Jim Tressel’s farewell address: A porch-side pledge to beat Michigan

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The first words Jim Tressel addressed to Ohio State fans after he was hired in early 2001, fresh on the heels of the Buckeyes' tenth loss to Michigan in 12 years, was a promise to beat the Wolverines in the fall. Saturday, the first words Tressel addressed to Ohio State fans after he was effectively fired last week in the face of major NCAA violations: A promise to beat the Wolverines in the fall. From the Associated Press:

UPPER ARLINGTON, Ohio (AP)—Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel told people at a rally on his front doorstep that he would always be a Buckeye and that the team will beat Michigan again this November.

After a crowd of some 200 people had sung a song disparaging the archrival Wolverines early Saturday evening, Tressel said, "Don't forget: Nov. 26th we're going to kick their ass!"

That brought the loudest cheer of the day from the group, which had walked a half mile in 90-degree heat from a rallying point at a nearby park to Tressel's expansive French Provincial home in this Columbus suburb near campus.

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Obviously, the dynamic this weekend was a far cry from the situation Tressel inherited ten years ago, when Michigan ruled the rivalry to the point of obsession: Of all the sins John Cooper could have committed as Buckeye head coach —*possibly up to or even including major, program-crippling violations —*none were as unforgivable as his 2-10-1 record against the School Up North, string of futility that included the abrupt end of undefeated seasons in 1993, 1995 and 1996 and Heisman-clinching moments by Wolverines Desmond Howard in 1991 and Charles Woodson in 1997, the latter of which also sent Michigan on to its only national championship of the modern era. Cooper delivered six straight top-15 finishes, five 10-win seasons, three Big Ten championships, two Jan. 1 bowl wins and a Heisman winner of his own, but the crowds after he got the boot were more likely to be carrying torches and pitchforks.

For Tressel, there could hardly be more appropriate bookends. His legacy in Columbus is a complicated one: His seven Big Ten titles, five BCS bowl wins and 2002 national championship are balanced on the other side of the scale by a damning coverup and a pattern of player scandals that threaten to wipe at least part of that success from the books. But the decade of pain Tressel's teams inflicted on Michigan can't be erased —*even after he's gone, the Columbus Dispatch's ongoing count of the days since Michigan's last win over OSU in 2003 keeps ticking upward as the Wolverines embark on their second Tressel-inspired rebuilding campaign.

Even at his lowest point, then, Tressel can take some pride in that much: He delivered on his initial promise, by whatever means necessary, and even the most conflicted Buckeye fans will always love him for it. But from here on, the matter is out of his hands.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.
 
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