Ohio State will put Jim Tressel’s name in the Ohio Stadium Ring of Honor this fall. The school announced the honor for the former head coach who delivered the 2002 national championship. The ceremony happens September 5 when the Buckeyes host Ball State.
Tressel is now the Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. But before politics, before the NCAA investigation that ended his college coaching career, he was the guy who beat Miami in overtime for the title. He coached Ohio State from 2001 through the 2010 season and resigned in May 2011 amid a scandal over improper benefits that Tressel failed to report.
He never took another head coaching job after that.
Tressel becomes the third Buckeyes coach honored in the stadium ring. The other two are Woody Hayes and Paul Brown. That’s the company he’s keeping now.
“Growing up in Ohio, Ohio Stadium was about as special a place as there could be for a Buckeye fan,” Tressel said in a statement. “Then, when you have the privilege of spending so many years on the field as a coach, you never really think about something like this. You just try to honor the tradition, respect the responsibility that comes with it, and do your very best each day.”
He added: “I grew up admiring Paul Brown and Woody Hayes, and they both meant so much to our family. To be recognized alongside these men is truly humbling.”
Tressel’s complicated Ohio State legacy
The 2002 national title was a monster achievement. Ohio State went 14-0 that season, won the Fiesta Bowl in double overtime against Miami, and gave the program its first championship since 1968. Tressel went 106-22 overall with the Buckeyes. He also won five Big Ten titles.
But the end was messy. The NCAA hit Ohio State with a show-cause penalty for Tressel after it was discovered he knew players were trading memorabilia for tattoos and other benefits and didn’t tell anybody. He resigned in May 2011. The university also vacated the 2010 season and Tressel had to sit out the first five games of the 2012 season if he’d coached, which he didn’t.
Before Ohio State, Tressel built a dynasty at Youngstown State, winning four Division I-AA national championships. He later returned to the school as its president. So the guy has had three distinct careers: small-college king, big-college champion, and now a statewide elected official.
Athletic director Ross Bjork praised Tressel’s lasting impact. “Jim Tressel’s impact on Ohio State is long-lasting and still ever-present on our campus,” Bjork said. “He is not only one of the most accomplished coaches in our school’s history but in the entire history of college football. What truly sets him apart is the way he led, taught, and served others.”
The Ring of Honor ceremony will happen during Week 1. Ball State probably won’t put up much of a fight. But the moment itself is bigger than the opponent.
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