Jim Tressel (National Champion, ex-President, Youngstown State University, CFB HOF)

[BayBuck]

You have no idea what you're talking about. Holbrook made mistakes, but the university continued to move forward and thrive during her tenure. Plus, she was qualified for the job. Jim Tressel or any other football coach is no more qualified to be President of a university than Gordon Gee was qualified to coach football.

In terms of relevant professional experience, a one-time athletic director (and current VP) would be many times more qualified to be a university president than a president would be as a football coach, but the lack of PhD makes this whole discussion a non-starter.

 

[JBaney45]

You have no idea what you're talking about. Holbrook made mistakes, but the university continued to move forward and thrive during her tenure. Plus, she was qualified for the job. Jim Tressel or any other football coach is no more qualified to be President of a university than Gordon Gee was qualified to coach football.

I was being somewhat facetious but your analogy doesn't fit.

You don't hear about very many people being named head football coaches at major universities without prior football coaching experience. There are plenty of college presidents that don't have backgrounds in academia, Michigan State had one for over 10 years. It can work because these Presidents are essentially just executives running a business.

A football coach at Ohio State is also very much an executive, overseeing a multi-million dollar program is vastly different then the picture that gets painted of some glorified gym teacher drawing up plays on a white board. There are skills that clearly translate here. Now do I think Tressel is the guy they should and will go for? Probably not, if anything you have to raise questions about his past indiscretions..even if they were ultimately just violating ridiculous NCAA rules you may not want to have a guy with that kind of baggage as the face of your entire university, I can see why he is a candidate though.

 

[MaxBuck]

What's being lost in this discussion is that the job description for President of University of Akron is wildly different from that for President of the Ohio State University. Tressel could no more fill the latter position credibly than I could; I'm not so sure that the former is beyond his abilities.

I agree with ORD that the best thing for the state of Ohio would be for Kent and Akron to merge, but that's not really germane to Tressel.

 

[NFBuck]

Kent read, Kent write, Kent zip?

 

[MaxBuck]

Kent read, Kent write, Kent zip?

The Kenkron State Golden Zips.

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I'm certainly no fan of JT, but I wouldn't wish that job on him or anyone else.

It's going to take some huge skills to pull that place back from the financial cliff that Proenza put them on, and I don't think being AD at YSU or a year as a fundraiser at Akron will have equipped him for the task at hand. Tressel is better off staying in his VP role.

 

[stowfan]

I don't hinl JT is qualified for the position. If you believe what US News and World Report has to say, UA has over 193,000,000 in endowments.


http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/university-of-akron-3123

 

[BigWoof31]

It's going to take some huge skills to pull that place back from the financial cliff that Proenza put them on,

I took a look into this cliff and was pretty surprised by what I saw. Maybe some more financially savvy Buckeyes might help out this poor ignorant SEC Fan, but it looks like their long term debt responsibilities are through the roof.

http://www.uakron.edu/dotAsset/d73eef51-257a-41b7-87c5-a0815e961adb.pdf

Doesn't the Governor have something to say about this? Not just Kasich, but past Governors too? How did they get away with issuing so much debt? I am reading it correctly - is that their major burden?

 

[ORD_Buckeye]

I took a look into this cliff and was pretty surprised by what I saw. Maybe some more financially savvy Buckeyes might help out this poor ignorant SEC Fan, but it looks like their long term debt responsibilities are through the roof.

http://www.uakron.edu/dotAsset/d73eef51-257a-41b7-87c5-a0815e961adb.pdf

Doesn't the Governor have something to say about this? Not just Kasich, but past Governors too? How did they get away with issuing so much debt? I am reading it correctly - is that their major burden?

It's the debt load, combined with downgraded credit and bond ratings combined with declining enrollment and a hit in state funding. I can't help but speculate whether Proenza is getting out before his ship sinks or the Governor is forcing him out in order to start the damage control.

The funny thing is that if you read the zips board, they think this guy was the greatest thing to ever happen and that it will be almost impossible to fill his shoes. That a group of alumni would be so blind to this guy's incompetence just because he threw money at the sports programs says something about the indirect corrupting influences of sports on higher education.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Jim Tressel or any other football coach is no more qualified to be President of a university than Gordon Gee was qualified to coach football.

C'mon, dude...you're a pretty smart guy and I agree with you most of the time, but what you said right there is just plain fucking stupid. Tressel is far more than just a football coach...he was an athletic director at a very strong I-AA school and taught at Ohio State. He is pretty qualified to run a university of Akron's size...

 

[stowfan]

C'mon, dude...you're a pretty smart guy and I agree with you most of the time, but what you said right there is just plain fucking stupid. Tressel is far more than just a football coach...he was an athletic director at a very strong I-AA school and taught at Ohio State. He is pretty qualified to run a university of Akron's size...

I always thought JT was going to do his 5 years there, and then take over the football program. I find it highly doubtful JT would apply for the job as president unless he was invited to apply. I've always been an admirer of JT and think, if given the job, he would be able to figure it out and bring in the needed people to get the job done. JT does have a pool of knowledgeable people to look to for advice, including Gordon Gee.

 

[kippy1040]

Correct me if I am wrong here, but during Tressel's tenure at Ohio State, didn't a lot of people with political swagger in Columbus, started tabbing him as "Senator Tressel", suggesting that he was smart enough to possibly
run for office in Ohio ? Or was that just being thrown around for the fun of it
and something to talk about during that time he was popular.

Someone in Akron will probably throw his hat in the ring and that is only way he would consider taking the position. He certainly has a lot of leadership and is pretty savvy when it comes to organization and direction. The city of Youngstown will never forget the many things that Jim Tressel did for them.

In todays society and culture this would be a huge task to take on. And we all know Jim loves to take on challenges. I wish him the best in what ever he does.

 

[FCollinsBuckeye]

Correct me if I am wrong here, but during Tressel's tenure at Ohio State, didn't a lot of people with political swagger in Columbus, started tabbing him as "Senator Tressel", suggesting that he was smart enough to possibly
run for office in Ohio ?

I thought that moniker was earned by never giving a straightforward answer at a press conference.

 

[Dryden]

Correct me if I am wrong here, but during Tressel's tenure at Ohio State, didn't a lot of people with political swagger in Columbus, started tabbing him as "Senator Tressel", suggesting that he was smart enough to possibly
run for office in Ohio ? Or was that just being thrown around for the fun of it
and something to talk about during that time he was popular.

Chris Fowler gave him the "Senator Tressel" name on College Gameday. Back in '02 & '03 JT would do pressers at the Jack Nicklaus Museum and have the 8' flagpoles in floor stands on both sides of him: one American flag and one Ohio State athletics flags. He'd be up there in his suit and tie and give two minute rambling non-answers to questions and never change pitch, which prompted Chris Fowler to say he looked and sounded Senatorial while giving his State of the Team address to Buckeye Nation.

A couple weeks later it evolved to The Senator and finally Senator Tressel.

 

[Poe McKnoe]

Chris Fowler gave him the "Senator Tressel" name on College Gameday. Back in '02 & '03 JT would do pressers at the Jack Nicklaus Museum and have the 8' flagpoles in floor stands on both sides of him: one American flag and one Ohio State athletics flags. He'd be up there in his suit and tie and give two minute rambling non-answers to questions and never change pitch, which prompted Chris Fowler to say he looked and sounded Senatorial while giving his State of the Team address to Buckeye Nation.

A couple weeks later it evolved to The Senator and finally Senator Tressel.

GPA