Former Buckeyes football coach lands major political nomination in Ohio

Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has nominated former football coach and president of Youngstown State University Jim Tressel to be Ohio's lieutenant governor.

Tressel brought Ohio State University a national championship in 2002, just a year after being brought on as head coach, then led the team until 2010. The coach amassed a 229-79-2 record in college football before becoming the president at Youngstown State University in 2014. He also coached at Youngstown State from 1986 until 2000.

Gov. DeWine nominated Tressel, saying not only does he represent Ohio's values but that he "is" Ohio values.

"He’s a hard worker and shares that vision (I have) for the future of Ohio," DeWine said during a press conference, according to 10 WNBS. "He has the ability to pull people together. He has the ability to lead. He will enable me to be assured that if something happens to me, he can walk in and be governor that day and that would be seamless."

DeWine also said that Tressel's judgment can be trusted and referred to him as a "born leader."

'My first job is to go to school on that and see if I can evolve.'

Tressel would replace Jon Husted, who recently left the role to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Vice President JD Vance.

For his own part, Tressel said that while he believes in DeWine's vision for the state, he knows he has work to do in terms of learning how to properly fulfill his new role.

"My first job is to go to school on that and see if I can evolve and make a difference in a state that has been so special to us," Tressel said.

The nominee said that his experience representing every single student, faculty member, and staff member at Youngstown State would help him in his job as lieutenant governor and that he knows he will have to make everyone in the state feel "important."

He added, "The only way we’ll have a great society is if I understand that I’m insignificant without every other person in this society, and that’s what I’ll pledge to do."

Jim Tressel coaches Ohio State against the Miami at Ohio Stadium on September 11, 2010. Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images

Tressel received support from a former player at Ohio State, Terrelle Pryor, who played under the coach as quarterback from 2008 to 2010.

As reported by Fox News, both were caught up in a scandal surrounding improper benefits, which of course came long before name, image, and likeness deals were authorized by the NCAA in 2021.

Following an investigation with the FBI and Justice Department, the NCAA determined Pryor, Tressel, and other Ohio State players violated school policy over impermissible benefits by receiving tattoos or cash in exchange for autographs.

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