Tuesday, 03 December 2024

Jim Tressel

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2024
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Sport(s): Football
Statistics: 1 NCAA BCS Championship (2002)
6 Big Ten Championships (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009)
4 NCAA Division I-AA Championships (1991, 1993, 1994 & 1997)
1 OVC Championship (1987)
1 OVC Coach of the Year (1987)
229-79-2 NCAA Record
5-4 Bowl Record
23-6 NCAA Division I-AA Playoff Record
Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Jim Tressel was the quarterback coach from 1983 to 1985, and he was able to translate that success into a head coaching gig at Youngstown State. The Penguins were electric under Tressel, who led them to four Division I-AA titles, which is by far the most decorated accomplishments of any Youngstown State head coach. After fifteen years, Ohio State brought him back, this time as their head coach.

Tressel was with the Buckeyes for an even ten years, and his 81% winning percentage was among the best in the 2000s. In Tressel’s second season in Ohio State, he won the Fiesta Bowl and the National Championship, the only one in his career, but not the only one his team would contend for.

Ohio State again won the Fiesta Bowl in 2003 and 2005, earning a postseason rank of number 4. The Buckeyes lost the BCS National Championship Game in both 2006 and 2007 but finished the decade with a Rose Bowl win in 2009 and a Sugar Bowl win in 2010. There might not have been another National Championship after 2002 for Tressel, but from 2005 to 2010, there was no postseason rank lower than ninth.

The end for Tressel at Ohio State ended with a thud as he failed to notify the school when he learned of NCAA violations among his players. After being first suspended, he resigned and has not returned to the coaching ranks since.

Tressel’s end may have been controversial, but his contributions to an elite program remain legendary.

We are proud to nominate Jim Tressel for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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