Ex-Ohio State football coach now presidential finalist at two universities
Tressel resigned from his head coaching position at Ohio State after his players traded signed memorabilia for perks.
He has connections to both universities.
Jim Tressel may have violated NCAA regulations while head football coach at The Ohio State University, but that hasn’t stopped him from making the shortlist of multiple Ohio universities’ presidential searches.
The 61-year-old Ohio native has been named a finalist at both the University of Akron and Youngstown State University. Tressel lacks university administrative experience, but he does hold ties to both universities.
Youngstown State gave Tressel his first head coaching job from 1986-2000, and the campus is home to a $1 million indoor athletics training facility bearing his name.
While at Youngstown, Tressel came under scrutiny when his quarterback was found to have accepted massive financial assistance from a university board member. While the NCAA faulted Tressel for not investigating the matter, he was never cited.
At Akron, Tressel has served as the vice president of student success since 2012 where he handles recruiting and retention of students.
Tressel resigned from his head coaching position from Ohio State in 2011 after becoming entangled in more NCAA scrutiny when his players violated the association’s regulations by trading signed memorabilia for perks such as tattoos.
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