Happy New Year 2025

Tag: lieutenant

  • Ex-Ohio State star has 2-word reaction to Jim Tressel being nominated as Ohio’s lieutenant governor

    Ex-Ohio State star has 2-word reaction to Jim Tressel being nominated as Ohio’s lieutenant governor

    Jim Tressel was nominated as the next lieutenant governor of Ohio on Monday, and it drew a reaction from one of his former star players while he coached at Ohio State.

    Terrelle Pryor, who was the quarterback for the Buckeyes from 2008 to 2010, had a two-word show of support for Tressel.

    CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

    Former head coach Jim Tressel watches a scoreboard tribute for the 2002 national championship team during the game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, Sept. 3, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/David Dermer, File)

    “My guy,” he wrote in a post on his Instagram Stories on Monday.

    Pryor passed for 2,772 yards and 27 touchdowns in his final season with the Buckeyes in 2010. It proved to be Tressel’s last season with the Buckeyes as well.

    Tressel and Pryor were both caught up in an improper benefits scandal. The NCAA, after an investigation with the FBI and the Justice Department, determined Tressel, Pryor and other Buckeyes players violated the organization’s policies over impermissible benefits. Players were accused of receiving tattoos or cash for autographs.

    Tressel was accused of withholding information in the investigation and resigned before the start of the 2011 season. Pryor left the school before his final year.

    COLORADO’S DEION SANDERS EXPLAINS AVERSION TO COACHING IN NFL

    Terrelle Pryor in Jim Tressel

    Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor is embraced by coach Jim Tressel after the Rose Bowl against the Oregon Ducks on Jan. 1, 2010, in Pasadena, California. (Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA Today Sports)

    Pryor went on to play wide receiver in the NFL and put together a solid career. Tressel never coached in the collegiate ranks again. Instead, he served as Youngstown State University’s president from 2014 to 2023.

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine nominated Tressel for lieutenant governor after Jon Husted replaced Vice President JD Vance in the U.S. Senate.

    “Jim Tressel is Ohio values. He’s a hard worker and shares that vision (I have) for the future of Ohio,” the Republican governor said Monday at a news conference. “He has the ability to pull people together. He has the ability to lead. He will enable me to be assured that if something happens to me, he can walk in and be governor that day and that would be seamless.”

    Tressel expressed his admiration for DeWine.

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Jim Tressel and Ohio State players

    Coach Jim Tressel, quarterback Terrelle Pryor, second from left, and teammates after beating Ohio University on Sept. 18, 2010. (The Columbus Dispatch photo by Neal C. Lauron)

    “I want to study a little bit about what Jon Husted has going on, and so I want to learn the business, if you will,” he said. “And then it’s up to when you sit down with the team and the staff and everyone else trying to figure out who plays what position best. And I’d be more than happy to help wherever I can.”

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

    Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.

  • ‘Born leader’: Ohio governor nominates former legendary college football coach as lieutenant governor

    ‘Born leader’: Ohio governor nominates former legendary college football coach as lieutenant governor

    Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine announced on Monday that he is nominating former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to serve as the state’s lieutenant governor.

    “Jim Tressel is Ohio values,” DeWine said at a news conference announcing the nomination of Tressel to replace former Lt. Gov. Jon Husted, who DeWine appointed to the U.S. Senate last month. 

    “He’s a hard worker and shares that vision (I have) for the future of Ohio. He has the ability to pull people together. He has the ability to lead. He will enable me to be assured that if something happens to me, he can walk in and be governor that day and that would be seamless.”

    Tressel, who DeWine called a “born leader,” was head coach of Ohio State University’s football team from 2001 to 2010. The Buckeyes won the 2002 national championship during Tressel’s tenure along with six Big Ten championships and a record of 9-1 against rival Michigan.

    NEXT OHIO SENATOR, A ‘FISCAL CONSERVATIVE,’ AIMS TO ‘GET GOVERNMENT OUT OF PEOPLE’S LIVES’

    Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, Left, and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. right  (Getty/AP)

    Tressel, 72, retired a year and a half ago as president of Youngstown State University, a job he had held since 2014. Since then, he has been engaged in workforce and economic development activities.

    “With his wealth of experience in the education field, Jim understands its importance in building Ohio’s workforce of tomorrow,” Ohio Chamber President & CEO Steve Stivers said in a statement, saying Tressel would prioritize workforce development “for the benefit of the business community and all Ohioans.”

    SENATORS BACK VIVEK RAMASWAMY FOR OHIO GOVERNOR AHEAD OF EXPECTED GUBERNATORIAL BID

    Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is carried on the shoulders of his 2002 national championship team during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio. 

    Former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is carried on the shoulders of his 2002 national championship team during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Ohio State, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Columbus, Ohio.  (AP Photo/David Dermer)

    Tressel’s nomination must now be approved by the Ohio Senate and Ohio House, which are both led by Republican supermajorities.

    “I want to study a little bit about what Jon Husted has going on, and so I want to learn the business, if you will,” Tressel, a political newcomer, said at the press conference. “And then it’s up to when you sit down with the team and the staff and everyone else trying to figure out who plays what position best. And I’d be more than happy to to help wherever I can.”

    CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine

    Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is seen onstage at the Fiserv Forum during preparations for the Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisc. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

    Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich congratulated Tressel in an X post saying, “Jim Tressel always puts one foot in front of the other trying to improve our world. Good luck, @JimTressel5.”

    DeWine, who must retire in 2026 due to term limits, said the two have not discussed if Tressel plans to run for governor, which would put him in a race against the state’s Republican attorney general, Dave Yost, and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who is expected to jump into the race this month.

    Former Ohio Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is running as a Democrat.

    Associated Press contributed to this report

    Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].