Posted: Nov 18, 2008
BEREA, OHIO -- It is not a well-known fact, but when The Ohio State University Head Football Coach Jim Tressel's father, Dr. Lee Tressel, a College Football Hall of Fame student-athlete and coach at Baldwin-Wallace College, began his collegiate playing career, he did it as an Ohio State Buckeye in Columbus.
This is the third of a five-day preview of the 2008 OSU versus Michigan Preview from the perspective of Baldwin-Wallace College Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, November 19, we will visit the B-W quarterbacking career of a young Jim Tressel and then send you to the OSU web site for more up-to-date information.
On Thursday, Nov. 19, we will visit the collegiate playing career of current University of Michigan Defensive Coordinator Scott Shafer '90 as he goes from being a Yellow Jacket quarterback on offense from 1987-1989 to the defensive side of the football as a college coach. Then take a visit to 'the school up north's' web site.
On Friday, we'll let you catch your breath and get ready for the big game as we 'Count Down to Kickoff 2008'.
Ohio State's Loss in 1943 Was Baldwin-Wallace Colleges' Gain
In 1943, with war raging around the globe and the United States flexing its muscles to maintain liberty and freedom for so many, a young, freshman at The Ohio State University named Lee Tressel joined what was then known as the V-12 Program.
Lee Tressel's Coaching Days
As a spring quarter freshman at OSU, Tressel had practiced, played in the spring game and planned to play for the Buckeyes in the Fall of 1943. But when the V-12 Program was established at B-W, Tressel moved from the Columbus-based campus to the Berea-based campus to begin school that fall. The rest is Tressel Family history.Lee Tressel began playing football in the fall of 1943, continued in the fall of '44 and was briefly interrupted by service to his country in World War II in 1945. He returned to finish his playing career as a Yellow Jacket in 1946 and 1947.
Now you can read more about Lee Tressel the student-athlete at OSU and then BW from 1943 through 1947 and about his illustrious coaching career from 1957 through 1980 that included the 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship. Lee Tressel and Jim Tressel are still the only father-son to ever both win national titles in the sport of football at the NCAA level.
FOR MORE INFORMATION on both Jim Tressel and Scott Shafer, please return to the B-W Athletics Web site during OSU-Michigan Week as we count down to kickoff on Nov. 22.
FOR MORE BW SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact Sports Information Director Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327, on cell phone at 440-532-9605 and via e-mail at kruple@bw.edu.