As many of you know, or if you don’t, I went to Ohio State in the early 2000’s and was a student when Jim Tressel arrived on campus. The Senator took over a program that couldn’t get over the edge (win big games) and helped rebuild it to what we see now. Tressel won a BCS Championship in his second season, after a very shaky 7-5 initial campaign although they did win their rivalry game against Michigan after his infamous speech.
What we are seeing with Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame could very well be a similar trajectory and here as some very interesting similarities that I see between the two.
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This year celebrates the 100-year Anniversary of the Ohio Stadium. The extraordinary construction was designed by architecture Howard Dwight Smith and finished in 1922. In this five-segment series, you will travel in time to learn about the rich history and the ways The Horseshoe has been celebrated over the past century.
This is well worth about ten minutes of your time.
The sweater vest still has it.
In case you missed it, former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel was back in town this past week to help celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Ohio Stadium. And while he may have left the Buckeye sidelines after the 2010 season, there’s no doubt he still bleeds scarlet and gray.
That was no more evident than during the speech he gave at a function inside the ‘Shoe in front of former players and OSU support personnel commemorating all that is the grand old stadium on the banks of the Olentangy. Despite it being an exclusive list of folks who were able to witness the speech, we have almost nine minutes of footage from “The Senator” as he walked down memory lane in a pretty humorous and sentimental speech.
It’s all thanks to one of his former players, Bobby Carpenter, who played for him from 2002 to 2005 and captured what can only be described as a very entertaining time at the podium. Watch it for yourself below.
Trust us when we say it’ll have you in stitches at times, and remembering your own fond memories of Ohio Stadium at others.
I found myself watching this twice. Not just to lob this out there for all of you to enjoy, but because it was entertaining enough to do so. In case you weren’t aware, one of the endearing qualities that Tressel had during his time at OSU was this sense of humor.
I’ve interviewed a couple of former players myself and read or watched others, and they all say that a little-known fact about him that the public didn’t often get to see was that he was an extremely witty guy.
I know he didn’t leave the program on the best of terms, but these types of moments are why Buckeye Nation will always think of Tressel with fond memories.
Jim Tressel will apparently enter a new phase in his life. #GoBucks
The sweater vest is moving on from Youngstown State. Jim Tressel announced on Thursday that he will be retiring as president of YSU effective February 1, 2023.
“It has been truly a blessing and labor of love to serve Youngstown State University … I cannot thank my family enough for allowing my schedule, and the needs of our university, to take priority and center stage,” Tressel said. “It is now only fair to have Ellen (his wife), our wonderful children and grandchildren, extended family, friends and former students, set the schedule.”
Tressel has been the president at Youngstown State since 2014. That was after he was the head coach of the Penguins from 1986 to 2000. He was then named the new head coach at Ohio State in 2001 where he went 106-22 in ten seasons that included a national championship in 2002. He led OSU to seven Big Ten titles, stringing together five straight from 2005 to 2009.
Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to step down as Youngstown State president https://t.co/WRcHNIOX1i
Tressel resigned in 2011 after a well-publicized scandal that involved, among other things, a tattoo for memorabilia scandal by OSU players. He then returned to Youngstown State to continue to have an impact on the lives of young people.
It was a fantastic April Saturday, the weather cooperated and the Irish won a football game. There were plenty of instant takes after the game concluded but now that it has been about 24-hours, there is more to digest. Here are a few lasting thoughts from Notre Dame’s Blue vs. Gold game.
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A rare, honest, and somewhat critical assessment from “The Senator.”
There’s no way around it. Aside from finally winning a game against arch-rival Ohio State, Jim Harbaugh hasn’t been anywhere close to being what many believed he would be when he accepted the keys to the kingdom up in Ann Arbor. No matter what any Michigan fan, player, or interested observer will tell you, going 1-5 against Ohio State, winning the Big Ten just once, and having a dismal record in top ten matchups and in the postseason, isn’t anywhere near what the program signed up for.
Look no further for proof than seeing Harbaugh’s contract restructured and his compensation significantly reduced last year to know exactly how those in charge at Michigan felt about his performance on the field.
Credit: USA TODAY Sports
It’s one thing to think that as an Ohio State fan, it’s another to hear someone no longer in the program say as much, and that’s exactly what we have from a surprising source, none other than former national title-winning Buckeye head man, Jim Tressel.
Tressel appeared on a podcast with 1 Star Recruits for a wide-ranging interview that eventually touched on what kind of job he felt Harbaugh has done at Michigan on a scale of 1 to 5 (one being the worst and 5 being the best). Now, if you know anything about Tressel, he rarely says anything to rock the boat and has a way of answering questions without really answering them. It’s what got him the nickname “The Senator” during his time in Columbus.
But, I guess when it comes to talking about the rivalry between OSU and TTUN, the gloves might come off a little. Here’s what he had to say about the job he believes Harbaugh has done at Michigan:
“Because of his lack of winning in The Game (Harbaugh is 1-5 against Ohio State) and lack of winning in the postseason, that makes it tougher to have a win-loss legacy,” Tressel said. “I really don’t know what his legacy is with his student-athletes and what the relationships are and so forth. And that’s the ones that last the longest anyway. The public is going to assess – as they should – the win-loss records. But the impact that you have with your students, that’s really what your record is and honestly I’m not sure what those relationships are. So, I guess I’ve got to give him a 1 star on the win-loss thing.”
Ouch. Of course, we’ll never really know some of the behind-the-scenes interactions Harbaugh had with players, coaches, and fans, but it’s hard to argue against what Tressel said about the man that has somehow conditioned a fanbase to lower expectations going forward.
Good thing I guess the scale didn’t go into the negative numbers.
The Irish’s new head coach Marcus Freeman is surely going to make his rounds and that’s exactly what has happened today. This morning on ESPN’s College GameDay the new leader for Notre Dame football met with Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Desmond Howard virtually and was asked a few questions. Here is a recap of what Freeman told the crew.
The last 11-years have been fantastic, the Irish have seen some great football, four straight 10-win seasons and trips to the BCS National Title game along with two berths into the College Football Playoff. Brian Kelly has elevated the team to new heights, but as he is now leaving to the Bayou, what is to be made of the Irish?
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Personally, I feel like this is a blessing in disguise, a similar situation to another Midwest power, Ohio State had with head coach John Cooper. Cooper did everything but win the big game, constantly losing to their rival Michigan while occasionally winning lower-tier bowl games. Sound familiar?
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Kelly has amassed the most wins in Notre Dame football history as a head coach, but what does he have to show for it? A Citrus Bowl win. Camping World crown. How about a Sun Bowl victory? Even a Music City Bowl win was thrown in there. Nothing to write home about.
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For all that Kelly did for the program, he will go down as not being able to win the big game. As for the Buckeyes, they would go on to hire Jim Tressel, and in year 2 they hoisted the National Championship Trophy. The Irish could very well be in the same exact position.
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The difference between the two? The Ohio State roster was diluted with over-rated talent, the Irish roster is quiet the opposite. I, for one, believe that the future is bright, regardless of who is brought in to replace Kelly. That coach will have to be able to win the big game and if they’re just winning 50% of those, it will be much better than what Kelly was able to accomplish.
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In no means am I saying the next coach will win over 100-games and surpass Kelly as the all-time wins leader. What I do expect is that the next coach will have more success in big games, which should lead the Irish to a place they haven’t been since 1988.
I don’t know that we’ll ever know the depth of some of the conversations these two had.
There was a little get-together of former Ohio State royalty this past weekend that may have slipped by your attention. The first-ever Charg1ng Heisman Elite Football Camp for youth took place in Urbana from July 9-11 and it was hosted by former Buckeye stars Troy Smith and Braxton Miller.
But it wasn’t just them. The duo brought in another Buckeye legend, former head coach Jim Tressel, to speak to the group and provide them with some pretty cool life lessons.
After Tressel spoke, we got a glimpse into how much he has meant to Troy Smith from a football and role model standpoint. Smith got into a little hot water during his time at Ohio State and Tressel was always there to support and encourage him. So much so that Smith stepped to the microphone over this past weekend and said he calls the former sweater vest-wearing coach “dad.”
“I call him my dad for a reason,” Smith said. ” I call him my dad because, specifically, when I was at Ohio State, if it wasn’t for him I would have been lost. I wouldn’t have been able to play quarterback — I wouldn’t have been able to play football at all.”
Now, I don’t know that we’ll ever know the depth of the relationship between Smith and Tressel, but you can bet there were a lot of hard conversations, but a lot of love and support as well. That sure sounds like a lot of really good dads I know as well.
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Watch as former Ohio State wide receiver Devier Posey tells a tense and classic moment he shared with Jim Tressel during the 2010 Rose Bowl.
It’s always interesting to get a peek behind the curtain of some of the classic games we all remember. It’s easy to view what unfolds in front of us on the television, but there’s so much you don’t hear and see that goes on behind the scenes or on the sidelines when the camera isn’t pointed in that direction.
One of those classic games occurred in January of 2010 in Pasadena, California when Ohio State took on Oregon in the Rose Bowl. And yes, you have the period right, it involves a classic Jim Tressel moment.
To hear former Buckeye wide receiver Devier Posey tell it, he had fill-in punt duty for the Rose Bowl and was anxious to make an impact one way or another. Oregon had recently taken a slight lead over Ohio State in a nip and tuck affair and was forced to punt. Posey went to field the ball but it slipped through his hands.
Luckily for him and the team, he was able to scoop it right back up before the Ducks’ coverage team converged on him. But if you think it went unnoticed by the Senator wearing a sweater vest on the sideline, you’d be dreadfully wrong. He calmly waived Posey over and admonished him similar to a concerned parent.
“You almost lost us the Rose Bowl,” Tressel whispered. “Just sit here right here for one play and reflect on that.”
Watch Posey tell the story himself in the below video shared to BTN’s Twitter profile. It doesn’t appear as though Tressel took his iPad away, or took the keys to the car for a while.
"You almost lost us the Rose Bowl."
Key word – 𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕.
Don't miss DeVier Posey's (@DPo8) story about a tense moment he can now laugh about with Jim Tressel. 😁
That does sound like a classic Tressel moment, especially since it occurred on what he once most famously said is “the most important play in football,” — a punt.
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