Breaking News: Jim Tressel resigns

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has resigned amid a scandal birthed by his failure to notify school officials of NCAA violations by players in his program.

A source within the team confirmed that Tressel informed his coaching staff this morning after the OSU Board of Trustees accepted his resignation in a special meeting yesterday.

OSU officials denied last night than any press conferences were scheduled or in the planning stages regarding football.

Tressel received emails from Columbus attorney Chris Cicero in April of 2010 informing him that quarterback Terrelle Pryor and wide receiver DeVier Posey were likely in violation of NCAA rules for accepting extra benefits from Columbus tattoo parlor owner Edward Rife.

Tressel did not tell OSU or the NCAA about the content of those emails until the school approached him in January after discovering them in a search of his emails.

Tressel signed an NCAA Compliance form in September stating he had informed school officials of all NCAA violations he was aware of.

OSU said he misled its investigators twice in December when Pryor, Posey and three other players were suspended five games for the violations Cicero detailed in his emails to Tressel nine months earlier.

Tressel was hired by OSU before the 2001 season to replace John Cooper. Since becoming Ohio State’s 22nd head football coach, Tressel’s teams have played in three BCS National Championship Games. His 2002 squad won a national title and achieved the first 14–0 season record in major college football since Penn went 15–0 in 1897. Tressel had an overall record of 106–22 at Ohio State, including seven Big Ten Conference championships, a 6–4 bowl record, a 5–3 mark in BCS bowl games, and an 9–1 record against the arch-rival Michigan Wolverines. Tressel’s nine wins against Michigan place him second in school history to Woody Hayes, who had 16. He is the only Ohio State head coach to win seven consecutive games against the Wolverines. On October 9, 2010, Tressel won his 100th game at Ohio State with a victory over Indiana.

Tressel has coached the Buckeyes to two 19-game winning streaks, one in the 2002–2003 season and the other in 2005–2006. Tressel’s winning percentage at Ohio State of 82.8% is the second best in school history, behind only Carroll Widdoes’ 16-2 (88.9%) mark in the 1944–1945 seasons.

As Ohio State’s head coach, Tressel is known for a conservative style of play calling (dubbed “Tressel-ball”), winning games with just enough scoring, strong defense, and “playing field position.” He is sometimes referred to as “The Senator”, because of his composure on the sidelines during play and his diplomatic way of interacting with representatives from the media.He is also often referred to as “The Vest” for his penchant for wearing a sweater vest on the sidelines.

With his five national championships, Tressel is one of only two active coaches with 5 or more national championships in any division. Even more remarkably, he is the third Tressel to reach 100 wins, joining his father (155 wins) and his older brother, Dick (currently OSU running backs coach), who coached at Hamline University (124 wins).

Timeline

• March 8, 2011 – Tressel was suspended by Ohio State the first two games of the 2011 season and fined $250,000 for failing to notify the school of NCAA violations involving Ohio State football players and a financial arrangement with Edward Rife, owner of a local tattoo parlor, who was at the time under investigation by the FBI for drug trafficking. The arrangement, which resulted in five Ohio State football players being suspended, involved trading championship rings, jerseys and other football-related awards for tattoos

• March 17, 2011 -it was announced that Tressel requested Ohio State Athletic Director Gene Smith that he extend his own suspension to the same number of games as his players. Smith accepted the request, and, as a result, Tressel will miss the first five games of the 2011 season. Ohio State President Gordon Gee assured the public that Tressel would not lose his job over the matter.

• April 25, 2011 - The NCAA accused Tressel of withholding information and lying to keep Buckeyes players on the field. In a “notice of allegations” sent to Ohio State University by the NCAA relating to the coach are considered “potential major violations” and had “permitted football student-athletes to participate in intercollegiate athletics while ineligible. The report also says he “failed to deport himself … (with) honesty and integrity” and said he was lying when he filled out a compliance form in September which said he had no knowledge of any NCAA violations by any of his players.”

• May 30, 2011 – Jim Tressel resigned as head coach.

Luke Fickell named interim Head Coach

Who is Luke Fickell?

Luke Fickell is in his tenth year on the Ohio State coaching staff. He coaches the Buckeyes linebackers and is co-defensive coordinator. He was named to the latter position in April, 2005. In that role, he is actively involved in game planning and strategy.

According to www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com, Fickell is a Columbus native (DeSales High School, where he was a state wrestling champion) and a 1997 graduate of Ohio State, where he was a four-year starter at nose guard. Post-graduation, Fickell spent a year on the injured reserve list with the New Orleans Saints before beginning his coaching career.

During his first two years at Ohio State, Fickell was in charge of the special teams and assisted with the defensive front. In his role as special teams coordinator, Fickell had specific responsibility for the punting team. Under his tutelage, that unit has excelled, leading the Big Ten in net punting in three of the past five years.

Fickell played for the Buckeyes from 1992-96, redshirting the first year and then starting the next four seasons at nose guard. He started a school-record 50 consecutive games between 1993 and 1996.

*Information from FOXSports.com, the Associated Press, and ohiostatebuckeyes.com was used in this article