43
Use selflessness as key into God’s hall of fame, Tressel urges
By Bob Jackson
YOUNGSTOWN
Jim Tressel is no stranger to halls of fame.
The longtime football coach and current president of Youngstown State University has left his footsteps in nearly a half-dozen of them, including the College Football Hall of Fame, the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame and the YSU Athletics Hall of Fame.
But he’s got one more in sight, and in his eyes, it means more than the others. That’s God’s hall of fame. Unlike the others, though, no amount of sporting achievements or championships will get him there.
The door to that hall, Tressel said, can be opened only by a life well-lived according to God’s plan and instruction.
Tressel, who coached teams to national championships at both YSU and Ohio State, kicked off the annual Men’s Rally In the Valley on Saturday at Covelli Centre downtown. The event, now in its seventh year, is aimed at encouraging men to be strong in their Christian faith and challenging them to grow in it.
Speaking without notes for some 45 minutes, Tressel offered his thoughts on defining a champion.
He cited a poem, whose author is unknown, that he read daily during his coaching career: “The hall of fame is only as good as long as time shall be. But keep in mind, God’s hall of fame is for eternity. To have your name inscribed up there is greater more by far, than all the praise and all the fame of any man-made star.”
He said there are five keys to success at anything in life, whether it be sports, work, academics, or living a Christian life. Numbers two through five on his list are mental toughness, curiosity, talent and work ethic.
At the top of the list is an attitude of selflessness, which Tressel said was the common thread woven through all the great athletes he coached over the years.
“Those teams, those individuals, those difference-makers ... it wasn’t about them,” Tressel said. “It was about the team. It was about the family. God wants us to serve him by serving others. His intent is for us to become those cheerful givers who think of others first.”
Tressel said he often spoke to his football players about the importance of striving for and winning championships but stressed that titles and success can have a positive effect that ripples beyond the locker room.
He recalled the aftermath of YSU’s first national championship in 1991, and said the frenzy that awaited the team upon its return to Youngstown that day was unlike anything he’d ever seen before or since.
“All along Belmont Avenue, there were cars and people lined up,” he said. “People were cheering and honking their horns. Stores and businesses had signs in their windows. The community outpouring was unbelievable.”
The football team’s success that day helped to lift the spirits of a community that had been crushed by economic collapse, brought on by the fall of the once mighty local steel industry.
Among the throngs of people who crowded around the team that day, Tressel said he felt a tug on his coat and turned to see an older-looking man, who told him, “Coach, this is the greatest day of my life since VE Day.”
Tressel said that sobering comment stuck with him, because it helped him realize that the impact of the team’s feat went far beyond the football field, and he used that brief encounter to inspire his players toward a selfless attitude.
“What they did for that guy, who they didn’t even know ... that’s what life is about,” Tressel said. “It’s about working for others. We have to do what it takes to have a championship life for God.”
Living such a life isn’t always easy, especially when human nature is often selfish instead of selfless, Tressel said. That’s why it’s important to belong to fellowship groups and attend events such as the Rally In the Valley, where men can encourage one another.
“It’s tough to keep your perspective in this big world, and sometimes the world can confuse us and affect our perspective,” he said.
Besides Tressel, other speakers Saturday were Devon McDonald, president and CEO of Sports World; Roy Hall, a former Ohio State and NFL player; Eric Douglas, founder of XL212; and evangelist Mark Hoobler.
Rich Lindsay of Weathersfield was among the men who showed up Saturday to take part in the rally. Lindsay, 55, said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression from his experiences in the military, and from the deaths of several of his brothers in arms.
He generally stays away from crowded places, and rarely talks to people he doesn’t know.
“It’s surprising that I’m standing here talking to you,” he said to this writer. “But I feel safe here.”
Lindsay said his symptoms have grown worse since his mother died in July, so he was at the rally hoping to find comfort and inner peace.
“I’m looking for a repurpose for my life,” he said.
Walter “Bing” Newton of Leetonia, who has spearheaded the event since its beginning, said that’s the reason behind the rally. Although Saturday’s attendance fell short of what organizers had hoped, Newton said they’re already looking ahead to next year.
“We believe that God is telling us that the end of this world is near, and he doesn’t want anyone to be left behind,” Newton said.