By: Tyler Ward
It's been a hell of a year for "The" Ohio State football team and their fans.
Tressel helped guide the Buckeyes to their first national championship in 34 years when they won it all a few years ago.
Now, Tressel is no longer part of the Buckeyes family and unfamiliar circumstances surround his resignation.
He didn't resign because he thought he had done enough in his coaching career or because he had future endeavors to take care of. He resigned because of NCAA violations from a scandal involving a tattoo parlor.
"After meeting with university officials, we agreed that it is in the best interest of Ohio State that I resign as head football coach," Tressel said in a statement. "The appreciation that [wife] Ellen and I have for the Buckeye Nation is immeasurable."
Nearly three months ago, a news conference was held to announce that the school had suspended Tressel for the first two games of the upcoming season, and later announced that the suspension had been upped to five games. Tressel was also fined $250,000 after reports surfaced that some of his players had received improper benefits from a tattoo shop owner.
Ohio State president E. Gordon Gee sent a letter to the school's board of trustees, saying, "As you all know, I appointed a special committee to analyze and provide advice to me regarding issues attendant to our football program. In consultation with the senior leadership of the university and the senior leadership of the board, I have been actively reviewing the matter and have accepted coach Tressel's resignation."
Tressel and the university were supposed to go in front of the NCAA's infractions committee Aug. 12 to answer questions about the involvement in the scandal.
According to reports, Tressel knew of the benefits, but failed to report them.
He denied knowledge of the improper benefits to players until he was confronted with e-mails showing that he knew about them since April 2010.
With Tressel's resignation, Luke Fickell becomes the team's head coach for the 2011 football season.
It is unlikely that Fickell will become the team's long-term head coach as they will look to hire somebody after the season is over with.
With such a high profile job becoming available, many candidates want the job at the famed school.
One name that has already been brought up is former Florida Gators head coach Urban Meyer.
Now a football analyst for ESPN, Meyer has denied that he is interested in the job.
"I am committed to ESPN and will not pursue any coaching opportunities this fall," Meyer said in a statement. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the people at ESPN this spring and remain very excited about my role with the network this fall."
"Jim Tressel has been a respected friend and colleague for a long time. I wish Jim and his family the very best now and in the future," Meyer continued.
Tressel was hired by Ohio State prior to the 2001 season. He had been the previous coach at Youngstown State, which coincidentally was under NCAA investigation.
His rookie season as the main man for the Buckeyes, Ohio State went 7-5, but upset Michigan 26-20 in their annual game.
The following season, behind running back Maurice Clarett, the Buckeyes went 14-0, defeating Miami in the national championship game. And for the first time in over three decades, the Buckeyes hoisted the championship trophy.
In 2003, the Buckeyes went 11-2 and 8-4 in 2004.
The next season, the Buckeyes went 12-0, laying among the top in the BCS rankings throughout the entire year. They would go on to face the Florida Gators in the BCS Championship Game, but would get blown out of the water, 41-14.
A year later, Tressel would help guide the school back to the national championship game and face off against another SEC school, the LSU Tigers.
The Tigers were virtually outmatched by the Buckeyes, who many thought would rout the Tigers in a win. But LSU showed that they were the stronger team, albeit being underdogs, and would win the game 38-24.
They would go on to have three more stellar seasons, and eventually winning the Sugar Bowl last season over the Arkansas Razorbacks.
However, in December, the school announced that they would recommend to the NCAA that five players, including star quarterback Terrelle Pryor, be suspended for the first games of the 2011 season.
Reports surfaced that players had sold items such as championship rings, uniforms, tickets, and other items to the owner of a Columbus-based tattoo shop. For Pryor, he sold a Fiesta Bowl Sportsmanship Award for discount tattoos and cash from the owner, Edward Rife.
The school fell under investigation after police had watched Rife for drug trafficking. They then found that players had been receiving improper benefits from Rife and that's where it stands as of now.
At a March 8 news conference, Tressel stated that he had not spoken about the benefits because of the impending case of the drug trafficking investigation. He said that he was "bound by confidentiality".
"As I think back to what I could have done differently ... I've learned that I probably needed to go to the top legal counsel person at the university and get some help," Tressel said.
"I don't think less of myself at this moment," he said. "I felt at the time as if I was doing the right thing for the safety of young people."
