Born: Dec. 5, 1952.

Born: Dec. 5, 1952.

Hometown: Mentor (also lived in Massillon and Berea as a youngster).

High School: Berea, 1971.

Alma mater: Baldwin Wallace, 1975 (B.S. in education, graduated cum laude); Akron, 1977 (master’s in education).

Playing career: Four-time varsity letterman (’71, ’72, ’73, ’74); all-conference as a senior.

Married: To the former Ellen Watson of Canfield, a graduate of Youngstown State University.

Children: Sons Zak and Eric; and daughters Carlee and Whitney.

Coaching career: Graduate assistant, Akron, 1975; Quarterbacks, Receivers and Running Backs Coach, Akron, 1976-78; Quarterbacks and Receivers Coach, Miami (Ohio), 1979-80; Quarterbacks Coach, Syracuse, 1981-82; Quarterbacks, Receivers and Running Backs Coach, Ohio State, 1983-85; Head Coach, Youngstown State, 1986-2000; Head Coach, Ohio State, 2001-present.

Accolades: 2002 Division I National Championship; Four Division I-AA National Championships; Chevrolet National Coach of the Year in 1993, 1994 and 1997; American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in 1991, 1994 and 2002; Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2002.

Coaching family: His father, Lee Tressel, compiled a career record of 155-52-6 at Baldwin Wallace and won the 1978 Division III National Championship. An older brother, Dick Tressel, coached at Hamline University in Minnesota between 1978 and 2000 and compiled a record of 124-102-2 in 23 seasons. That gives the Tressel family an all-time record of 464-224-10. Lee and Jim are the only father-and-son combination ever to win national championships.

Other views: “A lot of Jim Tressel’s success has to do with patience. He has a plan, doesn’t deviate from that plan and lets those around him do their jobs. While he doesn’t meddle, he holds you to a high standard and expects excellence. He makes sure that everyone is accountable for their actions. That is the best explanation as to why his football program has not only been successful on the field, but on the academic side as well where this past academic year the entire team produced a 3.02 cumulative grade point average.” — Bob Mansfield, Ohio State Academic Encourager.

“The No. 1 reason for Jim Tressel’s success is that he is a great people person.  He relates to young people very well and has a tremendous understanding of the game.” — Ken Conatser, longtime Tressel assistant.