The Ring of Honor
September 8, 2026
"At BW, we learned that leadership is all about service, and care, concern, and love for one another is the key.
— Ohio Lt. Governor Jim Tressel '75
This past weekend, Peggy and I had the privilege to see Lt. Governor Jim Tressel '75, one of BW's most distinguished alumni, inducted into The Ohio State University Stadium's Ring of Honor at the Buckeyes' season opening football game on Saturday. He is just the third head coach in Ohio State program history to be inducted into the Ring of Honor, joining the elite ranks of legendary Ohio State coaches Woody Hayes and Paul Brown. See: Lt. Governor Jim Tressel '75 Inducted into Ohio State Ring of Honor.
We also attended a reception Friday evening in Columbus in honor of Jim Tressel, generously hosted by Lou Moore '93. Lou's special password to gain entrance to the private reception was "It's All About the Team," the name of Jim Tressel's podcast. The reception was attended by over 60 BW alumni and friends, including BW Board members Bill Summers '72, Mark Summers '75, and Lee Thomas '76.
The Saturday morning BW tailgate was organized by Jim's classmate and fraternity brother, Gordon Netschke '75. The daughter of Larry Hoon '70 and Rhonda Hoon '71 — Ericka Hoon, Associate Athletic Director for Events at The Ohio State University — secured the coveted tailgate spot.
Steve Thompson, Director of Athletics and Recreation, was instrumental in organizing the Friday evening reception, Saturday morning tailgate, and football game tickets. He also arranged for a commemorative T-shirt, and some of the sale proceeds go to BW. Dr. Lena Crain, Vice President of Student Experience and Dean of Students; Tony Peebles, MBA '98, Director of Alumni Engagement; and Jennifer Bechtold Kudla '92, Senior Philanthropy Advisor, assisted Steve with all the events.
As Youngstown State University's head coach, Jim Tressel led them to four national championships, and as head coach at The Ohio State University, he led them to a national championship, six Big Ten championships, and a 9-1 win record against rival University of Michigan. Following his illustrious coaching career, he served for nine years as President of Youngstown State University.
But the constant throughout his life has been BW. Jim Tressel's football career began at BW where he was a first team all-conference quarterback under his father, Lee Tressel '48, BW's legendary football coach. A BW Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, he continues to serve BW as a member of BW's Board of Trustees.
No family has a greater BW legacy than the Tressel family. Most importantly, Jim Tressel and the Tressel family represent what's best about BW.
We are a university that graduates students who are Leader-Ready and Team-Ready.
Our students come to BW ready to learn. In the footsteps of alumni like Jim Tressel, they leave BW ready to lead.
Lee Fisher
President, Baldwin Wallace University