Jim Tressel to be inducted into Ohio State’s Ring of Honor in September

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It was announced on Tuesday that former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel will receive one of the highest honors given by the university when he is added to the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium during the 2026 season opener against Ball State.

Tressel will be the third head coach in the Ring of Honor, joining Paul Brown and Woody Hayes. The current Lt. Governor of Ohio will be the first Buckeye inducted into the Ring of Honor since Troy Smith in 2014.

Tressel was named the head coach at Ohio State following the 2000 season after the dismissal of John Cooper. Prior to agreeing to become head coach of the Buckeyes, Tressel had served as an assistant coach under Earle Bruce at Ohio State from 1983-85.

Following the 1985 season, Tressel was hired by Youngstown State, where he spent 15 seasons and amassed a 135-57-2 record while in charge of the Penguins, leading the program to four Division 1-AA national titles.

Shortly after he was hired as the next head coach of the football team, Tressel quickly earned the admiration of Buckeye Nation when he said during halftime of a basketball game between Michigan and Ohio State that Ohio State fans would be proud of the football team, most especially in 310 days on in Ann Arbor when the Buckeyes and Wolverines squared off.

Tressel backed up his words from January, as Ohio State beat Michigan 26-20 in late November.

The win over the Wolverines would be the first of many for Tressel, as he posted a 9-1 record against That Team Up North during his time as head coach of the Buckeyes. The only loss Tressel took against the maize and blue came in 2003 when Michigan won 35-21 in Ann Arbor.

The crown jewel victory for Tressel against Ohio State’s rival came in 2006 when the teams were the top-two ranked teams in the country. The Buckeyes would outlast Michigan 42-39 in Columbus, completing an undefeated regular season and earning a spot in the BCS National Championship Game.

During his decade at Ohio State, Tressel would lead the Buckeyes to three national title games. The first came at the end of the 2002 regular season when an undefeated Ohio State squad were nearly two touchdown underdogs against the Miami Hurricanes, who were the defending national champions.

The Buckeyes went on to pull off one of the biggest upsets in college football history when they outlasted Miami 31-24 in a thrilling game that went to double overtime.

Unfortunately the triumph against the Hurricanes would be the only national title Tressel would earn while at Ohio State. The Buckeyes had two cracks at another national championship when they made back-to-back BCS National Championship Games at the end of the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

Tressel and Ohio State would fall to a future Buckeye head coach in January 2007 when they were defeated by Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators. The following season LSU beat Ohio State 38-24.

Along with annually having the Buckeyes in the mix to win a national title, Tressel also did a great job at preparing his players to play in the NFL. During his time as Ohio State’s head coach, Tressel helped produce 24 First Team All-Americans, 67 NFL Draft picks, 14 of which were selected in the first round. Quarterback Troy Smith won the Heisman Trophy in 2006 while leading Ohio State to an undefeated regular season.

Tressel’s time at Ohio State came to an end sooner than many were expecting when he resigned on May 30, 2011 following the fallout from the “Tatgate” scandal. Despite his tenure as head coach ending prematurely, Tressel has remained a beloved figure in Columbus and across the state of Ohio after posting a 106-23 record as head coach of the Buckeyes.

Tressel was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Currently Tressel is serving as Ohio’s Lt. Governor under Mike DeWine. Prior to taking over for Jon Husted, Tressel was President at Youngstown State for nearly a decade. There was talk of Tressel possibly running for governor but he ultimately declined to throw his hat in the race.

No matter what lies ahead for Tressel, he’ll forever be remembered as one of the most beloved figures in the state in the first quarter of the 21st century.

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