Former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel did the ultimate in Columbus, winning a national championship with the Buckeyes in 2002 with an iconic upset of heavily favored Miami.

Now, about a quarter century later, Tressel is entering a new phase of his life in a totally new arena that has nothing to do with college football or football at all. Because of the chain of events that began with last November’s presidential election, there was a vacancy for Lieutenant Governor of Ohio that Tressel was in line to fill.

And Tressel will indeed fill that coveted spot, as he was picked to replace Jon Husted as Ohio’s lieutenant governor, where he will work under Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.

“I wanted someone who would focus on education, someone who would focus on workforce,” DeWine said during the announcement Monday morning.

DeWine said that he visited the 72-year-old Tressel at his northeast Ohio home 9 days ago to talk to him about taking the job.

“He has the requisite skill sets, he has the criteria that I outlined. He knows Ohio,” DeWine said. “Jim Tressel, I trust his judgment. He is a born leader.”

Ohio State football fans would certainly agree, especially those old enough to remember all those victories, including the ultimate victory at the end of that special 2002 season.

While Tressel is most recognized for his coaching career with extensive stints leading FCS Youngstown State and Ohio State, the former Ohio State legend does have work as an administrator at the collegiate level. He was a VP for Strategic Engagement at Akron after concluding his coaching career, and Tressel was most recently the president at Youngstown State before retiring in February 2023.

Now, we’ll see how Tressel fares in this next step of politics.