The Front Row

I appreciate the piece. In my mind JT is the best we've had. Am I out of my mind? Perhaps, but happily so.

I loved and love JT so thank you very much! To me he is the absolute best - all things considered - of any coach out there, past or present. Urban Meyer is a peasant of a man in Tressel's kingdom, still learning the ropes.

I agree with THANK YOU I NEEDED THAT!

Bax,

Great stuff! Just like you, I feel so fortunate to have been in college for much of Tressel's glory (2003-2007). I agree with you that the 2005 team was hands down the most talented team of the Tressel era. That team alone produced 5 first round draft picks in the 2006 NFL Draft. I remember at the end of the year ESPN and the like were touting USC as the best team ever prior to their matchup with Texas. Going into the bowls, I had been told by a reliable source that Vegas would have favored OSU on a neutral field over any team in the country other than Texas. I believed it and the Notre Dame game proved why that was the case.

I was at the Miami vs. OSU national title game, our seats were right on the 15 yard line, and perfect view of the Clarrett before the half TD, the Krenzel to Jenkins 4th and 14, the pass interference and Krenzel TD in OT.
Will never forget two moments, when Clarrett scored before the half to go up 14-7, that triple fist pump of Tressel, wow was he showing some emotion. The stands were moving with the OSU fans jumping up and down.
Just by luck we happened to be right where the OSU team buses pulled in to unload for the stadium, man the look on Tressel's fast in the first seat thru the window, then as he got off the bus in his suit, he looked like a stone cold killer on a mission.

Two, post game. Tressel made OSU the first college team every to go 14-0, when he said "we not only have the best damn team in the land, we have the best damn band in the land", the OSU fans on the infield and bleachers erupted.
Never will forget that game, and especially those two moments.

great work! Though I have to say (and forgive me if this offends), as fond as I am of those memories, I am more excited for the years to come under Meyer.

Thanks.....what a great article...the links are incredible. I remember when OSU was just beginning the coaching search in early 2001. My best friend and fellow Buckeye nut was coaching at a small school in Tennessee. He asked me who the press was talking about as potential hires. I mentioned the list that everyone was talking about.....Mason, Bellotti, Gruden......and I mentioned "a guy named Tressel from Younstown State". Without hesitation his reply was "if they give him an interview there is no way they won't hire him". I won't bore you with the details but Jim Tressel left such an impression on my friend at a couple of coaching conventions that he was more than certain that Tressel was going to be our next coach weeks before it was announced. The greatest 10 year run in Buckeye history.......I say we are just at halftime of the greatest 20 year run. Go Buckeyes.

THANK YOU !!! Don't care what you say... Tressel was THE MAN ! F:CK Gene Smith !

Great article and may not a one of us every forget this Golden Decade. I am an oldster who was also fortunate enough to live through the Woody Era. I will always feel that Woody started the tradition and JT continued it. Perhaps one thing that helped JT's Era shine even brighter is because it came after the horrible tenure of Cooper and contrasted it so drastically. While I live in total optimism that if Urban is with us for 10 years he will become the third head on Mount Buckmore his entrance is perhaps more difficult than JT's because he is in a position more of maintaining than improving (even though 2 or more NCs will do just that). At any rate, being a Buckeye (with the acception of the shameful tenure of Cooper) has been the greatest experience possible over the past 50+ years.

I have been a fan since the 60's, Woody's years from 1968 till he was fied, also was a great run. Tressel placed tosu back on the front burned as far as football goes in the last decade. We can all be excited for the future, but reading this reminds me to appreciate what occured over the Tressel years. The number of person that became OSU fans was amazing, Copper lost a lot of the fringe fans, Tressel brought them back and brought on more. That is what I am going to remember about the last decade, the fact we played in many meaningfull games and played for 3 NC, I know many lament we only won one, I look at the fact we played in 3.
Now we start what we hope is as much fun, if more fun than what we had over the last decade.