Ohio State to enshrine Tressel in Ring of Honor
Key takeaways
- Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel will be enshrined in the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium when the team opens the 2026 season Sept. 5 against Ball State.
- He will be the first person to be enshrined since 2014, when Ohio State recognized his former quarterback Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner.
- The 73-year-old Tressel became lieutenant governor of Ohio in early 2025.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel will be enshrined in the Ring of Honor at Ohio Stadium when the team opens the 2026 season Sept. 5 against Ball State.
Tressel, who coached Ohio State from 2001 to 2010 and led the Buckeyes to a national title in 2002, will join Woody Hayes and Paul Brown as the only Buckeyes coaches to appear in the Ring of Honor, which lines the C-deck at the stadium. He will be the first person to be enshrined since 2014, when Ohio State recognized his former quarterback Troy Smith, the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner. Tressel's placard will appear next to that of Hayes, who led Ohio State from 1951 to 1978.
The 73-year-old Tressel became lieutenant governor of Ohio in early 2025. He went 106-23 at Ohio State with six Big Ten titles and a 9-1 record against archrival Michigan (his final win in 2010 was later vacated by the NCAA). Tressel, a College Football Hall of Fame inductee in 2015, also won four Division I-AA national titles as Youngstown State's coach from 1986 to 2000.