation that he would someday wish to coach there. However, according to a July 2009 newspaper report, Meyer insisted he would never leave Florida for Notre Dame.^[8] And when the employment status of Irish coach Charlie Weis came into question in November 2009, Meyer held a press conference to dispel rumors linking him to the possible opening, stating that he would remain at Florida for "as long as they'll have me."^[9] The University of Cincinnati's Brian Kelly was eventually hired for the job.

On December 26, 2009, Meyer announced he would resign following the team's bowl game against Cincinnati, citing health concerns.^[10] However, the following day Meyer announced that he would instead take an indefinite leave of absence,^[11] and he resumed his coaching duties in time for the beginning of the Gators' spring practice on March 17, 2010.^[12]

Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley announced Meyer's resignation as the Gators head football coach on December 8, 2010, but stated that Meyer would remain as the head coach through the Gators' appearance in the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2011.^[1]

On November 28, 2011 Meyer accepted the head coach position at the Ohio State University.

Early coaching career[link]

After playing as a defensive back for the University of Cincinnati, Meyer spent one season interning as a defensive back coach at Saint Xavier High School in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1985 under the mentorship of legendary St. Xavier head coach Steve Rasso, where he met members of the Ohio State coaching staff.^[13] His first collegiate coaching position was a two-year stint as a graduate assistant at Ohio State under head coach Earle Bruce.^[3] He then spent the next thirteen years as an assistant—two at Illinois State, six at Colorado State, and five at Notre Dame.^[3] In 1990, while still the linebacker coach at Illinois State, he called Toledo head coach Nick Saban to see if a position was available on his staff. Saban, however, never returned the call.^[14] In 2001, Meyer took his first head coaching job at Bowling Green.^[4] In his first season there, he engineered one of the greatest turnarounds in the NCAA football history, going 8–3 and capping off the season with a 56–21 victory over Bowling Green's rival, the University of Toledo Rockets.^[15] He also earned Mid-American Conference coach of the year honors. The next year, Bowling Green finished with a 9–3 record.^[15] After a 17–6 overall record, Meyer left for the University of Utah.^[16]

Utah[link]

After two seasons at Bowling Green, he took the job at Utah in 2003.^[17] In his first year there, Meyer was named the Mountain West Conference's Coach of the Year with a 10–2 record, the best ever for a coach's first season at Utah.^[17] He also earned honors as The Sporting News National Coach of the Year, the first Utes coach to do so.^[18] Meyer's success can be attributed to his unique offensive system, which is an offshoot of Bill Walsh's West Coast Offense, relying on short pass routes.^[19] Meyer's base offense spreads three receivers and puts the quarterback in shotgun formation.^[20] Then, he introduces motion in the backfield and turns it into an option attack, adding elements of the traditional run-oriented option offense.^[20]

In 2004, Meyer led the undefeated Utes to a Bowl Championship Series bid, something that had not been done by a team from a non-automatically qualifying BCS conference since the formation of the BCS in 1998.^[21] He remained at Utah long enough to coach the team to a Fiesta Bowl win over Pittsburgh,^[4] capping off the Utes' first perfect season (12–0) since 1930.^[22]

Florida[link]

In the wake of his accomplishments at Utah, both the University of Florida and the University of Notre Dame vied for his services.^[23] Meyer chose to become Florida's head coach for the 2005 season, signing a seven-year contract worth $14 million.^[23] He later signed a six-year contract extension with the Gators on June 7, 2007; the extended contract paid an average of $3.25 million per year.^[24] On August 3, 2009, Meyer received another contract extension that made him the SEC's highest paid coach during the 2009 season; his 2009 extension is worth $24 million over six years.^[25] At the time of the latest contract extension, Meyer was the third highest paid college football coach, behind only Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis.^[26]

Meyer has been criticized by some commentators because 30 of his players were arrested during his nearly six years as the Gators' coach.^[27] The seriousness of the charges varied widely, from minor offenses such as possession of alcohol by a minor to the charge of possession of a concealed weapon, and many of the charges were ultimately dismissed.^[27] Meyer's punishments also varied with the severity of the charges, with some players never missing game time and others being kicked off the team.^[27][28]

In September 2010, after Gator receiver Chris Rainey was arrested for sending a threatening text message to a former girlfriend, Meyer stated that he was "real upset about that. After a while, enough's enough. If there's something that we can improve on, we're certainly looking into that. It's like if our graduation rate stinks then we gotta improve that. If there's other issues in a program, that's our job to get it better. It's people making stupid mistakes, that's something we gotta correct."^[29]

2005 season[link]

In 2005, his first season at Florida, Meyer's Gators team finished the season 9–3 (5–3 in the Southeastern Conference). The season included an undefeated record at home and a bowl victory against Iowa in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida. The Gators would have faced LSU in the SEC Championship Game,^[30] but they lost to South Carolina and former Florida coach Steve Spurrier in the SEC regular season finale.

2006 season[link]

In 2006, Meyer coached the Gators to a 13–1 (8–1 in the SEC) record, with the one loss coming to the Auburn Tigers. After clinching the SEC East, the Gators won the SEC Championship Game on December 2 over Arkansas by a score of 38–28. The Gators defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, 41–14, in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game to win the national championship.^[31] It was the first BCS bowl berth for the Gators since the Orange Bowl that capped off the 2001 campaign,^[32] and Florida's first national championship appearance and victory since winning the 1997 Sugar Bowl.^[31]

Meyer has been known for winning big games. In addition to his 5–1 record in bowl games (as of 2008) at Florida, Meyer has an 11–1 record (through the end of 2008) against three of the Gators' biggest opponents—Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida State—and a 14–2 home record.

2007 season[link]

The Gators managed a 9–3 regular season record in 2007, including blowout wins over rivals Tennessee and FSU but once again losing to Auburn. During his tenure at the University of Florida, Coach Meyer never defeated Auburn. ^[33] Quarterback Tim Tebow also became Coach Meyer's first Heisman Trophy winner. The team led the conference in scoring,^[34] but struggles on defense made it difficult for the Gators to reach a BCS bowl game.^[35] The Gators lost the Capital One Bowl to Michigan 41–35 on January 1, 2008.^[33] Meyer served as a pre-game and halftime analyst for the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.

2008 season[link]

In 2008, Meyer led the Gators to a 13–1 overall record and the BCS National Championship over Oklahoma, including wins over six ranked teams. The team's lone defeat came at the hands of Mississippi on September 27, 2008, a game in which Florida led in time of possession and passing yards, but turned the ball over three times. Eleven of the Gators' twelve wins in the 2008 regular season were by 20 points or more. On December 6, 2008, Meyer led the Gators to a 31–20 victory over then No. 1 ranked Alabama in the SEC title game. Leading in time of possession, rushing yards, and passing yards, the Gators would come from behind after a third quarter deficit to score two touchdowns and hold Alabama scoreless in the fourth quarter. The victory would vault Florida to No. 1 in the Associated Press Poll, No. 2 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll, and No. 2 in the BCS rankings, setting up a showdown against Oklahoma in the BCS Championship Game on January 8, 2009, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida. The Gators won 24–14, securing their second national championship under Meyer.

2009 season[link]

In 2009, Meyer's Gators began the season ranked No. 1 by the largest margin in the history of the AP preseason poll. Though the team struggled on offense at times and quarterback Tim Tebow suffered a scary concussion in a September victory over Kentucky, Florida finished the regular season 12–0 and still ranked No. 1. The winning streak ended in the SEC Championship Game, when they lost 32–13 to Alabama.

Florida was selected to play the undefeated Cincinnati Bearcats in the 2010 Sugar Bowl. The Gators won 51–24 to finish the season with a 13-1 record for the second consecutive year.

Leave of absence[link]

In the early morning of December 6, 2009, soon after returning home following his team's loss in the 2009 SEC Championship Game, Meyer was quietly admitted into a Gainesville hospital suffering from chest pains and dehydration. He was released later in the day, and the incident was not announced to the public at the time.^[36]

On December 26, after discussions with his family, Meyer revealed his medical scare and announced that he would resign as Florida's head coach due to health and family concerns following his team's New Years Day Sugar Bowl appearance .^[10] Meyer stated: "I have ignored my health for years, but recent developments have forced me to re-evaluate my priorities of faith and family." He also said: "I'm proud to be a part of the Gainesville community and the Gator Nation and I plan to remain in Gainesville and involved with the University of Florida."^[36] Meyer admitted that he had suffered frequent chest pains (later discovered to be caused by esophageal spasms) and occasional severe headaches due to an arachnoid cyst for years, and that they were related to stress.^[37]

On December 27, Meyer announced that he would take an indefinite leave of absence instead of resigning. He was unsure if he would return for the 2010 season but stated that, "I do in my gut believe that will happen."^[38] Offensive coordinator Steve Addazio would serve as the interim coach in Meyer's absence.

On January 1, 2010, Meyer coached the Gators in their 51–24 Sugar Bowl victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats. In a post-game interview, Meyer again suggested that he would return to coach the Gators at some point by saying: "I plan on being the coach of the Gators."^[39]

Meyer took significant time off from his coaching duties after the bowl game in an attempt to improve his personal health.^[40] While he did stay in touch with potential new players during the busy recruiting season, Meyer did much less traveling to visit recruits than usual.^[41][42] Nevertheless, the Gators still signed the consensus No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in February.^{[43][44][45][46]}

On March 17, 2010, Meyer returned full-time to his position for the start of the Gators' spring practice and continued in that role into the 2010 season.^[47]

2010 season[link]

With his victory over Kentucky on September 25, 2010, Urban Meyer achieved his 100th career win as a coach. With that win, his record was at 100–18 over the course of 10 seasons. He became the sixth fastest NCAA coach to reach that record, following Gil Dobie (108 games), George Woodruff (109 games), Bud Wilkinson (111 games), Fielding Yost (114 games), and Knute Rockne (117 games). He was also the second-fastest to reach 100 wins since Wilkinson in 1945.^[48]

Despite reaching this milestone, the season was a difficult one for the Gators, and their 7–5 regular season record was the worst in Meyer's tenure at Florida. On December 8, 2010, Meyer again announced his retirement from coaching for much the same reasons he mentioned in December 2009: his family and his health.^[49][50]

Urban Meyer's last game as Florida's coach was a 37–24 win over Penn State in the 2011 Outback Bowl on January 1, 2011.

ESPN career[link]

After resigning as the head football coach of the Florida Gators, Meyer worked as a college football commentator and analyst for the American television sports network ESPN.

Ohio State[link]

On November 23, 2011, The Plain Dealer reported that Meyer would become the head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes.^[51] Meyer denied the report publicly.^[52] Meyer then asked ESPN to be taken off assignment during the weekend of the Ohio State–Michigan game, adding more to the speculations that he might be named the next head coach of Ohio State.^{[53] [54]} On November 28, WBNS Columbus, confirmed that Meyer had accepted the job as Ohio State's head football coach, and was introduced as head coach later that night.^[55] The school said Meyer would receive a six-year contract that pays $4 million annually, plus another $2.4 million total in "retention payments." ^[56]

2012 season[link]

Spread offense[link]

Meyer is widely considered one of the most accomplished practitioners of the spread offense. When Meyer got his first head coaching position at Bowling Green, he took trips to visit John L. Smith and Scott Linehan at Louisville, Randy Walker and Kevin Wilson at Northwestern, Bill Snyder at Kansas State, Joe Tiller and Jim Chaney at Purdue, and Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia, all of whom ran some version of the spread offense^[20]

Meyer's teams at Bowling Green, Utah, and Florida all ran the spread, chiefly utilizing a run-first variation most similar to Rich Rodriguez's formerly at West Virginia with tweaks to fit the offensive personnel (for example, Meyer's first two years at Florida skewed toward a drop-back passing attack led by Chris Leak, while Alex Smith and Tim Tebow led an option run-based spread).^[20] Using this offense, he has won two BCS titles, has become the first coach to lead a non-BCS conference team (Utah) to a BCS bowl,^[57] has coached a Heisman trophy winner (Tim Tebow),^[58] and has graduated a player who became a number one overall pick in the NFL draft (Alex Smith).^[59]

Personal life[link]

Meyer was born on July 10, 1964 in Toledo, Ohio,^[3][60][61] and grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio.^[62][63] He graduated from Ashtabula's Saint John High School in 1982.^[64] Meyer was also selected in the 13th round, as a shortstop, by the Atlanta Braves in the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft.^[3] Meyer spent two seasons playing minor league baseball in the Braves organization.^[17] He concurrently played defensive back at the University of Cincinnati before earning his bachelor's degree in psychology in 1986.^[3] During his undergraduate studies, Meyer also became a brother of the Sigma Chi Fraternity (Zeta Psi Chapter), and met his future wife at Sigma Chi's Derby Days philanthropy event.^[65]

Meyer went on to earn his master's degree in sports administration at The Ohio State University in 1988.^[3]

Meyer married Shelley Mather Meyer in 1986.^[3] The Meyers have three children: Nicole ("Nicki"), Gisela ("Gigi") and Nathan ("Nate").^[3] His two daughters currently play Division I volleyball: Nicki plays for Georgia Tech^[66] and Gigi plays for Florida Gulf Coast.^[67] He is a practicing Roman Catholic.^[68]

Philanthropy[link]

In October 2008, coach Urban Meyer and University of Florida head basketball coach Billy Donovan were named co-chairmen of an effort to raise $50 million to support the Florida Opportunity Scholars Program.^[69][70] This scholarship was designed for first-generation students that have unique needs and financial challenges.^[71] The Florida Opportunity Scholars Program was created by President Bernie Machen in 2006, and is intended to increase the opportunities for academically prepared first-generation students.^[72]

In December 2008, Meyer and Utah football head coach Kyle Whittingham were the first people to donate money to the Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin Family Scholarship, an endowed scholarship which will benefit the Utah football program.^[73][74]

Head coaching record[link]

Urban Meyer at the White House after winning the 2008 National Championship.

See also[link]

	American football portal
	Biography portal
	College football portal

• Bowling Green Falcons
• Florida Gators
• History of the University of Florida
• List of Florida Gators head football coaches
• List of Ohio State University people
• List of Sigma Chi members
• List of University of Cincinnati people
• University Athletic Association
• Utah Utes

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 122, 124–125 (2011).
• Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.
• BGSU Football History, 2006 Bowling Green Football Media Guide.
• Ute Record Book, 2006 Utah Football Media Guide.
• Head Football Coach Urban Meyer, 2006 Gator Football Media Guide.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Urban Meyer

• Ohio State profile
• Florida profile
• Urban Meyer at the College Football Data Warehouse

Burl Ives
Burl Ives in 1955, photo by Carl Van Vechten
Born	Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (1909-06-14)June 14, 1909 Jasper County, Illinois, U.S.
Died	April 14, 1995(1995-04-14) (aged 85) Anacortes, Washington, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, voice over actor, folk singer, writer, author
Years active	1935–93
Spouse	Helen Peck Ehrich (1945–71) Dorothy Koster Paul (1971–95)

Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American actor, writer and folk music singer. As an actor, Ives's work included comedies, dramas, and voice work in theater, television, and motion pictures. Music critic John Rockwell said, "Ives's voice ... had the sheen and finesse of opera without its latter-day Puccinian vulgarities and without the pretensions of operatic ritual. It was genteel in expressive impact without being genteel in social conformity. And it moved people."^[1]

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Ives was born in 1909 near Hunt City, an unincorporated town in Jasper County, Illinois near Newton, Illinois; the son of Levi "Frank" Ives (1880–1947) and Cordelia "Dellie" White (1882–1954). He had six siblings: Audry, Artie, Clarence, Argola, Lillburn, and Norma. His father was at first a farmer and then a contractor for the county and others. One day Ives was singing in the garden with his mother, and his uncle overheard them. He invited his nephew to sing at the old soldiers' reunion in Hunt City. The boy performed a rendition of the folk ballad "Barbara Allen" and impressed both his uncle and the audience.^[2]

Ives had a long-standing relationship with the Boy Scouts of America. He was a Lone Scout before that group merged with the Boy Scouts of America in 1924.^[3] The collection of his papers at the New York Library for the Performing Arts includes a photograph of Ives being "inducted" into the Boy Scouts in 1966.^[4] Ives received the organization's Silver Buffalo Award, its highest honor.^[5] The certificate for the award is hanging on the wall of the Scouting Museum in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.^[6] Ives often performed at the quadrennial Boy Scouts of America jamboree, including the 1981 jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, where he shared the stage with the Oak Ridge Boys.^[7] There is a 1977 sound recording of Ives being interviewed by Boy Scouts at the National Jamboree at Moraine State Park, Pennsylvania; on this tape he also sings and talks about Scouting, teaching, etc.^[8] Ives is also the narrator of a 28-minute film about the 1977 National Jamboree. In the film, which was produced by the Boy Scouts of America, Ives "shows the many ways in which Scouting provides opportunities for young people to develop character and expand their horizons."^[9]

From 1927-29, Ives attended Eastern Illinois State Teachers College (now Eastern Illinois University) in Charleston, Illinois, where he played football.^[10] During his junior year, he was sitting in English class, listening to a lecture on Beowulf, when he suddenly realized he was wasting his time. As he walked out the door, the professor made a snide remark, and Ives slammed the door behind him.^[11] Sixty years later, the school named a building after its most famous dropout.^[12] Ives was also involved in Freemasonry from 1927 onward.^[13]

On July 23, 1929 in Richmond, Indiana, Ives did a trial recording of "Behind the Clouds" for the Starr Piano Company's Gennett label, but the recording was rejected and destroyed a few weeks later.^[14]

1930s–1940s[link]

Ives traveled about the U.S. as an itinerant singer during the early 1930s, earning his way by doing odd jobs and playing his banjo. He was jailed in Mona, Utah, for vagrancy and for singing “Foggy, Foggy Dew,” which the authorities decided was a bawdy song.^[15] Around 1931 he began performing on WBOW radio in Terre Haute, Indiana. He also went back to school, attending classes at Indiana State Teachers College (now Indiana State University).^[16] During the lat 1930s Ives also attended The Julliard School in New York.

In 1940 Ives began his own radio show, titled The Wayfaring Stranger after one of his ballads. Over the next decade, he popularized several traditional folk songs, such as “Foggy, Foggy Dew” (an English/Irish folk song), “Blue Tail Fly” (an old Civil War tune), and “Big Rock Candy Mountain” (an old hobo ditty). He was also associated with the 'Almanac Singers' (Almanacs), a folk singing group which at different times included Woody Guthrie, Will Geer and Pete Seeger. The Almanacs were active in the American Peace Mobilization (APC), an anti-war group opposed to American entry into World War II and Franklin Roosevelt's pro-Allied policies. They recorded such songs as 'Get Out and Stay Out of War' and 'Franklin, Oh Franklin'.^[17]

In June 1941, promptly after the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, the APC re-organized itself into the pro-war American People's Mobilization. Ives and the Almanacs re-recorded several of their songs to reflect the group's new stance in favor of US entry into the war. Among them were 'Dear Mr. President' and 'Reuben James'(name of a US destroyer sunk by the Germans before US entry into the war).

In early 1942, Ives was drafted into the U.S. Army. He spent time first at Camp Dix, then at Camp Upton, where he joined the cast of Irving Berlin's This Is the Army. He attained the rank of corporal.^{[citation needed]} When the show went to Hollywood, he was transferred to the Army Air Force. He was discharged honorably, apparently for medical reasons, in September 1943. Between September and December 1943, Ives lived in California with actor Harry Morgan (who would later go on to play Officer Bill Gannon in the 1960s version of Jack Webb's TV show Dragnet, and Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H). In December 1943, Ives went to New York City to work for CBS radio for $100 a week.^[18]

On December 6, 1945, Ives married 29-year-old script writer Helen Peck Ehrlich.^[19] Their son Alexander was born in 1949.^{[citation needed]}

In 1945 Ives was cast as a singing cowboy in the film Smoky (1945).^[20]

In 1947, Ives recorded one of many versions of "The Blue Tail Fly (Jimmy Crack Corn)", but paired this time with the incredibly popular Andrews Sisters (Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne). Only Bing Crosby sold more Decca Records than the sisters in the 1940s. The flip side of the record would be a fast-paced "I'm Goin' Down the Road". Ives hoped that the trio's success would help the record sell well, and indeed it did, becoming both a best-selling disc and a Billboard hit.^[21] It's unfortunate that the acts never paired again on record, as they well-balanced each other's musical genres for a pleasant blend.

His version of the 17th century English song "Lavender Blue" became his first hit and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for its use in the 1949 film, So Dear to My Heart.

1950s: Communist blacklisting[link]

Ives was identified in the 1950 pamphlet Red Channels and blacklisted as an entertainer with supposed Communist ties.^[22] In 1952 he cooperated with the House Committee on Unamerican Activities (HUAC) and agreed to testify. He stated that he was not a member of the Communist Party but that he had attended various union meetings with fellow folk singer Pete Seeger simply to stay in touch with working folk. He stated: "You know who my friends are; you will have to ask them if they are Communists."^[23]

Ives's statement to the HUAC ended his blacklisting, allowing him to continue acting in movies. But it also led to a bitter rift between Ives and many folk singers, including Seeger, who accused Ives of betraying them and the cause of cultural and political freedom in order to save his own career. Ives countered by saying he had simply stated what he had always believed. Forty-one years later, Ives reunited with Seeger during a benefit concert in New York City. They sang "Blue Tail Fly" together.^[24]

1950s–1960s[link]

Ives (left) with Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Ives expanded his appearances in films during this decade. His movie credits include East of Eden, "Big Daddy" in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Desire Under the Elms, Wind Across the Everglades, The Big Country, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor; Ensign Pulver, the sequel to Mister Roberts; and Our Man in Havana, based on the Graham Greene novel.

1960s–1990s[link]

In the 1960s Ives began singing country music with greater frequency. In 1962 he released three songs that were popular with both country music and popular music fans: "A Little Bitty Tear", "Call Me Mister In-Between", and "Funny Way of Laughing".

Ives had several film and television roles during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1962 he starred with Rock Hudson in The Spiral Road, which was based on a novel of the same name by Jan de Hartog. In 1964, he played the genie in the movie The Brass Bottle with Tony Randall and Barbara Eden.

Ives performed in other television productions, including Pinocchio and Roots. He starred in two television series: O.K. Crackerby! (1965–66), which co-starred Hal Buckley, Joel Davison and Brooke Adams, and The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969–72). O.K. Crackerby!, which was about the presumed richest man in the world, replaced Walter Brennan's somewhat similar The Tycoon on the ABC schedule from the preceding year. Ives occasionally starred in macabre-themed productions. In 1970, for example, he played the title role in "The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever," in which his character attempts to harvest human organs from unwilling donors. In 1972, he appeared as old man Doubleday in the episode "The Other Way Out" of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, in which his character seeks a gruesome revenge for the murder of his granddaughter.

Ives and Helen Peck Ehrlich were divorced in February 1971.^[25] Ives then married Dorothy Koster Paul in London two months later.^[26] In their later years, Ives and Dorothy lived in a waterfront home in Anacortes, in the Puget Sound area, and in Galisteo, New Mexico, on the Turquoise Trail. In the 1960s, he had another home just south of Hope Town on Elbow Cay, a barrier island of the Abacos in the Bahamas.^{[citation needed]}

In honor of Ives's influence on American vocal music, on October 25, 1975, he was awarded the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club Award of Merit.^[27] This award, initiated in 1964, was "established to bring a declaration of appreciation to an individual each year who has made a significant contribution to the world of music and helped to create a climate in which our talents may find valid expression."

Ives lent his name and image to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's "This Land Is Your Land — Keep It Clean" campaign in the 1970s. He was portrayed with the program's fictional spokesman, Johnny Horizon.

Ives' "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Silver and Gold" are now considered Christmas standards some 45 years after they were first featured in the 1964 CBS-TV presentation of the Rankin & Bass stop-motion animated family special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Johnny Marks had composed the title song (originally an enormous hit for singing cowboy Gene Autry) in 1949, and producers Rankin & Bass retained him to compose the TV special's soundtrack. Ives voiced Sam the Snowman, the banjo-playing "host" and narrator of the story, explaining how Rudolph used his "nonconformity," as Sam refers to it, to save Christmas from being cancelled due to an impassable blizzard. The following year, Ives re-recorded all three of these Johnny Marks hits, which Ives had sung in the TV special, but with a more "pop" feel than in the TV special. He released them all as singles for the 1965 holiday season, capitalizing on their previous successes.

Burl Ives was seen regularly in television commercials for Luzianne tea for several years during the 1970s and 1980s when he was the company's commercial spokesman.

Death[link]

Ives was a renowned pipe smoker; the cover of his first album depicted a pipe and a fishing hat with the words "Burl Ives" in between. He also smoked cigars. In the summer of 1994 he was diagnosed with oral cancer after being hospitalized for back surgery. After several operations he decided against having further surgery. In April 1995 he fell into a coma. Ives died of complications of mouth cancer on April 14, 1995 at his home in Anacortes, Washington;^[28] he is interred in Mound Cemetery in Hunt City Township, Jasper County, Illinois.^[29][30]

Broadway roles[link]

Ives's Broadway career included appearances in The Boys From Syracuse (1938–39), Heavenly Express (1940), This Is the Army (1942), Sing Out, Sweet Land (1944), Paint Your Wagon (1951–52), and Dr. Cook's Garden (1967). His most notable Broadway performance (later reprised in a 1958 movie) was as "Big Daddy" Pollitt in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955–56), written specifically for Ives by Tennessee Williams.^{[citation needed]}

Author[link]

Ives's autobiography, The Wayfaring Stranger, was published in 1948. He also wrote or compiled several other books, including Burl Ives' Songbook (1953), Tales of America (1954), Sea Songs of Sailing, Whaling, and Fishing (1956), and The Wayfaring Stranger's Notebook (1962).

Popular culture references[link]

The Ren & Stimpy Show's first season episode "Stimpy's Invention" featured a record, "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy", which parodied Ives' singing style and re-created some of his crusty dialogue from The Big Country and Summer Magic. Also, Ren has a little of Ives' tone in his voice, though he's mostly inspired by Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre.

Ives is known to Star Wars fans for his role as the narrator in the 1984 made-for-TV film Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure.

The Christmas film Elf, starring Will Ferrell, features a snowman resembling the character Ives voiced in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, voiced by Leon Redbone.

In The King of Queens episode "Baker's Doesn't", Arthur (Jerry Stiller) is talking to Spence (Patton Oswalt) and decides not to write a new Christmas song, but a new Hanukkah song instead because "all they have is 'Dreidel, Dreidel' and that Adam Sandler song". He says that their song has nothing new to say that hasn't been said a thousand times by Burl Ives, God rest his soul. Plus I have no idea if he's dead or alive."

Director Wes Anderson included a number of songs (among them "Buckeye Jim") by Ives on the soundtrack for his 2009 film Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Discography[link]

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Albums[link]

• Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger (1941, Okeh K-3, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
• The Wayfaring Stranger (1944, Asch 345, 3 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1947 as Stinson 345 [same catalog number], 10 inch, 78 rpm)
• The Wayfaring Stranger (1944, Columbia C-103, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
• BBC Presents The Martins and the Coys (1944, BBC World, 6 records, 12 inch, 78 rpm)
• Lonesome Train: A Musical Legend (1944, Decca A-375, 3 records, 12 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1950 as Decca DL 5054, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Sing Out, Sweet Land! (1945, Decca A-404, 6 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
• A Collection of Ballads and Folk Songs (1945, Decca A-407, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1950 as A Collection of Ballads and Folk Songs, Volume 1, Decca DL 5080, 10 inch 33 1/3 rpm)
• Ballads and Folk Songs, Volume 2 (1946, Decca A-431, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1949 as Decca DL 5013, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• A Collection of Ballads, Folk and Country Songs, Volume 3 (1949, Decca A-711, 3 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued in 1950 as Decca DL 5093, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• The Wayfaring Stranger (1949, Stinson SLP 1, 10 inch, 78 rpm, reissued circa 1954 as Blue Tail Fly and Other Favorites, Stinson SL 1 [same catalog number], 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Animal Fair: Songs for Children (1949, Columbia MJV 59, 2 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
• Mother Goose Songs (1949, Columbia MJV 61, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
• The Return of the Wayfaring Stranger (1949, C-186, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm, also released as Columbia CL 6058, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• The Wayfaring Stranger (1950, Columbia CL 6109, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Hymns Sung by Burl Ives (1950, Columbia C-203, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm; Columbia CL 6115, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• More Folksongs (1950, Columbia C-213, 4 records, 10 inch, 78 rpm; Columbia CL 6144, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Burl Ives Sings the Lollipop Tree, The Little Turtle, and The Moon Is the North Wind's Cookie (1950, Columbia MJV 110, 10 inch, 78 rpm)
• Tubby the Tuba (Victor Jory)/Animal Fair: Songs for Children (1950, Columbia JL 8013, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Sing Out, Sweet Land! (1950, Decca DL 8023, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm, reissued in 1962 as Decca DL 4304/74304 [simulated stereo])
• Historical America in Song (1950, Encyclopædia Britannica Films, 6 albums in 30 records, 12 inch, 78 rpm)
• Christmas Day in the Morning (1952, Decca DL 5428, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Folk Songs Dramatic and Humorous (1953, Decca DL 5467, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Women: Songs About the Fair Sex (1953, Decca DL 5490, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Coronation Concert (1954, Decca DL 8080, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• The Wayfaring Stranger (1955, Columbia CL 628, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm, reissued in 1964 as Columbia CS 9041 [simulated stereo])
• The Wild Side of Life (album) (1955, Decca DL 8107, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Men: Songs for and About Men (1955, Decca DL 8125, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Down to the Sea in Ships (1956, Decca DL 8245, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Women: Folk Songs About the Fair Sex (1956, Decca DL 8245, 12 inch, 33 1/3 rpm, with 4 additional songs)
• Burl Ives Sings In the Quiet of the Night (1956, Decca DL 8247)
• Burl Ives Sings... For Fun (1956, Decca DL 8248)
• Children's Favorites (1956, Columbia CL 2570, 10 inch, 33 1/3 rpm)
• Burl Ives Sings Songs for All Ages (1957, Columbia CL 980)
• Christmas Eve with Burl Ives (1957, Decca DL 8391)
• Songs of Ireland (1958, Decca DL 8444)
• Captain Burl Ives' Ark (1958, Decca DL 8587)
• Old Time Varieties (1958, Decca DL 8637)
• Australian Folk Songs (1958, Decca DL 8749)
• A Lincoln Treasury (contains Lonesome Train: A Musical Legend) (1959, Decca DL 9065)
• Cheers (1959, Decca DL 8886/78886)
• Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck and Other Children's Favorites (1959, Harmony HL 9507, reissued circa 1963 as Harmony HS 14507 [simulated stereo], reissued again in 1974 as Columbia C 33183 [simulated stereo])
• Ballads (1959, United Artists UAL 3030/UAS 6030)
• Return of the Wayfaring Stranger (1960, Columbia CL 1459, 12 inch, 33/13 rpm)
• Burl Ives Sings Irving Berlin (1960, United Artists UAL 3117/UAS 6117)
• Manhattan Troubadour (1961, United Artists Records UAL 3145/UAS 6145, reissued with two fewer songs as Burl Ives Favorites, 1970, Sunset SUS 5280)
• The Best of Burl Ives (1961, Decca DX 167/DXS 7167 [simulated stereo], 2 records, reissued in 1973 as MCA 4034 [simulated stereo], 2 records)
• The Versatile Burl Ives! (1961, Decca DL 4152/74152)
• Songs of the West (1961, Decca DL 4179/74179, reissued as MCA 196)
• It's Just My Funny Way of Laughin' (1962, Decca DL 4279/74279)
• Burl Country Style (1962, Decca DL 4361/74361)
• Spotlight on Burl Ives and the Folk Singers Three (1962, Design DLP/SDLP 156)
• Sunshine in My Soul (1962, Decca DL 4329/74329)
• Songs I Sang in Sunday School (1963, Word W-3229-LP/ WST-8130-LP)
• Burl Ives and the Korean Orphan Choir Sing of Faith and Joy (1963, Word W-3259-LP/WST-8140-LP)
• Singin' Easy (1963, Decca DL 4433/74433)
• The Best of Burl's for Boys and Girls (1963, Decca DL 4390/74390 [simulated stereo], reissued in 1980 as MCA 98 [simulated stereo])
• Walt Disney Presents Summer Magic (1963, Buena Vista BV 3309/STER 4025)
• Burl Ives Presents America's Musical Heritage (1963, Longines Symphonette Society LW 194-LW 199, 6 records)
• Walt Disney Presents Burl Ives' Animal Folk (1963, Disneyland ST 3920)
• Walt Disney Presents Burl Ives' Folk Lullabies (1964, Disneyland ST 3924)
• Scouting Along with Burl Ives (1964, Columbia CSP 347)
• True Love (1964, Decca DL 4533/74533)
• Burl Ives Sings Pearly Shells and Other Favorites (1964, Decca DL 4578/74578, reissued as MCA 102)
• Chim Chim Cheree and Other Children's Choices (1964, Disneyland ST 3927)
• My Gal Sal and Other Favorites (1965, Decca DL 4606/74606)
• On the Beach at Waikiki (1965, Decca DL 4668/74668)
• Have a Holly Jolly Christmas (1965, Decca DL 4689/74689, reissued as MCA 237)
• Shall We Gather at the River? (1965, Word W-3339-LP/WST-8339-LP)
• The Lollipop Tree (1965, Harmony HL 9551/HS 14551)
• The Daydreamer (1966, Columbia OL 6540/OS 2940)
• Burl's Choice (1966, Decca DL 4734/74734)
• Something Special (1966, Decca DL 4789/74789)
• I Do Believe (1967, Word W-3391-LP/WST-8391-LP)
• Burl Ives Sings (1967, Coronet CXS 271)
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (album) (1967, Decca DL 4815/74815)
• Greatest Hits (1967, Decca DL 4850/74850)
• Burl's Broadway (1967, Decca DL 4876/74876)
• The Big Country Hits (1968, Decca DL 4972/74972)
• Sweet, Sad and Salty (1968, Decca DL 5028/75028)
• The Times They Are A-Changin' (1968, Columbia CS 9675)
• Christmas Album (1968, Columbia CS 9728)
• Got the World by the Tail (1969, Harmony HS 11275)
• Time (1970, Bell 6055, reissued as The Talented Man, 1978, Bulldog 1027)
• How Great Thou Art (1971, Word WST-8537-LP)
• Christmas at the White House (1972, Caedmon TC 1415)
• Payin' My Dues Again (1973, MCA 318)
• Song Book (1973, MCA Coral CB 20029)
• Little Red Caboose and Other Children's Hits (1974, Disneyland 1359)
• The Best of Burl Ives, Vol. 2 (1975, MCA 4089, 2 records)
• Hugo the Hippo (1976, United Artists LA-637-G)
• Christmas by the Bay (1977, United States Navy Band)
• We Americans: A Musical Journey With Burl Ives (1978, National Geographic Society NGS 07806)
• Live in Europe (1979, Polydor 2382094)