Jim Tressel (official thread)

[Buckeye86]

Originally Posted by Bleed S & G

Tressel inherited a very talented team. Woody built his.

Unless you're only talking about the '02 championship team which Tressel won largely with Cooper players, I don't think anyone could have built their team much better than Tressel has.

Ohio State's record in the three years prior to Woody, '48, '49, and '50, was 6-3, 7-1-2, and 6-3. It doesn't exactly seem like Woody had to build his team from scratch when he arrived.

In his first three years Woody went 4-3-2, 6-3, and 6-3 before winning a NC in his fourth year. He then went 7-2 and 6-3 in his next two years, won the national championship again in '57, then went 6-1-2 and 3-5-1 in his next two years.

While Woody may have built his '54 team more so than Tressel built his '02 team, I don't think that you can compare the two in terms of consistently fielding good to great teams at the beginning of their careers. In my opinion, Tressel has clearly done a better job at building up his team in his first seven years than Woody did. I know I went a little further ahead in Woody's career than Tressel is currently at in his, but I don't see a five loss team anytime in our near future under Tressel.

I'm no historian though.

[Bleed S & G]

Originally Posted by Buckeye86

Unless you're only talking about the '02 championship team which Tressel won largely with Cooper players, I don't think anyone could have built their team much better than Tressel has.

Of course I'm talking about the 02 team and I didn't say Tressel can't build teams..

What I was trying to say is it's unfair to compare the two because Tressel walked into a national powerhouse, whereas Woody put us on the map.

While Woody may have built his '54 team more so than Tressel built his '02 team,

Exactly..

I don't think that you can compare the two in terms of consistently fielding good to great teams at the beginning of their careers.

I agree..

They are NOT comparable.. a lot has changed since 1950.. ya know? Woody wasn't flying a private jet across the country

Tressel has been unbelievable thus far though.. see 2001-2002, 2002-2003, 2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2007-2008

In my opinion, Tressel has clearly done a better job at building up his team in his first seven years than Woody did.

Ehh, this is debatable. Only because Woody won 2 championships.. BUT JT has had a crack at 3 of them already. Both impressive.

I know I went a little further ahead in Woody's career than Tressel is currently at in his, but I don't see a five loss team anytime in our near future under Tressel.

To keep things fair, Ohio State did drop 4 games in 2004. Plus, Woody was not the reason the teams struggled.. However, our future looks to hold 10+ win seasons....

Bottom line is, both are great coaches.

And I shouldn't say Woody put Ohio State on the map, because they were already on the map.. but pre-Woody was not a good time. Lose 3 or 4 games a year, every year and all the sudden you are like a M*ch*gan or Notre Dame ( that feels great):

Brown chose not to return to Ohio State after the war, going into professional football instead. Widdoes, despite having the highest two-year winning percentage of any Buckeye coach, asked to return to an assistant's position. Paul Bixler, an assistant, replaced Widdoes and endured a mediocre 4-3-2 season. Bixler resigned and talk of Ohio State being a "graveyard of coaches" became commonplace, a reputation that lingered for decades.[7]

Wes Fesler became head coach in 1947 but finished last in the Big Ten for the only time in team history. Ohio State improved greatly in 1948, winning 6 and losing 3, then in 1949 enjoyed a successful season due to the play of sophomore Vic Janowicz. Ohio State received the Rose Bowl invitation, where they came from behind to defeat California. In 1950 Fesler, rumored to be resigning because of pressures associated with the position and abuse of his family by anonymous critics, returned to coach the Buckeyes, who won six games in a row to move into the top ranking in the AP poll. However the season fell apart as the Buckeyes lost to Michigan during a blizzard, a game that came to be known as the "Snow Bowl". Two weeks later, citing concerns about his health and family, Fesler resigned.

Time to get back on topic... Rich Rod is a dick.

[Sportsbuck28]

You should be ashamed to mention Woody's name in the thread of this guy.

[Buckeye86]

Originally Posted by Bleed S & G

Time to get back on topic... Rich Rod is a dick.

I agree.

[NFBuck]

Originally Posted by Sportsbuck28

You should be ashamed to mention Woody's name in the thread of this guy.

[censored]in' A.

[BUCKYLE]

Originally Posted by NFBuck

[censored]in' A.

[censored]in' A.