No. 11 – Jim Tressel
What Rittenberg Said:
Hired: Jan. 18, 2001
What he inherited: “A historically elite program that had started to slip, especially against its archrival. Ohio State went 14-10 in John Cooper’s final two seasons and had dropped five of its previous six games against Michigan. Cooper went just 2-10-1 against the Wolverines.”
What happened next: “Tressel, who had guided FCS (then Division I-AA) Youngstown State to four national titles, quickly restored Ohio State as a championship-level program. He beat Michigan in his first season, fulfilling his famous introductory pledge, and then in 2002 guided Ohio State to its first AP national championship since 1968 and its first undefeated season since 1970. Although Tressel didn’t win another national title, he dominated both the Big Ten (seven outright or shared titles) and Michigan (8-1 record). His teams finished in the top five in seven of his final nine seasons.”