Ohio State Head Football Coach Jim Tressel has never waived in
his support for the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown State
University, even though he has been gone from the area and school
for more than eight years.
His commitment to YSU, where he spent 15 seasons as the head
football coach, continues today through his vision of making the
Watson and Tressel Training Site Indoor Facility a reality. For his
continued efforts and his past successes, Coach Tressel, along with
the members of the Watson and Tressel families' are being honored
as the 2009 Penguins of the Year.
Ohio State
In his nine years with the Buckeyes, Tressel has guided the
program to a 84-21 record, nine bowl appearances, including seven
BCS games; seven 10-win seasons; six Big Ten titles; including a
record five straight, and a national championship in 2002.
Tressel, who owns an overall record of 229-78-2 after 24 years
as a head coach, was named as the Buckeyes' 22nd head coach Jan.
18, 2001. His original five-year contract was extended through 2008
following the 2002 season. He was given a new contract at the end
of the 2005 campaign that runs through 2012.
He is an impressive 8-1 thus far against the Wolverines.
In 2002, Ohio State came from out of nowhere to capture the Big
Ten's first consensus national title since 1968, posting a 13-0
regular-season record and upsetting top-ranked Miami in the
Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in a 31-24 double-overtime thriller, becoming
the first FBS school to record a 14-0 campaign. For his efforts
during the year, he was named the AFCA and Eddie Robinson Coach of
the Year.
During 2003, Tressel led the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record and
their second consecutive BCS bowl appearance. OSU defeated Kansas
State in a return visit to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
Despite the loss of 28 seniors and an NFL-record 14 players to
the draft, the 2004 Buckeyes attained an 8-4 record that included
wins over Michigan in the regular-season finale and Oklahoma State
in the MasterCard Alamo Bowl.
In 2005, the 10-2 Buckeyes tied for the Big Ten title (7-1) and
closed the season with back-to-back wins over Michigan and Notre
Dame.
In 2006, Ohio State opened the season at No. 1 in the polls and
held that ranking throughout the course of the regular season, the
first team to go wire-to-wire at the top spot. Posting a 12-0
record during the regular season, Ohio State recorded wins over
Texas and Michigan, both of which were ranked No. 2 at the time
they played the Buckeyes, and played Florida in the BCS
championship game in Arizona.
In 2007, despite the loss of 12 players to pro ball, 11-2 Ohio
State won another outright Big Ten title and carried the No. 1
ranking in the polls for five weeks. OSU advanced to the BCS title
game again, facing LSU in New Orleans.
In 2008, the Buckeyes earned another Big Ten title, sharing the
crown with Penn State. Ohio State reached its fourth straight BCS
Bowl where it took a highly-regarded Texas team down to the wire at
the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes were 10-3 on the year, for
Tressel's sixth 10-plus win campaign at the school.
Last year, Ohio State won the Rose Bowl for the first time under
Tressel as the Buckeyes finished the year with an 11-2 mark. OSU
earned a share of its fifth straight Big Ten crown and capped the
year off with a 26-17 win over the Ducks.
Youngstown State
As the former head football coach and Director of Athletics
Tressel left a major mark not only on the Athletic Department and
campus, but the entire Mahoning Valley community.
Tressel spent 15 years as the head coach at Youngstown State and
six as the Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics before
being named the head football coach at The Ohio State University in
January 2001.
Tressel brought a winning attitude to the Mahoning Valley when
he took charge of the Penguin football program in the mid-1980s. He
gave the people something to rally around in a time of need and
helped keep the spirits of everyone in the community high.
He came to Youngstown in 1986, and within two seasons, the
Penguins were in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. The playoffs, once a dream,
became common place for YSU. In his tenure, Youngstown State
appeared in the playoffs 10 times and won four national
championships.
The first national title came in 1991 and began a run of four
straight title-game appearances. The march to the crown in 1991 was
magical as the Penguins won eight straight to end the season. YSU
won at Georgia Southern on Nov. 2 and was never to lose again that
season. In the playoffs, the Penguins beat Villanova, Nevada-Reno
and Samford before beating Marshall in the title game.
After losing in the title game to Marshall in 1992, the Penguins
were back in 1993 to finish 13-2 and beat the Thundering Herd 17-5
in the title game.
In 1994, the Penguins were unbeaten in 15 games and
finished14-0-1. YSU tied Stephen F. Austin in the season opener and
then won a school-record 14 consecutive games to earn a repeat
championship. In the playoffs, the Penguins beat Alcorn State,
Eastern Kentucky and Montana en route to the title game. YSU beat
Boise State 28-14 to earn its third national title.
In 1997, the Penguins were back in the national title hunt. In
the playoffs, YSU beat Hampton, Villanova and Eastern Washington to
advance to the title game. In a tight defensive game, YSU beat
McNeese State 10-9 to earn Tressel's fourth title.
En route to the 1999 title game, YSU set an NCAA FCS record with
15 consecutive playoff wins after beating Montana, North Carolina
A&T and Florida A&M in the preliminary rounds. In the
championship game, YSU lost to Georgia Southern.
In his final year in 2000, YSU finished 9-3 and qualified for
the playoffs for the 10th time.
Personal
Born in Mentor, Ohio, where his father, Lee, reeled off 34
consecutive wins as a high school coach before becoming the head
coach at Massillon High School, Tressel spent most of his childhood
in Berea, more often than not accompanied his father to football
practices and games at Baldwin Wallace.
A 1971 Berea High graduate, Tressel played for his father at
Baldwin-Wallace, earning four letters at quarterback and winning
all-conference honors as a senior in 1974. He graduated cum laude
in 1975 with a degree in education.
He embarked upon his coaching career in the 1975 as a graduate
assistant at Akron, where he remained through1978. He served in a
full-time capacity his last three seasons as coach of the
quarterbacks, receivers and running backs.
Jim is married to the former Ellen Watson. They are the parents
of four accomplished young adults: Zak, Carlee, Eric and
Whitney.
