30 Best College Football Coaches of All-Time
By Hayden Hyde
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
25. Jim Tressel
- Career Record: 229-79-2
- Record at Each School: 135-57-2 at Youngstown State, 94-22 at Ohio State.
- Bowl Record: 5-4
- Honors and Awards: Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. 12 Coach of the Year awards. 1 BCS National Championship, 4 NCAA Division 1-AA National Championships, 6 Big Ten Championships.
You may recognize him by his iconic sweater vest, but Jim Tressel is one of the greatest coaches in Ohio State and college football history.
After a 14-year stint at Youngstown State, Tressel was hired to usher in a new millennium of winning football at Ohio State. He went 94-22 with the Buckeyes from 2001-2010. In that time period, his team won one BCS National Championship, appeared in nine bowl games, and did not record a single losing season.
Among all the things he did at Ohio State, Buckeye fans should be most proud of his 8-1 record against rival Michigan.
Troy Smith won the Heisman under Tressel. According to Ohio State’s official website, he also produced 24 first-team All-Americans and 133 players earned their degree.
His career with the Buckeyes came to a bitter end when he had to resign amidst controversy. Tressel played ineligible players that had traded memorabilia for tattoos; he and the university faced NCAA sanctions. Despite a sour ending, Tressel’s career at Ohio State should always be remembered as sweet.
Next: John McKay