Malmisur reflects on how he (eventually) hired Tressel

By Greg Gulas

The former YSU athletic director admits there were others to consider.

BOARDMAN — The timing was right Monday for everyone to go down memory lane at the Curbstone Coaches weekly meeting.

Speaking to the group at the Blue Wolf Banquet Center, former YSU director of athletics Joe Malmisur put some myths to rest while addressing the Valley and its rich athletic tradition.

With former Penguins and current Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel set to receive the school’s Heritage Award Friday, Malmisur confirmed that Tressel was not his first choice, but the right choice for the coaching position in 1985.

“In Bill Narduzzi and Mike Rice we had some really excellent coaches, but the place was in turmoil when I arrived so some changes and tough decisions had to be made,” Malmisur said. “There wasn’t a committee to select the coach back then and I had paired the search down to three very capable candidates.

“A very good friend and my top candidate was Jim Gruden while another good friend at the top of my list was Stan Parrish. Jim Tressel was also on my short list of candidates as well.

“Gruden had helped Notre Dame to the national title when he was on their staff and I said that if I ever was in a position to hire a coach to run my football program, then he is someone that I would want to have run the show,” Malmisur said. “Trouble was after he accepted my offer to coach the Penguins, John McKay of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made him the team’s executive vice-president, so he stayed in Florida.

“Stan Parrish was my next choice but he was ready to accept the head coaching position at Kansas State, so it came down to Jim Tressel,” Malmisur said. “And we all know what he did with the opportunity after accepting my offer.”

Malmisur said Tressel is the finest football coach in the country because he is an amalgamation of three different people.

“In addition to his father’s [Lee] influence, the three coaches he has drawn the most from over the years are Paul Brown, Woody Hayes and Earle Bruce,” Malmisur said. “We were lucky to have Jim Tressel, but Jim Tressel was also lucky to have YSU.”

Malmisur calls YSU a great place to coach because there is enough fertile ground to get the job done.

“The great triangle that connects Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh has plenty of talent from which to draw,” Malmisur said. “If the job opened up tomorrow, you’d have over 100 applicants interested in the position.”

It was the ’91 football championship that Malmisur felt brought the university, especially the athletic department, acceptance, but added there were other highlights of which he was most proud.

“We brought drug testing to YSU before anyone else adopted the policy and it was through the efforts of Eddie DeBartolo, Jr. that this became a reality,” Malmisur said. “We test 380 student-athletes twice a year and don’t tell them when they will be tested. Then we went out and raised the necessary funds for those who needed a rehab program.”

A top-notch stadium that attracts 17,000 fans for a home game is a close second to his pride and joy — YSU’s academic counseling area.

“We graduate 92 percent of our student-athletes and only one institution in the state, Ohio University with 64 percent to our 62 percent, graduates more football players,” Malmisur said. “That is impressive, but could not have happened without a dedicated academic support staff in place.”

Next week will be the final meeting of the season for the group. Dave Smith, general manager of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, will be the guest speaker.