Ever since Tat-gate, I mentally separated myself from the Brew Crew and JT. My reasoning was this:
1) College football should not cause so much stress and depression (minor now compared to PSU)
2) JT knowingly played ineligible players. That's fact. No one person is bigger than my alma mater/the team thatwe all love. Anyone who puts him/herself above OSU is just someone that I don't particularly care for.
However, JT produced one of the greatest decades in OSU Football history. He produced our first title since '70, and as a student, I had some incredible experiences thanks to JT. Furthermore, like Woody, there are countless stories about the good that JT did actually do. For those who have/do feel this way, how have you processed this era in OSU Football history (outside of the tail end of it sucking)?
Id do that decade over again knowing the outcome. Jt is one of the best coaches in OSU history, we cannot deny it. He had what seemed in the moment as a confusing small issue to deal with and he handled it wrong. That small transgression should not taint a decade of excellent football history. We should celebrate it and get over the fact that we found out he was human just like the rest of us.
@steensn: I think we all expected the other shoe to drop at some point (we were going to lose to Michigan at some point, etc.). I don't think anyone expected the other shoe to be a scandal. I, like many other fans, probably felt stupid after idolizing guys like TP and Adams.
JT is the best OSU coach i've ever seen, the fact that we have a new coach now that could possibly do better than what JT has done is an amazing thought.
Hardly home but always reppin
Anytime you idolize a PERSON you are going to be dissappointed... that is the issue.
He always put the kids first thats why he lost his job.
Read the whole story on him and you will find out why he had no choice but the one he made
O H I O is the Buckeye State
Best OSU era of my lifetime. Remembered VERY fondly.
vacuuming sucks
@xtreme: I know the story. However, he wasn't paid to put the "kids" first. He was paid to be the steward of the OSU Football program.
@O-H Kee Pa
And that is where he made his mistake. hard spot...
If we're talking about football and not the tattoo stuff cause quite frankly I'm tired of re-hashing all of that, there is a part of me that looks back on the Tressel era and thinks about what could have been. I loved the guy and thought he was a great coach, even if his conservative style would tend to drive me crazy. But I still cannot get over the 2 national championship losses. Those games have gone a long way in the perception of Ohio State and the Big Ten as weak compared to the SEC.
@steensn: I know. I wasn't shocked when the news broke; just more saddened. I never had unrealistic expectations for him as a person (outside of the unrealistic expectations we all had of 10-11 wins per seasons, a conference title, a win over Michigan, and a BCS game). Blaze brought up a good point that we got the only coach in the country who can replicate JT's success.
@TennBuckeye: I think my feelings are along the lines of yours. He gave us an incredible ten years, but in the end, left us with feelings of "it shouldn't have ended this way".
JT took over my freshman year. I distinctly remember watching the UCLA game in the lobby of Morril tower thinking "So this is our guy, huh?" Naturally I was pretty happy with the man who for a while never seemed to get out played\coached and beat the tar out of UM. Even during the bad stretch against top competition, he still was the one of the most capable coaches in the nation. I was sad to see it end, for sure. But unlike the aforementioned school in PA who's name sets me off into a fit of rage, OSU fans have accepted their beloved coach's short comings and understand why he needed to be retiresigned. OSU fans are a lot of things, delusional isn't one of them (generally).
4-6 seconds from point A to point B and when you get to point B, be pissed off
1) Quite simply the most succesful (10) year run in OSU Football history ... period. None of us appreciated it (including myself) as much as we should have. We had (1) bad year and are now set for another (10) year run because of what he built.
2) JT actually did not receive enough credit for his offensive scheme - he adapated to the QB as best he could rather than sticking with one style or tendency. Look at the different styles from Kenzel, Troy, to TP.
3) A few bad apples, but JT recruited good kids.
4) Naturally very frustrating to wtach Tressel ball becuase of the style fo play - kicking game, field position, and conservative offensively at times. Also, frustrating becuase this was probably the worst OL play at OSU in history. I've said it many times, but Mangold is the only OL from this era starting in the NFL. These were issues because:
5) Like many of us, our weaknesses come from our strengths when not balanced. JT's weakness was his loyalty to his coaching staff, namely Jim Bollman.
@Knarcisi
Good point on his weaknesses. He not only was loyal and all about the kids (strength too but eventually it did him in) but to the coaches as well.
The problem was he made it too good! He had a great run by any standards. The man should be canonized! St. Tressel, patron saint of kicking scUM ass! But everything ends and sometimes painfully.
Wherever you are, there you be!
I will to say, there are few people who can follow JT's era as coach and I think that Urban is that guy.
I heard we had this coach back in the 60's-70's named Woody Hayes? I've heard that he was the best OSU coach we've ever had. I like JT just as much as the next guy but I don't think there is even an arguement over who was the best at OSU.
Adam, the best (10) year period, not the best coach. I never said best ever. Others above said best they have ever seen and another said one of the best. Don't take it out of context.
I dont think so either, but I think JT did produce the best decade.
Agreed^^^^ 5 national titles will not be beat...at least I doubt it.
I loved JT...especially this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDOXwSwvwO8
However, last year was the worst time (for me personally) as an OSU fan. I couldn't stand hearing, seeing, or reading anything about tat-gate and other stuff. It's hard to say I'd go through all that again to have the record OSU had from 2000-2010...I'm not so sure about that. Even 2-10-1 would be that bad as 9-1 with all the turmoil at the end....I'm just not sure about all that
"There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you."
"I love football. I think it is most wonderful game in world and I despise to lose."
Woody Hayes 1913 - 1987
Nothing but love and fond memories for Coach Tress and his entire staff and teams.
Man is a true buckeye, none of us are perfect, and he is no different. Water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned.
Like many stated above, knowing how it ended, I would do it all again and then some.
Yea Ohio!
All in all, I still think JT is a genuinely great, but imperfect, human being. The work he did as a football coach provided me with some great memories and experiences. For that I'm grateful.
The best life reminder I got is that the heartache I felt during last years scandal was of my own doing. I was guilty of the "he can do no wrong" hero worship; and that is dangerous and can get out of control quickly. Quite honestly, it was much more pleasant to be "brought down to earth" by JT's actions than what I can imagine the PSU community is going through with JoePa.
Unfortunately, Penn State fans have not been brought down to earth. Most believe Joe Paterno did nothing wrong and refuse to acknowledge the chance he may have been a flawed man. When all they STILL care about is football and are acting like the program, the school, and Paterno's legacy are the victims in all of this, the message is crystal clear to me: They don't get it and probably never will.
Im sure this is a bit pollyanna of me, but I kind of think they're still in the denial stage of the grieving process. At least I hope they are.
WOODY HAYES!
DCBUCKEYE - You are definitely being too Polyanna. No chance they make it out of the denial stage, especially with all this appeal business.
for my money i would put jim tressel in the same category as nick saban and urban meyer as best coaches in present day college football if he was still coaching. he is my personal favorite Tosu coach so far in my life time(born in 88, and im looking at you urban). to even think our new coach can match the ten year run tress put the together is crazy. the big one and litte ten era that tress created was amazing and i beleive in a few years he will have a street, facility, something named after him an he deserves it in my humble opinion. Tress fan for life here
O'Deez330
stark county football
He was/is one of the greats. He had flaws. I'd do again in a heartbeat.
The world is full of kings & queens who'll blind your eyes & steal your dreams - it's heaven & hell - Ronnie James Dio.
Im not mad at TP or any other OSU player, hell if I was there I would accept money if it was offered to me as well. Their bodies take a beating and all they get is (a very good education that yes, can set them up for life) but some kids you have to admit are worth more than their "free ride" so yes it sounds bad to us fans but if you were in the same position would you take the money? of course you would, why WOULDNT you? as a fan its easy to say "oh, have pride in your school, dont put urself above the team" blah blah blah i wish it was that way but what does 99% of people in the world want? what do we work for? what do we spend time away from our families for? spend (atleast) 8 hours every weekday doing? working for money. these kids work hard, in their mind taking the money is justified. I love Ohio State more than almost anything but if I were a player there I would take the money, stash it, help out my family and shut my mouth... be honest would you?
No. I also don't steal money from the cash register when no one is looking. I don't do this, besides that it could put me in jail, because I will never be promoted to a better job. You know, like the millions TP is making in the NFL? It could easily have been a lot more if he didn't feel so entitled.
I was never mad at TP & co for what happend. I honestly thought it was stupid that they even got in trouble for it. Ive always felt that college students should be able to capitalize off their name. I never understood why a college kid cant make money signing autographs and such. They earned the celebrity status by their play on the field so whats the harm in making some money on the side because of it? If the NCAA would throw out some of their ridiculous rules then collegiate sports would be so much better. I can understand preventing Univ from paying players to come to their schools and throw games, but seriously whats the harm in trading your own stuff to get some tats? America was built on the barter system!
I loved the Tressel era but I was ready for something different when the ship started sinking. I started to mute his interviews because they became very predictable and boring (like his offense most of the time). Add in some embarrassing losses, unnecessarily close wins and a few questionable coaching hires and he was starting to wear on my nerves. The Arkansas game almost made me a full blown Tressel hater I hate to admit. I'll be honest, I watch football to be entertained, not just to see my team win. I hope Urban, win lose or draw, puts an entertaining and exciting product on the field and wins some huge prime-time games against USC, Florida, Alabama and the other big dogs. I talked about the things that I disliked but I could fill this entire page up with the good things Tress did and it wouldn't scratch the surface. He's a legend.
MJ in the 90s, and the Tressel era were the most fun i've ever had watching sports.
Should that run have had more than one NC? Probably. Still loved it. Ohio State winning is always great, but it just felt more special with JT at the helm. No matter what happens, he'll always be my favorite coach.
"YOLO" = I'm about to do something extremely ignorant/stupid & I need an excuse to do it.
For me, the JT era has come to represent a microcosm of life. As I've grown older, I have come to peace with the fact that good people sometimes do bad things, and bad people are sometimes capable of good things. Somehow, when we were young, we never thought there would be these grey areas in morality.
When I look at Jim Tressel the man, I feel like I am looking at a good person, with good values, who got caught up in a bad situation. Nothing more, nothing less.
At the end of the day, he will go down as my favorite OSU coach ever. Meyer may end up being more successful, but Tressel and OSU seem like they were meant for each other.
How firm they friendship...
Morally, he did nothing wrong. Morally, is it better to help the kids or help the people making millions off them? Morality and the laws or rules don't always line up.