Jim Tressel

College coach infobox
Name = Jim Tressel

---

Caption =
DateOfBirth = birth date and age|1952|12|5
Birthplace = flagicon|Ohio Mentor, OH
DateOfDeath =
Sport = Football
College = Ohio State
Title = Head Coach
CurrentRecord = 78–17 (82.1%)
OverallRecord = 213–74–2 (74.0%)
Awards = 12 coach of the year awards (see awards below)
Championships = Division I-A: 2002
Division I-AA: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997
Big Ten: 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007
CFbDWID = 2357
Player = Y
Years = 1971-1974
Team = Baldwin-Wallace College
Position = QB
Coach = Y
CoachYears = 1986-2000
2001-"present"
CoachTeams = Youngstown State
Ohio State
FootballHOF =
BBallHOF =

James Patrick Tressel (born December 5, 1952) is the current head football coach at The Ohio State University. He was hired in 2001 to replace John Cooper. Since becoming Ohio State's 22nd head football coach, his team has won a National Championship, achieving the first 14-0 season record in major college football since Penn went 15-0 in 1897. [cite web |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_48_225/ai_80680611 |title=Cougars deserve to celebrate - College Football/Insider - Brigham Young University football team |accessdate=2008-04-24] He has an overall record of 78-17, including four Big Ten Conference championships, a 4-3 bowl record and a 6-1 record against arch-rival Michigan. Tressel's six wins against Michigan place him second in school history to Woody Hayes' 16, and alone in Ohio State football history in winning six of his first seven meetings with the Wolverines. [cite web |url=http://www.fannation.com/articles/show/1332956 |title=Tressel makes Ohio State history, continuing dominance over Michigan |accessdate=2008-04-25]

Early life

Jim Tressel was born in Mentor, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, on December 5, 1952. His father, Lee Tressel, who hails from Ada, Ohio, was the coach at Mentor's high school; after a 34-game winning streak, Lee was hired as head football coach for Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio, located in suburban Cleveland. B-W would go on to win the 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship under Lee Tressel. Jim attended many of his father's games and practices; he also developed a friendship with neighbor (and Cleveland Browns legend) Lou Groza -- who, like Lee Tressel, had attended Ohio State and continued to be a fan. His mother Eloise Tressel worked as the Athletic Historian at Baldwin Wallace College during Lee's time as head coach.

After graduating from Berea High School in 1971, Jim played quarterback under his father at Baldwin-Wallace. As quarterback, he earned four varsity letters and won all-conference honors as a senior in 1974. The next year, he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in education. While at Baldwin-Wallace Jim was initiated into the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.

Coaching career

Early positions

After graduating, Tressel became a Graduate Assistant at the University of Akron. He worked there coaching the quarterbacks, receivers, and running backs, while earning his Masters degree in education. In 1978, he left to become quarterbacks and receivers coach at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. By 1981, he had left to become the quarterbacks coach at Syracuse. In 1983, he was hired at Ohio State to be the quarterbacks and receivers coach. That year, OSU had a 9-3 record, including a 28-23 victory over Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl; a 39-yard pass from quarterback Mike Tomczak to wide receiver Thad Jemison clinched the win with 39 seconds remaining in the game. In 1984, he was given the added responsibility of coaching the running backs. That year, the team became Big Ten champs, played in the Rose Bowl, and tailback Keith Byars finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting. In 1985, OSU defeated BYU in the Citrus Bowl.

Youngstown State University

At the end of the 1985 season, Jim Tressel left OSU to become head coach at Youngstown State University. His first season as coach was one to forget, as Youngstown State finished the season with a 2-9 record. In his second year as head coach, the 1987 season showed an extreme turn of events for Tressel. Youngstown State finished the season with an 8-4 record and won the Ohio Valley Conference championship. From 1989-1994, Youngstown State would play in the Division I-AA National Championship game four times. In 1991, Tressel won his first National Championship, defeating Marshall; the victory made him and his father the only father-son duo to win National Championships in College Football.

YSU won two more National Championships in the following three years: Against Marshall in 1993 (who had defeated them in 1992) and Boise State in 1994. 1997 brought Tressel his fourth National Championship with a 10-9 victory against McNeese State. He earned his 100th win against Indiana State. 1999 marked Tressel's 9th visit to the Division I-AA playoffs, but the team lost to Georgia Southern in the title game. 2000 presented Tressel with more success, leading Youngstown State to a 9-3 season and its 10th playoff appearance. During the 1990s, Youngstown State had a record of 103-27-2, the most wins by any Division I-AA team and fourth most of both Division I-A and I-AA combined.Fact|date=April 2008 Tressel's overall record at Youngstown was 135-57-2. He was also named Division I-AA Coach of the Year in ’91, ’93, ’94 and ’97. [cite web |url=http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=87747&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059367&Q_SEASON=2007 |title=Jim Tressel Biography |accessdate=2008-04-24]

The Ohio State University

After firing head coach John Cooper following a loss to unranked South Carolina in the 2000 Outback Bowl, the Buckeyes were looking for a new head coach to revive the program. After a lengthy search, Ohio State chose Tressel to replace Cooper as head football coach. While addressing Ohio State students during a ceremony introducing him as head coach, Tressel declared, "I can assure you that you will be proud of your young people in the classroom, in the community and most especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on the football field" [cite web |url=http://media.www.michigandaily.com/media/storage/paper851/news/2001/07/23/Sports/Tressel.Eyes.Finally.Bucking.The.Wolverines-1408404.shtml |title=Tressel eyes finally bucking the Wolverines |accessdate=2008-04-24] an apparent reference to the Buckeyes' struggles against archrival Michigan under Cooper.

Tressel has coached the Buckeyes to two 19-game winning streaks, one in the 2002-2003 seasons and the second in 2005-2006. Tressel's winning percentage at Ohio State of 82.4% is the second best in school history, behind only Carroll Widdoes' 16-2 (88.9%) mark in the 1944-1945 seasons. [cite web |url=http://ohiostatebuckeyes.com/fls/17300/pdf/fb/guide/08_Spring_p100to129.pdf?SPSID=87751&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300 |title=Year-By-Year Coaching Records (page 108) |accessdate=2008-04-24]

As Ohio State's head coach, Tressel is known for a conservative style of play calling, winning games with just enough scoring, strong defense, and "playing field position." [cite web |url=http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/2007/09/ohio_state_football_help_make.html |title=Ohio State football: Help make the pick |accessdate=2008-04-24] Tressel often refers to the punt as the most important play in football. [cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls06/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2722614 |title=Buckeyes buy Tressel's special teams message |accessdate=2008-04-24] In most interviews, he credits the seniors on the team, foregoing praise for his younger players, in an attempt to promote those who have dedicated themselves to The Ohio State University football program for a number of years. He is sometimes referred to as "The Senator", (most notably by ESPN's Chris Fowler), because of his composure on the sidelines during play and his diplomatic way of interacting with representatives from the media. [cite web |url=http://cantonrep.com/printable.php?ID=403280 |title=Tressel wows crowd of Ohio lawmakers
accessdate=2008-04-24] He is also often referred to as "The Sweater Vest" for his habit of wearing a sweater vest on the sidelines. [cite web |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls07/columns/story?id=3178400 |title=Tressel, Ohio State made for each other |accessdate=2008-04-24]

With his 5 national championships, Tressel is one of only two active coaches with 5 or more national championships in any divisionFact|date=April 2008 (only Larry Kehres of Division III Mount Union College has more with 9). His four national championships at Youngstown State University gave him the distinction of being a part of the only father-son coaching combination to win a national championship [cite web |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/sports/ncaafootball/03tressel.html?pagewanted=2&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/U/University%20of%20Florida |title=The Two Sides of Jim Tressel |accessdate=2008-04-24] (his father, Lee Tressel, won a Division III title at Baldwin-Wallace College in 1978). His 2002 national title victory at Ohio State gave him two more distinctions: he became the only coach to win national titles at two different schools (Youngstown State and Ohio State) and he won national titles at two different divisional levels of NCAA football (Ohio State is Division I-A, while Youngstown State is Division I-AA).Fact|date=April 2008

During Tressel's first year, Ohio State had a 7-5 record. Ohio State returned to the Outback Bowl, where the Buckeyes once again fell to South Carolina. Although the Buckeyes lost on a last minute field goal, the team battled back to tie the game at 28-28 after being down 28-0. [cite web |url=http://www.outbackbowl.com/facts/game02.html |title=Game Summary - January 1, 2002 |accessdate=2008-04-24] Despite a second consecutive bowl loss and a 5-loss season, Tressel had coached the Buckeyes to a 26-20 upset victory over Michigan, fulfilling the promise he had made 10 months earlier.

The following year Tressel and the Buckeyes became the first team in college football history to finish 14-0, defeating the heavily favored University of Miami Hurricanes in double overtime to win the 2003 Fiesta Bowl and the 2002 National Championship. It was Ohio State's first national championship in 34 years. That success made him the first coach in NCAA history to win the AFCA's Coach of the Year award while at different schools, he is also the first to win the award in two different divisions. [cite web |url=http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/011008aaa.html |title=Carroll's (Mont.) Mike Van Diest Wins 2007 AFCA Coach of the Year |accessdate=2008-04-24]

They were able to earn the national championship through close wins on a defensive-minded scheme that relied on field position. With a combination of senior leadership with Michael Doss and freshman Maurice Clarett, Tressel was able to pull out many close games during the season. Seven of their 14 victories were within 7 points including one overtime game against Illinois, and a double overtime game coming in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. [cite web |url=http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=87745&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&KEY=&Q_SEASON=2002 |title=Football - 2002 Schedule & Results |accessdate=2008-04-24] His playcalling style of tough defense, conservative ball-control offense, and field position was dubbed "Tresselball" by the media. [cite web |url=http://proxy.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=1662661 |title=Tresselball just keeps winning |accessdate=2008-04-24]

Coming off the national title season, the Buckeyes earned an 11-2 record in 2003, but the team lost to Michigan in the 100th meeting between the two teams 35-21. It is the only time one of Tressel's teams has not beaten the Wolverines. The Buckeyes finished the 2003 season with a 35-28 victory over Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl on January 2, 2004. In 2004, the team finished 8-4, closing out the season with a 33-7 victory against Oklahoma State at the Alamo Bowl. During 2005, the Buckeyes had a 10-2 record which featured an early season loss to eventual BCS National Champion Texas and another in Happy Valley versus Penn State, who finished the season ranked third in the BCS. However, the season ended with the Buckeyes defeating Notre Dame 34-20 in the Fiesta Bowl. The 2006 Ohio State Buckeyes football team went undefeated in the regular season -- including a 42-39 victory over Michigan which saw the first ever meeting between the two teams ranking numbers 1 and 2 respectively in the national polls. [cite web |url=http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/stories/111106aem.html |title=Finally, No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Michigan Is A Reality |accessdate=2008-04-24] Ohio State finished second in the final AP and Coaches polls after losing the 2007 BCS National Championship Game to the University of Florida, 41-14. In the 2007 season Jim Tressel led the 11-2 Buckeyes to a third consecutive Big Ten Championship and second consecutive National Championship berth, played January 7, 2008 against the LSU Tigers, in the Superdome. However OSU was beaten 38-24 by LSU, becoming only the second team to lose two consecutive BCS title games (the first being the University of Oklahoma). [cite web |url=http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/717959.html |title=Buckeyes Again Fall Short In Title Game |accessdate=2008-04-24]

Coaching record

CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Youngstown State Penguins |conf=Ohio Valley Conference
startyear=1986
endyear=1987CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1986
name = Youngstown State
overall = 2-9
conference = 2-5
confstanding = 7thCFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 1987
name = Youngstown State
overall = 8-4
conference = 5-1
confstanding = T-1st
bowlname = I-AA Playoffs First RoundCFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Youngstown State Penguins |conf=Division I-AA Independent
startyear=1988
endyear=1996CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1988
name = Youngstown State
overall = 4-7
conference = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1989
name = Youngstown State
overall = 9-4
conference =
bowlname = I-AA Playoffs Second RoundCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1990
name = Youngstown State
overall = 11-1
conference =
bowlname = I-AA Playoffs First RoundCFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = national
year = 1991
name = Youngstown State
overall = 12-3
conference =
bowlname = I-AA Championship
bowloutcome = WCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1992
name = Youngstown State
overall = 11-3-1
conference =
bowlname = I-AA Playoffs Runner-UpCFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = national
year = 1993
name = Youngstown State
overall = 13-2
conference =
bowlname = I-AA Championship
bowloutcome = WCFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = national
year = 1994
name = Youngstown State
overall = 14-0-1
conference =
bowlname = I-AA Championship
bowloutcome = WCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1995
name = Youngstown State
overall = 3-8
conference = CFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1996
name = Youngstown State
overall = 8-3
conference = CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Youngstown State Penguins |conf=Gateway Football Conference
startyear=1997
endyear=2000CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = national
year = 1997
name = Youngstown State
overall = 13-2
conference = 4-2
confstanding = 3rd
bowlname = I-AA Championship
bowloutcome = WCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1998
name = Youngstown State
overall = 6-5
conference = 3-3
confstanding = T-3rdCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 1999
name = Youngstown State
overall = 12-3
conference = 5-1
confstanding = 2nd
bowlname = I-AA Playoffs Runner-UpCFB Yearly Record Entry
year = 2000
name = Youngstown State
overall = 9-3
conference = 4-2
confstanding = T-2nd
bowlname = I-AA Playoffs First RoundCFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Youngstown State
overall = 135-57-2
confrecord = 23-14CFB Yearly Record Subhead
name=Ohio State Buckeyes
conf=Big Ten Conference
startyear=2001
endyear=CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 2001
name = Ohio State
overall = 7-5
conference = 5-3
confstanding = 3rd
bowlname = Outback
bowlopp =
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl = no
ranking = —
ranking2 = —CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = national
year = 2002
name = Ohio State
overall = 14-0
conference = 8-0
confstanding = T-1st
bowlname = Fiesta
bowloutcome = W
bcsbowl = yes
ranking = 1
ranking2 = 1CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 2003
name = Ohio State
overall = 11-2
conference = 6-2
confstanding = 2nd
bowlname = Fiesta
bowloutcome = W
bcsbowl = yes
ranking = 4
ranking2 = 4CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship =
year = 2004
name = Ohio State
overall = 8-4
conference = 4-4
confstanding = 5th
bowlname = Alamo
bowloutcome = W
bcsbowl = no
ranking = 19
ranking2 = 20CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 2005
name = Ohio State
overall = 10-2
conference = 7-1
confstanding = T-1st
bowlname = Fiesta
bowloutcome = W
bcsbowl = yes
ranking = 4
ranking2 = 4CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 2006
name = Ohio State
overall = 12-1
conference = 8-0
confstanding = 1st
bowlname = BCS NCG
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl = yes
ranking = 2
ranking2 = 2CFB Yearly Record Entry
championship = conference
year = 2007
name = Ohio State
overall = 11-2
conference = 7-1
confstanding = 1st
bowlname = BCS NCG
bowloutcome = L
bcsbowl = yes
ranking = 4
ranking2 = 5CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
name = Ohio State
overall = 78-17
confrecord = 47-11CFB Yearly Record End
overall = 213-74-2
poll = two
bcs = yesSources: [cite web|url=http://www.mvc.org/football/standings.pdf?SPSID=39013&SPID=2899&DB_OEM_ID=7600|title=Missouri Valley Football Conference Year-by-Year Standings] [cite web|url=http://www.ovcsports.com/pdf1/79753.pdf?ATCLID=879709&SPID=2441&DB_OEM_ID=6200&SPSID=31021|title=ALL-TIME OVC YEAR-BY-YEAR FINAL STANDINGS]

Awards

*1991, 1994 and 2002 American College Football Association National Coach of the Year
*1993, 1994 and 1997 Chevrolet National Coach of the Year
*1994 Eddie Robinson Award
*2002 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year
*2002 Paul "Bear" Bryant Award
*2002 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
*2002 Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. National Coach of the Year
*2002 Touchdown Club of Columbus National Coach of the Year
*2002 and 2006 Woody Hayes Trophy
*2007 Baldwin-Wallace Athletic Hall of Fame

References

*cite web|url=http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=87747&SPID=10408&DB_OEM_ID=17300&ATCLID=1059367&Q_SEASON=2007|title=Profile: Jim Tressel|publisher=Ohio State University Athletics
*cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/college/news/2001/01/02/ohiost_cooper_ap|title=Ohio State cans Cooper|publisher=Associated Press|date=2001-01-02
*cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=1920867|title=Souls of the departed haunt Youngstown|last=Farrey|first=Tom|publisher=ESPN.com|date=2004-11-12

External links

* [http://www.coachtressel.com/index.asp Personal site]
* [http://the-ozone.net/football/2006/michigan/tresselized.htm "The 'T' Factor", by John Porentas]