By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Coach Jim Tressel has emphasized the Buckeyes' rich tradition as he completes his third season. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

COLUMBUS - Two weeks ago, Jim Tressel's weekly news conference fell on Election Day, and the final question was if the Ohio State football coach would consider a political career.

That drew a good laugh, but the parallel wasn't lost on anyone. The polished and diplomatic coach has handled his share of success and scandal, and Buckeye Nation could be considered a cranky constituency.

Tressel was nearly sainted in Columbus after his first two seasons - in which he swept Michigan, won the 2002 national championship and seemingly cleaned up the program. Yet his halo has been sullied this season by a series of improprieties. And even with a 10-1 mark, his conservative coaching style leaves him one Michigan loss from chum status for the talk-show sharks.

"It's the legacy of Ohio State football: You're no good until after you've been fired or died or whatever," former OSU coach Earle Bruce said. "I never saw the good stuff printed even about Woody Hayes until after he died."

Certainly, any negativity toward Tressel is limited. He won over the fickle fan base with his Ohio roots and reverence for the program's traditions. His 24-1 mark the past two seasons ends most debates about opening up the offense.

Yet the past half-year has been trying, and at times embarrassing.

The chief scandal was Maurice Clarett's season-long suspension and the perception that Tressel should have known his star player was receiving extra benefits.

Yet there was also the New York Times alleging academic improprieties in the football program, sparking an internal investigation that's ongoing. There was the NCAA declaring 10 players ineligible (though quickly reinstating them) for their paid appearance at an autograph show. There was the on-field choking incident by Robert Reynolds and the backlash after Tressel suspended him for just one game. There was a recent assault charge filed against freshman Louis Irizarry and an incident this week in which two players broke up a fight at 4 a.m.

IF YOU GO

Born: Dec. 5, 1952. Hometown: Mentor, Ohio. Playing career: Quarterback at Berea (Ohio) High and Baldwin-Wallace College. Coaching career: Assistant coach at Akron (1975-78), Miami University ('79-80), Syracuse ('81-82), Ohio State ('83-85); head coach at Youngstown State (135-57-2 record from 1986-2000), OSU (31-6 from 2001-03). Signed at OSU through 2008. Highlights: Led YSU to Division I-AA national championships in 1991, '93, '94 and '97. Led OSU to I-A national title in 2002. Awards: American Football Coaches Association national coach of the year in 1991, '94 and 2002; Eddie Robinson national coach of the year (Football Writers Association) in 1994, 2002. Background: Third member of family to exceed 100 coaching victories. His father, Lee, went 155-52-6 at Baldwin-Wallace, winning the 1978 Division III national title. A brother, Dick, went 124-102-2 at Hamline U. (Minn.)

OHIO STATE AT MICHIGAN

Kickoff: Noon Saturday. TV: Ch. 9. Radio: WBOB-AM (1160). Series: Michigan leads 56-37-6. Last year: OSU won 14-9.

Yet Tressel has guided OSU through a rocky season relatively unscathed, and much of his positive work remains unpublicized.

He made the promise when he was hired, "You'll be proud of our young people in the classroom, in the community and, most especially, in 310 days in Ann Arbor, Mich."

Fans know he's 2-0 against Michigan but probably don't know that the team's cumulative GPA has risen from 2.4 in the spring of 2001, when he was hired, to 2.8. Last fall, OSU had 27 football players named Academic All-Big Ten - 10 more than the next-closest school, Penn State. Last spring, at OSU's annual athletic department banquet, 43 players were recognized for having a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Tressel raises funds for numerous Columbus-area charities and has his players involved in service work, too. The Buckeyes collectively volunteered 1,200 hours into the community last season, according to brother Dick Tressel, the associate director of football operations.

"I don't know that anyone's forgot about that stuff," quarterback Craig Krenzel said. "But that doesn't sell stories; that doesn't make the 6 o'clock news."

Tressel's emphases were what athletic director Andy Geiger wanted after the John Cooper era, which ended with the appearance the coach had lost control of the team. Players fought with each other, including one offensive lineman suing another over a punch to the jaw. Classroom performance lagged, including 23 players failing to maintain the NCAA minimum 2.0 GPA in the fall of 2000.

Yet this season's public-relations problems suggest few coaches are immune to issues.

"All you have to do is look at programs such as Penn State and Notre Dame, who were always viewed as above those kind of problems, and look at what's happened to them in the last three to four years with off-the-field problems to let you know that unfortunately, it's a sign of the times," said ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, a former OSU quarterback.

"If you're going to be realistic with the landscape of college football, then you realize these things are going to happen."

The Clarett matter was a bombshell. As Geiger put it in announcing Clarett's suspension, "There has been a hit to who we are and what we stand for."

But Geiger absolved Tressel, saying, "I think that there is an enormous amount of naivete about the amount of control a coach can or should exert over 100-some-odd student-athletes that participate in his program."

Tressel admitted he had questioned Clarett a couple of times - but "didn't pursue it" - about a car he'd seen or heard was in his possession.

This had happened before to Tressel, at Youngstown State. Ray Isaac, who quarterbacked the Penguins to the 1991 Division I-AA title, was given close to $10,000 and use of two or three cars by Michael Monus, who at the time was the school's trustees chairman.

The NCAA got a tip about it in January 1994, but a YSU internal investigation turned up nothing. The truth came out later because of testimony in Monus' 1998 jury tampering trial, and in February 2000 the NCAA cited YSU for the benefits Isaac received, along with a lack of institutional control.

When addressing the Clarett matter, Tressel said, "The thing I would hope is that we do the best we can possibly do, that we have every opportunity for our young people to do things properly, and to give them the guidance that it takes to do so."

This is where his supporters say he shines brightest. It has been suggested that Clarett had a sense of entitlement and simply ignored Tressel's guidance.

"He's done an excellent job showing how life lessons can be learned through sports," tight end Ben Hartsock said. "He takes it as a big responsibility that guys get their educations."

Said defensive end Will Smith: "He taught me the importance about life. It's not about football. It's about being a great person."

The Buckeyes suggest Tressel's poise seems to calm them in crucial moments; they are 12-1 the past two years in games decided by seven or fewer points.

Tressel, who is 166-63-2 in 18 years and has won five national championships, is the third member of his family to exceed 100 coaching victories, following his late father, Lee Tressel, and Dick. Dick Tressel said he sees in Jim the same composure shown by their father, a legendary coach at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Jim Tressel would appreciate such a comparison. His most special moment this season, he said, came when he met Penn State coach Joe Paterno at midfield after a one-point Buckeye victory.

"You know what?" Paterno told him. "Your dad would be proud of you."

E-mail nschmidt@enquirer.com