Friday, January 19, 2001
Tressel already talking about Michigan
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS — Four hours after a news conference formally announcing his hiring as the Buckeyes' 22nd head coach, Jim Tressel was introduced during Ohio State's basketball game with Michigan at Value City Arena.
Tressel was met with a standing ovation as he walked through the stands, and he received another when he was introduced by athletic director Andy Geiger at halftime of the Buckeyes' 78-61 victory.
“I'm so proud, so excited and so humbled to be the football coach at The Ohio State University,” Tressel told the crowd. “I can assure you that you'll be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community — and especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Mich.”
The crowd roared.
“Unbelievable,” he said afterward. “That's what Ohio State is all about — the electricity running through your body when you get a reception like that.”
Asked about the reference to the days remaining until the Michigan game, he laughed and said, “Now they know and they can get ready for it.”
Tressel received a five-year, $4.6 million deal and a mandate to build players' character and bolster classroom performance.
“Having been born in the state of Ohio and idolizing the likes of Paul Brown and Woody Hayes ... as I sit here and think about the fact that I will be following men like that, it's really humbling, and it's so exciting,” Tressel, a Berea native, said at the afternoon news conference.
Tressel, who won a record four Division I-AA national championships in 15 years at nearby Youngstown State, was picked to succeed John Cooper as coach after a 16-day search.
“Had we not won those four championships, I would not be here,” Tressel said.
Ohio State President William Kirwan said the university wanted a coach with a good record of graduating players, who reflected the values of the university and wanted success on the field — but not at the expense of academics.
“Excellence is what is expected,” said Tressel, who was an assistant coach for the Buckeyes before leaving for Youngstown State. He has never led a Division I-A program.
“I measure the man and not the level,” athletic director Andy Geiger said. “I don't think the game's that much different in concept.”
Geiger said Tressel would receive a $100,000 signing bonus and $700,000 salary to start, increasing $100,000 each year.
His Youngstown State contract, which was to run out in June, gave him a base salary of $88,500 and a $20,000 annual stipend to also serve as athletics director.
Cooper earned $1.1 million per season. He was 111-43-4, shared three Big Ten titles and played in bowls in 11 of his 13 seasons.
But he was 3-8 in those bowl games and was just 2-10-1 against Ohio State's chief rival, Michigan — a game that Ohio State fans refer to as “The Game.”
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