Image Source: www.thebuckeyebattlecry.com
Jim Tressel is a sparkling 92-21 with six Big Ten titles and a National Championship as the head coach and leader of Ohio State. He’s popularized the sweater vest and idealizes Midwestern values. He’s made OSU fans as proud as can be for the past 9 years. And all of this was as evident as ever after Saturday’s thrilling 27-24 OT win over Iowa at the Horseshoe that sent the Buckeyes sprinting towards Pasadena and the Rose Bowl.
I’ve either been a Buckeye fan, an OSU student, or an OSU alumnus for my entire life. I’ve seen the team reach enormous heights and I’ve seen the team struggle. But prior to Saturday, I had never seen OSU players with roses in their mouths at Ohio Stadium. I had never seen a game-winning field goal in overtime on Senior Day. I had never seen an OSU team overcome so much adversity to achieve such a lofty goal in a rebuilding season.
Thank you, Jim Tressel, for making this happen. Thank you for taking us to Pasadena for the first time since the ’96 season. Thank you for being rock solid, as always, when the criticism was at its highest. Thank you for being a coach who preaches sportsmanship and school tradition at least as much, if not more, than wins and losses. Thank you for teaching us all to “embrace” our challenges instead of shying away from them. Thank you for representing Northeast Ohio so well down in Columbus. Thank you for making me as proud as ever of Ohio State.
Please, Jim Tressel, coach Ohio State forever.
http://www.coachtressel.com/coach_tressel/index.php
P.S. And Beat Michigan for the 6th straight year on Saturday!
Note added on 1/2/10: Not only did Tressel go on to lead OSU to a 21-10 victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor, but he also went on to lead OSU to a 26-17 victory over Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The legend continues…