If you are a fan of college football, you probably know the name Jim Tressel. He is the former head coach of Ohio State, who led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2002 and several Big Ten titles. He is also the current president of Youngstown State University, where he coached before joining Ohio State.
But did you know that Jim Tressel has a nephew who is also a successful college football coach? His name is Mike Tressel, and he is the defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach for the Cincinnati Bearcats. Mike Tressel has helped the Bearcats reach the College Football Playoff for the first time in school history, where they will face Alabama in the Cotton Bowl on Dec. 31.
How are Mike and Jim Tressel related, and what is their coaching background? Here are some facts you should know about the Tressel family connection.
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Mike Tressel is the son of Dick Tressel, Jim Tressel’s brother
Mike Tressel was born on September 28, 1973. He is the son of Dick Tressel, who served as the head football coach at Hamline University from 1978 to 2000. Dick Tressel joined his brother, Jim Tressel, on the coaching staff at Ohio State from 2001 to 2010, where he was the running backs coach.
Mike’s grandfather is Lee Tressel, an NCAA Division III Football Championship-winning coach at Baldwin Wallace University. Lee Tressel coached Jim Tressel when he played quarterback at Baldwin Wallace in the 1970s.
Mike Tressel played and coached at Cornell College
Mike Tressel attended Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where he was a member of the football and wrestling teams. He was named an Academic All-American in NCAA Division III for five seasons between the two sports. He graduated in 1996 with a degree in mathematics.
He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of South Dakota from 1996 to 1997. He then served on the offensive staff at Wartburg College from 1998 to 2001.
Mike Tressel worked with his uncle and Mark Dantonio at Ohio State
In 2002, Mike Tressel joined his father and uncle at Ohio State, where he was a graduate assistant assigned to linebackers under defensive coordinator Mark Dantonio. The 2002 Buckeyes team won that season’s BCS National Championship Game, the Fiesta Bowl.
In 2004, Mike Tressel followed Dantonio to the University of Cincinnati, serving as linebackers and special teams coach. When Dantonio left for Michigan State in 2007, Mike Tressel followed him along with seven other Cincinnati assistants.
Mike Tressel spent 14 seasons at Michigan State
Mike Tressel spent his first seven seasons with the Spartans as the linebackers and special teams coach. He was promoted to co-defensive coordinator (with Harlon Barnett) and linebackers coach after the departure of defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi in 2015.
He became the sole defensive coordinator and linebackers coach in 2018 after Barnett left for Florida State. He was named the acting head coach when Dantonio announced his retirement in February 2020.
He was one of two Dantonio assistants retained by Dantonio’s successor, Mel Tucker. He coached safeties for Tucker in 2020.
Mike Tressel returned to Cincinnati in 2021
After Marcus Freeman left Cincinnati for Notre Dame in January 2021, Luke Fickell hired Mike Tressel as his new defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. This is his second stint with the Bearcats.
He has led a defense that ranks among the best in the nation in several categories, including scoring defense (16.4 points per game), total defense (308.9 yards per game), pass efficiency defense (97.9 rating), interceptions (19), and sacks (39).
He has also developed two of the best cornerbacks in college football: Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner and Coby Bryant. Gardner is a consensus All-American and a projected first-round NFL draft pick. Bryant is the winner of the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.
According to Cincinnati.com, Mike Tressel is one of the potential candidates to replace Fickell if he leaves for another job after this season.
