Sorry, Paul Brown. These guys were better.

Sure, Brown was a legend at Massillon. He started the Cleveland Browns, launched several coaching careers and belongs in the NFL Hall of Fame.

He also coached three years at Ohio State and brought the school its first national championship in 1942.

But Brown’s three-year record of 18-8-1 (.685) isn’t good enough to make our list of Ohio State’s top five coaches. Here’s a closer look at those men:

Woody Hayes (1951-1978)

During his day, Woody Hayes had only one peer, Alabama’s Bear Bryant.

Hayes rolled up a 205-61-10 (.761) record at Ohio State and claimed wire service national titles in 1954, 1957 and 1968. He also added a Football Writer’s national crown in 1961 and brought home the National Football Foundation championship in 1970.

Woody was a top-flight recruiter who snagged Jim Parker, Jack Tatum, Archie Griffin, John Hicks, Randy Gradishar, Rex Kern, Art Schlichter and many, many more from various backgrounds and economic conditions.

His best team was the 1969 squad that lost in Ann Arbor, a defeat he never really got over. His biggest disappointment might have been having the 1961 Big Ten champions denied a trip to the Rose Bowl on a Faculty Council vote.

Hayes claimed this vote hurt Ohio State recruiting for the next several years. Although the Buckeyes were a respectable 35-18-1 over the ensuing six-year stretch, OSU didn’t win a Big Ten title in that period — the longest such stint in Woody’s career.

Ohio State was 16-11-1 vs. Michigan and went 4-4 in eight Rose Bowls under Hayes. His career, which included 13 Big Ten titles, ended with a frustrated punch of an opposing player. But his legacy of success still lives in Columbus where Woody Hayes Drive runs past Ohio Stadium.

Dr. John Wilce (1913-1928)

A Wisconsin graduate, Dr. John Wilce ran the program when Buckeye football first burst on the national scene. Ohio State joined the Western Conference (later Big Ten) during his tenure, and the Buckeyes won three league titles for this College Football Hall of Famer.

When Columbus native Chic Harley collected three-time All-America honors on Wilce’s watch, it led to a three-year run of wild support from central Ohio football fans that continues to this day.

Ohio State was 21-1-1 in 1916, 1917 and 1919 (Harley missed 1918 while serving in World War I), and it was decided that Ohio Stadium must be built to house this new mania.

Wilce finished with a 78-33-9 record (.683) before resigning to concentrate on his career as a physician with an emphasis on heart disease research.

Francis Schmidt (1934-1940)

Schmidt was called a mad genius for his wide-open offensive philosophy and zany antics. Historian Jerome Brondfield, in his classic book “Woody Hayes and the 100-yard War,” reveals an intriguing, insightful story about Schmidt.

According to Brondfield, the Ohio State boss was so zonked out on football that he ignored virtually everything else. One day, Schmidt’s car needed service, but the coach decided to stay in his vehicle and concentrate on X’s and O’s while the auto was hoisted in the air. For some reason, Schmidt decided to get out and, forgetting where he was, fell into the garage pit. He refused to reveal the source of his injury at practice but carried a limp for days.

The Texas native also coined the famous “They put their pants on one leg at a time” approach to playing Michigan, launching the golden pants tradition whenever the Buckeyes beat the Wolverines. There were a lot of those trinkets given out as Schmidt shut out Michigan in his first four encounters with the hated rival.

The Bucks won two Big Ten titles under Schmidt, and finished second in three other years during a 39-16-1 tenure (.705). But when Tom Harmon led Michigan to three straight victories over the Buckeyes, Schmidt resigned.

Earle Bruce (1979-1987)

Someone had to follow Woody Hayes, and for better or worse that was Earle Bruce’s assignment. A former Hayes assistant, and an OSU alumnus, Bruce was masterful early, leading an unranked OSU team to the threshold of a national championship in his first season.

But after that, the Buckeyes lost at least three games every season. Still, Bruce went 81-26-1 (.755) and had a 5-4 mark against Michigan. His teams won four Big Ten titles and captured the Cotton and Fiesta bowls.

Bruce was well aware of the school’s history and carried on many of his predecessor’s traditions.

A feud between Bruce and the power brokers at the university eventually led to a messy firing late in a nightmarish 1987 season. Still, the Buckeyes rallied around their lame duck coach, donning Earle headbands during a shocking 23-20 upset of Michigan. This was the school’s last win in Ann Arbor until 2001.

Bruce was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

John Cooper (1988-2000)

At times, John Cooper’s teams looked spectacular — 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1998. He won the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. He had monster wins over Notre Dame and Penn State in consecutive seasons.

Yet his teams earned only three Big Ten titles, all shared, and he beat Michigan just twice in 13 tries.

Cooper finished with a 111-43-4 record at OSU (.715). But fans never fully accepted the OSU coach for his Tennessee background, his CEO personality or his seemingly hands-off approach on the sidelines.

Cooper’s strong recruiting efforts brought great talent to Columbus, with athletes winning the Heisman, Butkus, Thorpe, Outland and Lombardi awards.

Yet the big prize consistently eluded the program. Cooper was fired after OSU’s lackluster 2001 Outback Bowl loss to South Carolina.