Former Ohio State Coach Jim Tressel is a long way from being a college football coach again. Yes, Illini Nation wants to see Tim Beckman go. And I’m on board with that, but Bobby Petrino is much more the answer than Jim Tressel. (I explore the Petrino scenario here) I’m not saying Petrino is that much better of a coach, I’m saying Jim Tressel is not realistic. Illini fans beg to differ, but they’re wrong. Tressel had a minor role with the staff of the Indianapolis Colts briefly, but now he’s relegated to the MAC. I was on media conference call with The Senator yesterday, and I asked him about his coaching future.
For a review of the Jim Tressel 30 for 30 “Youngstown Boys” go here
For an interview/update on what Maurice Clarett is up to go here.
For an interview/update on what Jim Tressel is up to go here
Sadly, he kept his intentions close to the sweater vest. He just waxed philosophical and gave a bunch of abstract thoughts, not giving any real insight into what he plans to do in the short or near term future. I asked him if he wants to head another college football program, but I didn’t get any news out of the Jim Tressel response.
Paul M.Banks: Could you tell us a little bit more about your role at the University of Akron today, what you’re doing and what lies down the road for yourself? Do you see yourself doing University administration? Do you think you’ll get back into coaching? And if you do have a desire to go back into coaching, what’s your desire to do down the road?
Jim Tressel: Well, right now at the University of Akron I’m very involved in much of the same things I was doing as a coach: Recruiting and advising and counseling, preparing young people for their future, helping them get placed in their future, being there for them as a mentor and giving them guidance and so forth. It’s a little bit exhausting quite honestly at the University level. I used to only have 100 guys and now I’ve got about 26,000 students. So I’ve enjoyed doing this here at the University of Akron because it’s exactly what we did for years and years on the football field.
Honestly, you miss some of that process of getting ready for a big game and squaring off on the sideline, and it really didn’t matter what size sideline. It didn’t matter if it was 106,000 people in Ohio Stadium or 20,000 people at Stambaugh Stadium at Youngstown State. Those were fun things to do.
One thing I tried to preach to our guys is that you keep your focus on the moment and don’t daydream about what lies ahead, because if you do, you have a chance to not reach your potential where you are. Quite honestly I haven’t given getting back into coaching any thought. I’m working hard doing what I’m doing here.
I’ve enjoyed having a little more time, quite honestly, to go watch some of my guys play. I just was in New York to see the Jets and the Raiders, and we had four of our former players. I had a chance to get over to Michigan State?Purdue to see 11 of my former coaches coach against each other. So I’ve enjoyed being a proud papa in some ways, and I’ve enjoyed being focused on the students here at the University of Akron.
The Vest actually has a pretty nice gig in Akron right now, it’s a non-athletic post. And he’s getting as much MACtion as you can handle.
Still when you were as high as Jim Tressel once was…
This fall semester at the University of Akron, The Senator taught “General Principles of Coaching with former Zips Coach Jim Dennison. The three credit course is open to both Akron students and the general public. Dennison was Akron’s coach when Jim Tressel was hired there as an assistant in 1974.
Jim Tressel has an administrative position at the school, becoming Vice President of Strategic Engagement in 2012. As fallout from the NCAA sanctions, Tressel is banned from coaching college football for five years. So if you want Illini A.D. Mike Thomas to buy out Beckman fine, but he shouldn’t do it just to replace him with Jim Tressel.
The NCAA imposed a five-year show-cause penalty on Tressel, which means any NCAA member that wants to hire him would have to “show cause” for why it shouldn’t be sanctioned for hiring him, and could face severe penalties if he commits any further violations during that time. The order stands until December 19, 2016; given past precedent, it will likely have the effect of blackballing Jim Tressel from the coaching ranks until the 2017 season. If Jim Tressel ever coaches again during this period, he will be suspended for the first five games of the regular season, plus any conference championship game or bowl game.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS Catch him Tuesdays talking Illini and Northwestern for KOZN 1620 The Zone, Fridays talking Chicago Bears for WAOR 95.7 The Fan