John Cooper, Ohio State football coach, took...

John Cooper, Ohio State football coach, took exception to a reference of alleged steroid use by players while he was coaching at Arizona State.

In his autobiography, “Bo,” which will be released Sept. 16, Michigan Coach Bo Schembechler wrote: “I have coached against teams that used steroids. I lost a Rose Bowl game in 1986 to an Arizona State team that, it was later reported, had a number of players who used steroids.”

In another part of the book, Schembechler wrote: “When we went there (to the Rose Bowl), I remember saying, ‘God, these guys are so big and aggressive.’ Then, a couple of years later, one of their coaches was quoted in an Arizona newspaper as admitting the players were pumped up. We probably played an artificial team in the Rose Bowl. And we lost.”

Cooper denied that ASU players used steroids and pointed to disclaimers that were published after the original stories appeared in the Mesa (Ariz.) Tribune.