I never cared for Jim Tressel as a football coach. I love my Buckeyes, but I always felt like they played it a little too close to the "vest." Boring ball, I called it. They played to not lose....not to win.
With all the talent he was able to bring in, I wanted them to light up score boards. I'd had enough of the 3 yards and a cloud of dust gameplay from all the coaches prior. After John Cooper, I never wanted to see a FB rush on 3rd down ever again.
However, I always respected Tressel for who he was and how he lived his life. It's a weird feeling to have, to feel sad that a coach is no longer with your team. The sadness probably comes from the fact that typically, if a coach is gone, it's because he didn't win and wasn't liked. Tressel certainly won, and was definitely liked.
Tressel's only fault was caring too much about his players in a father-son way. Had he just been in the 'business,' and focused on his task as Ohio State football coach, he'd still be coaching today. His need for his players to not only succeed in football but in life was his downfall.
Tressel led his teams to 7 Big Ten Championships, 3 National Title games, and 1 National Championship. Honestly, any decent coach could probably pull these numbers at The Ohio State University, not to take anything away from Treseel. What is more impressive is how he put more emphasis on the STUDENT part of student-athlete. His teams had the highest GPA's ever for the program and the highest graduation rates. Their sense of community and giving back were unprecedented.
I hope Tressel lands on his feet somewhere, at a small school where he can give back and be a leader of men on their journey through life. I hope he doesn't make an NFL attempt....he's better off strengthening young men's lives.
