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A Buckeye once again
Jefferson's years as a walk-on, relationship with Tressel helped him land gig
By Jon Spencer
News Journal
Ohio State head football coach Jim Tressel introduces Mansfield Senior High School Principal Stan Jefferson, OSU's new associate director of football administration, Tuesday at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe. (Dave Polcyn/News Journal)
COLUMBUS -- Stan Jefferson said and did everything right during the interview that convinced Ohio State to hire him as its associate director of football administration.
Except for one thing -- he wore a new blue suit to his day-long meet- ing with athletics director Andy Geiger, head foot- ball coach Jim Tressel and other OSU officials and coaching staff members.
"Jim pulled me aside and said, 'We don't wear blue here,' " Jefferson said of Tressel's remin- der Michigan co- lors are a bad fashion choice. "He didn't say it in a mean way ... and I knew where he was coming from."
He should. Jefferson, 51, is a Buckeye, born and bred. He grew up in Dayton, graduated from Ohio State in 1974 and even played two years as a walk-on tight end for Woody Hayes.
Appropriately dressed in a gray suit and surroun- ded by family and friends, Jefferson was introduced to the me- dia Tuesday during a spring football kickoff lunch- eon at the Buckeye Hall of Fame Cafe.
Tressel hoped to have Jefferson on board for the start of spring drills Thursday, but the school was so happy to secure his services it is allowing Jefferson to complete the year as principal at Mansfield Senior High School.
Not only is the high school closing its doors and moving into a $53 million facility in the fall, but Jefferson is closing the door on 28 years with the school district. He was a varsity track coach for 21 years and the Tygers head football coach for 10.
"A big thing to me was being able to finish the school year because I didn't want to put the district in a bad situation when it's trying to close one building and open another," Jefferson said. "It breaks my heart to leave Mansfield schools. I love it here. By, my gosh, after (OSU) met my every request, I can't turn this down ... it's unbelievable."
Jefferson will replace Tressel's brother Dick, now a running backs coach. In his new job, Jefferson will assist director of football administration Bob Tucker in the day-to-day operations of the program. He will monitor the academic pro- gress of the players, coordinate community outreach and service programs and serve as a liason between the football office and other support services at Ohio State, including the marching band.
"I think it will be fun," Jefferson said. "It's an administrative position and I'll be around the players. I think it's right up my alley. I'll be working with academics and sitting on various committees."
The phone call from Tressel that would dramatically change Jefferson's life came Feb. 20.
"I never pursued it, but I got the call and ... pop goes the weasel," he said. "By March 4, I was interviewing from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with everyone imaginable."
Jefferson didn't even list on his resume that he played a couple of years for the Buckeyes. Tressel discovered it while doing a background check.
"I thought, who really cares? That was 35 years ago and I was something like a fifth-team scout player," Jefferson said. "Jim said Ohio State would care."
The relationship between Jefferson and Tressel developed in the early '80s, when Jefferson coached at Malabar and Tressel was an assistant coach at Syracuse, recruiting Malabar linebacker Rudy Reed. Jefferson would work a number of summer camps for Tressel when he became football coach at Youngstown State.
"I told Stan three years ago of a vision I had for a position that would develop our (players) as whole people," Tressel said. "As he moved into administration and added some of the problem-solving opportunities, no one has more day-to-day things come up than a school administrator.
"He worked extensively with budgets and with kids from one end of the spectrum to the other, age-wise and ability-wise. A lot of our kids he coached in the 2002 (state) all-star game. So he's aware of the athletes we have and the excellence we seek.
"Tying in his administrative background and his coaching ... with his awareness across the board, you can't find a better person in the world for Ohio State than Stan Jefferson."
In retrospect, it appears Tressel began recruiting Jefferson at the same time he recruited Reed. Tressel got Reed, who went on to be a star for the Orangemen, and now he has Jefferson, too.
"I feel very honored to be associated with my alma mater and associated with a top 10 football program," Jefferson said. "I also think it's an honor for our community and school district. They could have selected anybody."
But "anybody" wouldn't have been Jefferson.
"Whatever positive word comes up in the dictionary, you can put in there when describing Stan," Mans- field Senior teacher and coach Khalil Ali said. "His work with kids stands out. Sometimes you take a hit as an administrator, but he's done everything from help the kids prepare for the ACT to giving them money out of his pocket for lunch money.
"Most of all, he's knowledgeable and a great friend. Our school district is losing a gem."
Stan The Man
As Mansfield Senior High football coach:
Had a 65-39, 10-years mark.
Led the Tygers to their only four playoff appearances.
Won four Ohio Heartland Conference championships.
Mentored NFL players George Swarn, Hugh Douglas and Jake Soliday.
Never won less than seven games from 1997 to 2002.
Sent almost 100 players on to college.
Finalist for the NFL High School Football Coach of the Year in 1999.
Produced nine All-Ohio first- or second-team players in Division I.
Was Ohio Heartland Conference Coach of the Year four times and Northwest District Coach of the Year three times.
As track coach at Malabar and Senior High:
Won nine conference titles, 14 district titles and five regional titles with boys and girls in 21 years.
Produced at least one state placer each year.
Produced two individual state champions (miler Mike Hallabrin and sprinter April Robinson) and two relay state champions.
Led his boys teams to four top-10 finishes at state.
Led the Tygers boys to a state runner-up finish in 1994.
Was Ohio Heartland Conference Coach of the Year seven times (four as boys coach, three as girls coach).
Named Northwest District Coach of the Year in 1987.
