The Zeitgeist List · coaching

Jim Tressel

Followed John Cooper. Jim Tressel took Ohio State from Power Program I to Blue Blood.

106–22
2001–2010 · 1 stint
Ohio State
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Career arc

His real stature score, season by season, across every program he’s coached — so a stretch that stays in one tier the whole way can still climb or sink on the line, not just flatten out. Node color marks the tier reached. Which program a stretch belongs to is carried by the shaded lane behind it.

Stature score reached, by season of his head-coaching careerOHIO STATEDynastythe sport's summitBlue Bloodpermanent top tierPower Programperennial contenderOhio State, 2001: 7-5, Power Program I2001Ohio State, 2002: 14-0, Blue Blood2002Ohio State, 2003: 11-2, Blue Blood2003Ohio State, 2004: 8-4, Blue Blood2004Ohio State, 2005: 10-2, Blue Blood2005Ohio State, 2006: 12-1, Blue Blood2006Ohio State, 2007: 11-2, Blue Blood2007Ohio State, 2008: 10-3, Blue Blood2008Ohio State, 2009: 11-2, Blue Blood2009Ohio State, 2010: 12-1, Blue Blood2010+12.3One point per coached season, in career order; dashed segments are program changes — spacing is not proportional to calendar time

Reached Blue Blood in his 2nd career season — faster than 53% of the 100 FBS coaches who have ever reached Blue Blood (rank #42 of 100 by seasons-to-arrival).

Ohio State, 10 seasons
+12.3
Power Program I → Blue Blood.

The big-game ledger

How he does in the games that matter most — rivalry record, performance broken out by real opponent tier, one-score games, and his toughest historical matchup.

16–4 against his rivals. Just 1–3 against Barry Alvarez.

Rivalry record
16–4
80.0% · 2 rivals
One-score games
26–14
65.0% · margin ≤8
vs. Blue Blood or better
9–7
56.2%
Rivalry ledger
Penn State7–370%
Michigan9–190%
The toughest matchup
vs. Barry Alvarez1–3
4 meetings, 2001–2004
’01 L’02 W’03 L’04 L
25% win rate across a real, 4-meeting series — short of the bar this site uses before badging a series “Nemesis.” Shown here as the toughest matchup on record, not an algorithmic crown.
Performance by opponent class
Blue Blood
9–7 56.2%
Power Program
28–10 73.7%
National Program
28–3 90.3%
Regional Program
37–2 94.9%

Coaching career

2001–2010
Ohio Statetransformerborderline
Power Program I → Blue Blood
Jim Tressel took Ohio State from Power Program I to Blue Blood.

3rd-best Ohio State tenure of 12 by the numbers.

Followed John Cooper (1988–2000) · succeeded by Luke Fickell (2011–2011).

Where the roster comes from, by position
Grows Running back from high school
100%
#196 of 208 stints
Grows Tackle from high school
100%
#198 of 223 stints

72 NFL Draft picks: Nate Clements (2001), Ryan Pickett (2001), Rodney Bailey (2001), Reggie Germany (2001), Derek Combs (2001), Ken-Yon Rambo (2001), LeCharles Bentley (2002), Derek Ross (2002) + 64 more

106–22