Jim Tressel inducted into Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame
Jim Tressel, who led Ohio State to the 2002 national title, was announced Wednesday as a member of Ohio State’s Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2015.
Tressel coached the Buckeyes from 2001-2010, registering nine bowl appearances (including seven BCS bowls and three title game appearances) and six conference titles.
“It obviously is humbling, to think about being in that elite group at that special place,” Tressel told the Columbus Dispatch. “It’s hard to describe what that feeling is.
“The minute they called, I immediately started thinking about the people who really made it happen, like Michael Jenkins, Craig Krenzel, Michael Doss, Jamar Martin, (defensive tackle) Timmy Anderson, extraordinary people like (assistant coaches) Mark Dantonio, and Mel Tucker, and Jim Bollman — the list goes on and on. Here you are getting singled out, and you know darn well that if it wasn’t, say, for that contribution by the walk-on on the scout team, this wouldn’t be happening.”
Tressel was forced to resign as head coach in May 2011 amid an NCAA investigation stemming from players trading memorabilia for tattoos, among other things. Tressel knew of the arrangement, but did not tell OSU’s compliance department or the NCAA.
As a result of the investigation, the Buckeyes’ 12 wins from the 2010 season, including a win over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, were vacated as part of the NCAA sanctions against the program. With those 12 victories stricken from the record, Tressel’s official record at OSU is 94-22. Tressel was also hit with a five-year show-cause penalty.
Stephen Chappelear, the president of the OSU Men’s Varsity “O” Alumni Association, told the Dispatch that the selection board “didn’t discuss” the NCAA violations “at all” when considering Tressel.
“I think the Varsity ‘O’ board recognized the significant contributions Coach Tressel had made to the Ohio State University and the football program during his tenure with the team,” Chappelear said. “The criteria we look at … is not just win-loss record or championships, but also character and contribution to intercollegiate athletics. He was an overwhelming choice for the hall of fame.”
Following his resignation, Tressel had a brief stint as a consultant for the Indianapolis Colts before taking a position at Akron University. After two years at Akron, Tressel was hired in May 2014 as the president of Youngstown State, where he was the head coach from 1986-2000 and guided the program to four national championships.
Tressel was also inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in January.
In addition to Tressel, wide receiver Joey Galloway and defensive back Tim Anderson were the other two members of the football program inducted.
The 2015 class also includes Justin Cook (men's soccer), Terence Dials (men's basketball), Lara Dickenmann (women's soccer), Natalia Diea (women's diving), Annabelle Fago (rowing), Therese Hession (women's golf coach), J Jaggers (wrestling), Perry Martter (wrestling), Teresa Meyers (pistol), Dan Seimetz (baseball), and Paul Tilley (men's hockey).
For more Ohio State news, visit BuckeyeGrove.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
