Often, the highest-paid public employee in a given state is a coach. It has been joked that if someone like Nick Saban were to run for office, he’d win in a landslide because of his ability to win as well as his natural politician-like demeanor. For Ohio and Ohio State, three former full-time head coaches are still alive: John Cooper, Jim Tressel, and Urban Meyer. Of the three, Tressell has some experience as an administrator and, most recently, in the Ohio Statehouse.
On Thursday, the national-title-winning coach affectionately nicknamed “The Senator” announced that he is legitimately considering trading in that nickname for “The Governor.”
Jim Tressel AKA “The Senator” Mulling a Run for Governor
Of the three former coaches, Tressel fits the bill the best when it comes to serving as an elected official. After his coaching career was over, Tressel accepted a position with the University of Akron – the school that gave him his first coaching job – as Vice President of Strategic Engagement. After just one year at Akron, Tressel was hired at Youngstown State University, the school where he won his first four national championships (Division I-AA). On May 9, 2014, the YSU Board of Trustees unanimously voted to offer Tressel the position. He accepted, officially retired from coaching (he spent some time with the Indianapolis Colts in the years prior), and held the position of university president until his retirement on June 23, 2022.
In his time with YSU, Tressel was credited with improving graduation rates from 35 percent to 49 percent. In addition, the Honors College quadrupled, and he modernized the university’s dorms and student apartments to help increase enrollment. When he was initially hired, Tressel was expected to focus on fundraising due to the existing show cause hovering over him. As a fundraiser, he helped acquire $10 million in federal funds to improve roadways in and around the university. Additionally, the university reported that it raised over $150 million in his time as president.
Tressel’s Career in Politics
After retiring, Tressel spent a few years as a private citizen before being appointed as the new Lieutenant Governor for the State of Ohio by Governor Mike DeWine on February 10, 2025. As the state’s Lt. Governor, Tressel is assumed to have an inside track to the Governorship if he desired. While Tressel has not officially declared, he is considered to be polling around 22 percent before the primaries kick off, according to Google Trends. He currently trails Vivek Ramaswamy, though the polls are expected to shift due to the weight of Tressel’s name, plus the endorsement of the current Governor.
However, overcoming expectations is not foreign to Tressel. From 1938 through 1985, the Penguins made the NCAA Division-AA playoffs twice with no championships. When he was hired, Youngstown State made the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs three times in four years. Then, over the course of the next seven years, Tressel led the program to the playoffs five times. In those five trips, the Penguins made the national championship each time with four victories. The lone loss was in 1992 in an attempt to go back-to-back.
Career in Columbus
In 2001, Tressel took over Ohio State. While the Buckeyes were not quite among the worst in college football, it was in the midst of a three-decade titleless spell and was 3-12-1 in the last 16 years against Michigan. He finished his Ohio State career 9-1 against Michigan with six Big Ten titles. The Buckeyes took home the 2002 BCS National Championship made it back to the BCS National Championship Game again in 2007 and 2008.
As a coach, Tressel finished 229-79-2 (minus the vacated 2010 season) with five national titles and seven conference titles. Now, assuming he officially announces, Tressel looks to go 1-0 in the Ohio gubernatorial election in November 2026.
Main Image: Fred Squillante / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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