EDSBS’ Spencer Hall started this off, and reminded us that James Patrick Tressel was hired to lead the Ohio State University football program a mere ten years ago on 01.17.01. However, for Buckeye fans, the Tressel legacy truly began with this:
And so, on this the 10th anniversary of “The Speech”, we pause to give thanks and reflect on the decade. To be honest, it’s important to do this more often than just once a year… when you think about where the Buckeyes have been historically and the heights that Coach Tressel has brought the program to, it’s important to have perspective.
You can’t talk about Tress without looking at the numbers he’s amassed:
- Seven top ten finishes in the last 9 years
- Two 19 game winning streaks
- 106 wins to 22 losses (83%)
- Seven conference championships, including the last six in a row. The Buckeyes have a second, a third, and a fifth place finish during Tressel’s tenure.
- While the criticism still lingers that The Vest cannot win the big game, he’s 5-3 in BCS games and 6-4 overall.
- Ohio State continues to be at the tops of the conference in Academic All-Americans, an important change in the tenor of the program.
Of course, the most important numbers of all: 9-1 in The Game. Yup, it matters:
And these numbers don’t tell the entire story. They don’t talk about the student athletes whose lives have been changed because of their connections with Coach Tressel. It doesn’t address the impact on the community- from personal donations to other institutions, to players’ buying into a philosophy that reminds them of the importance of “Paying It Forward”.
The numbers don’t measure a coach who’s recruiting style is upheld by some as the ideal for this sometimes controversial area of college sports. They can’t tell the story of the search process for a storied program and most heated rival being done with one eye on Columbus…
Brandon stopped short of saying Michigan needs a “Michigan Man” as its next head coach, but he wants someone who understands the school’s culture and the unique challenges at Michigan. He wants someone with previous head-coaching experience, but not necessarily in an automatic qualifying conference. “Is [Jim] Tressel a bad coach?” Brandon said, referring to the Ohio State boss who came to Columbus from FCS Youngstown State. “He seems to be doing pretty well down there, especially against us.”
including the decision on how to announce the newest head coach.
All this has been accomplished by a man who, while being named National Coach of the Year on one occasion has never won the same accolade from the Big Ten. And yet, he responded in typical Tressel fashion:
I think we’re expected to be at the top. So if we wind up there, then that’s not extraordinary. And I’ve got many plaques and trophies in my office, so that doesn’t blow my mind.
There are places on the interwebs, blogs and bulletin boards, where they sometimes discuss “Who do we want to replace Coach Tressel when he retires?” Just something to talk about, not based on speculation or the fertilizer that some folks live with. You can firmly count me in the crowd that doesn’t even want to think about that day… the announcement that The Vest is stepping down will hit me deeper than any gameday loss.
Jim Tressel has become an icon in the world of college sports in many ways, and I can’t imagine an Autumn Saturday without him on the sidelines- praising, encouraging, challenging, but most importantly- representing The Ohio State University with pride and dignity.
I may have posted this here before, but this is a “note” that I submitted to the “Support for Coach Tressel” thread over at Buckeye Planet:
Coach-
I, as a fan, have five goals for the head coach of The Ohio State University:
- Represent the University and the State with class and excellence
- Run a clean program (both from the NCAA and legal perspective)
- Graduate players, or provide them the opportunity to get a job (go pro)
- Influence players and others impacted by the program to be better people
- Beat Michigan (1-11 is something I can live with, as long as that one win is the one that matters).
While it’s unreasonable for a fan to have goals for a coach that they will never meet, I want you to know how thankful I am that you have exceeded each of these beyond my ability to describe. Thank you for your faithful service to the students, student athletes, alumni, and fans of Ohio State. Yours is an example that many should follow.
So today, we take a moment to celebrate the present glory, remember the very recent past, and get ready for a future that looks strangely like a red sweatervest.
Thanks, Coach.
******
In the comments- what’s your favorite “Tressel moment” of the past decade?
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