FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 1, 2005
Contact: Justine K. Mitchell, Public Relations Manager, (561) 233-3189, jmitchell@palmbeachsports.com

Coach Jim Tressel Named Guest Speaker for
2005 Lou Groza Award Dinner on December 6

WEST PALM BEACH, FL - The Palm Beach County Sports Institute is proud to announce Coach Jim Tressel, Head Football Coach at The Ohio State University, as Keynote Speaker for the 2005 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Dinner on Tuesday, December 6 at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott.  The Award, named for NFL Hall-of-Fame Kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, is presented annually to the top place-kicker in NCAA Division I-A football. 

All Division I-A kickers are eligible for consideration for the Award. Voters for the award include Division I-A head coaches, sports writers and sportscasters, conference representatives, professional kickers and previous Groza Award finalists. The 20 semi-finalists for the Lou Groza Award are announced Monday, November 7, followed by the naming of the three Award finalists on Monday, November 21.  The top three finalists are honored during the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award Dinner presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl, the winner of the 2005 Award is announced on Thursday, December 8 during the ESPN Home Depot College Football Award Show in Orlando, Florida.

About Coach Jim Tressel,

Now in his fifth season as the head football coach at The Ohio State University, 51-year-old Jim Tressel’s stellar resume includes an overall record of 40-11, a perfect 14-0 season that included a Big Ten co-championship and the school’s first national championship in 34 years, a 19-game winning streak, two victories in as many tries in BCS games, national coach-of-the-year recognition and four bowl appearances.

Named as the Buckeyes 22nd head coach on January 18, 2001, Tressel led his first Buckeye squad to a 7-5 record that included a dramatic road win over arch-rival Michigan in the regular-season finale and a berth in the Outback Bowl.

In 2002, Ohio State literally came from out of nowhere to capture the school’s, and the Big Ten’s, first consensus national title since 1968. The Buckeyes achieved the elusive title by posting a 13-0 regular-season record and then upsetting top-ranked Miami in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl in a 31-24 double-overtime thriller, becoming the first Division I-A school ever to record a 14-0 campaign.

Tressel was showered with accolades following the 2002 campaign. He was named National Coach of the Year by the America Football Coaches Association (an award he won three times at Division 1-AA Youngstown State), thus becoming the first person in the history of the AFCA to win that honor at two different schools. He also received the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year Award from the Football Writers Association of America. Additionally, Tressel was selected as the Bobby Dodd and the Paul “Bear” Bryant National Coach of the Year. He also was the choice of the Touchdown Club of Columbus and the Pigskin Club of Washington D.C. as National Coach of the Year.

During the 2003 season, Tressel led the Buckeyes to an 11-2 record and their second consecutive appearance in a BCS bowl game, where OSU defeated Big XII champion Kansas State in a return visit to the desert and the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. The Buckeyes began the 2003 campaign by winning their first five games and stretching their winning streak to 19 games, the second longest streak in school history.

Despite the loss of 28 seniors and a record 14 players who were drafted by the NFL at the end of last season, Tressel guided the 2004 Buckeyes to an 8-4 record that included a win over Michigan in the regular-season finale and a victory over Oklahoma State in the MasterCard Alamo Bowl.

Under Tressel, the Buckeyes have posted a 3-1 record against arch-rival Michigan and have won three of their four bowl games, including the last three.

Tressel, who spent 15 seasons as the head coach at Youngstown State prior to coming to Ohio State, owns a lifetime record of 175-68-2 in 19 years. His record at Ohio State includes a 23-9 ledger in Big Ten play. With a 35-6 win at Indiana in 2003, Tressel went 100 games over .500 in terms of wins and losses.

Since coming to Ohio State, Tressel has posted an impressive record of 15-5 against Top 25 teams, including a 6-1 mark against Top 10 squads. And if the sign of a good coach is winning the close ones, Tressel – with a 16-7 record in games decided by a touchdown or less while at Ohio State – has few peers.

Tressel originally signed a five-year contract at Ohio State that would have taken him through the 2005 season. But following the 2002 championship season, he was given a new contract that runs through 2008 and may be extended for an additional three years.

Ten of Tressel’s players have won first-team All-American honors and two, center LeCharles Bentley and place-kicker Mike Nugent, have received recognition as the best player in college football at their respective positions. Bentley was the Rimington Award winner in 2001 and Nugent won the 2004 Lou Groza Award.

At Youngstown State, Tressel was one of the most respected Division 1-AA coaches in America. His years there were ripe with success, the Penguins winning four national championships and qualifying for the Division 1-AA playoffs a remarkable 10 times. During his stay at YSU, he compiled an overall record of 135-57-2 and was a four-time pick as the Division 1-AA National Coach of the Year.

But making the jump to Ohio State was not a difficult decision for Tressel. His Buckeye roots run deep.

His father, the late Lee Tressel, played, albeit briefly, at Ohio State before his promising collegiate career was cut short by World War II. As a youth, Jim grew up shagging balls for Cleveland Browns’ great Lou “The Toe” Groza who also attended Ohio State. Both the elder Tressel, who would go on to become a coaching legend at Baldwin Wallace College in northeastern Ohio, and Groza, a family friend and neighbor, were lifelong Ohio State fans, a feeling not lost on the younger Tressel.

That bond grew even stronger in 1983 when Jim, in the infancy of his own coaching career, was named quarterbacks and receivers coach at Ohio State. During a memorable three-year stay in Columbus, the Buckeyes won 27 games, captured the 1984 Big Ten Championship and played in the Fiesta, Rose and Citrus bowls.

Following the 1985 season, Tressel, at age 33, left Ohio State to become head coach at Youngstown State. In addition to capturing four national titles, the Penguins also appeared in two other championship games.

Tressel’s list of accolades includes being selected as the Chevrolet National Coach of the Year in 1993, ’94 and ’97; the American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in 1991, ’94 and 2002; and the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2002. He also was the AFCA’s Regional Coach of the Year in 1987 and ’93 and a six-time pick as Ohio Coach of the Year.

In a career filled with highlights, Tressel recorded his 100th career victory against Indiana State in 1997. He is the third member of his family to reach that plateau, joining his father and his older brother, Dick (currently the OSU running backs coach), who coached at Hamline University in Minnesota. Jim recorded his 150th win when Ohio State defeated Wisconsin in 2002. With the win over Michigan in 2002, he equaled his father’s total at Baldwin Wallace. As a family, Lee, Jim and Dick have won 454 games.

Jim is actively involved with the American Football Coaches Association, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Outstanding Young Men of America. He and his wife, Ellen, who is a graduate of Youngstown State, live in Upper Arlington. They are the parents of four children: Zak, Carlee, Eric and Whitney.

The Lou Groza Award is presented by the FedEx Orange Bowl and is sponsored by BankAtlantic, Clipper Corporate Apparel and Promotions, Continental Airlines, Crooks Printing Services, ESPN Radio 760, ESPN Regional Television, Florida Atlantic University Athletics, Florida Coca-Cola Bottling Company, JBS Destination Solutions, John F. Romano, P.A., KaBloom, Palm Beach Kennel Club, Parallax Productions, Rooney’s Public House, Palm Beach Gardens Marriott, Team A-fin-ity Sportfishing, The Breakers, The Palm Beach Post and WPEC News-12.

For ticket information contact the Palm Beach County Sports Institute at (561) 233-3180 or visit www.lougrozaaward.com.

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