Coaching Forum with Jim Tressel

When Jim Tressel stepped into the Ohio State team room last week, in the place of 105 brawny football players sat a handful of lucky coaches. Instead of speaking to his team, Tressel addressed these coaches as fellow teammates.

Coaches from around the Ohio state area were invited to talk with Tressel during a coaching forum Friday, which included a talk from Tressel, a Q&A time, and a special breakout session for coaches’ spouses. The event, which was put on by Athletes in Action, in conjunction with Fellowship of Christian Athletes, focused on integrating faith and sport through coaching.

Having recently returned from a trip to the Middle East and Northern Africa, Tressel used the time to speak about his adventures abroad and teach other coaches about the lessons he has learned from his own journey through coaching.

Using his famous “Block O of Life” illustration, Tressel explained the importance of instilling values and a strong sense of purpose into his players.

“What we decided 24 years ago when we got our first head coaching opportunity was that we had to come up with a plan that was going to be the foundation for everything that we do,” Tressel explained.

In accordance with that plan, each of Tressel’s players signs a contract promising to respect the six components that make up the “Block O of Life.”

“We’ve divided our block ‘O’ into halves,” Tressel said. “The top half of the ‘Block O of Life’ is our purpose in life,” which is divided into “Personal Family,” “Spiritual Moral,” and “Caring Giving.”

“Unfortunately,” Tressel added, “with our athletes and sometimes with us coaches is you begin assigning who you are to how many games you’ve won or what string you are or how many points you scored or whatever it happens to be, as opposed to really having an understanding of who you are.”

Tressel emphasized that while performance is a key component of a successful football team, strong personal and spiritual values equip players to achieve their goals both in football and in life.

“We are not afraid. Even though we are a public university—and we are sensitive to that—but we really believe that a spiritual plan—morals, values, ethics—above all else, define who you are,” Tressel said. “And we want to give our guys as many opportunities as they can to grow in that area.”

Just how does Tressel give his players opportunities to grow spiritually? Besides signing the “Block O of Life” contract, players also start each day with an attitude of gratitude.

“We begin every day in quiet time with our players,” Tressel said. “And all we ask of them is to first, on whatever day it happens to be, to write down one thing that they’re grateful for so that we can at least begin the day with that attitude as opposed to whatever is going tough in our lives or how tough practice is going to be.

“Every man that sits in these chairs is blessed,” Tressel added, “With those blessings, we think, comes responsibility to care and give to others. The impact that they can make on others is tremendous.”

The bottom half of the “Block O of Life” refers to goals: “Academic Success,” “Strength Fitness,” and the “Football Family.”

“Now, we’re passionate about what we do and we want to be good,” Tressel said. “We want to be Big Ten champions. We want to be national champions. We want our guys to go to the NFL, be all Big Ten.”

But Tressel placed a strong distinction between purpose and performance. “Our record doesn’t define us. Just because we won some games doesn’t make us wonderful. Just because we didn’t win some games doesn’t make us less worthy,” Tressel said. “They’re simply our goals. It’s what we do.”

Anyone who knows Tressel’s record, however, would find it hard to deny that his holistic approach is a winning strategy.

“We really believe this: our role is to plant a bunch of seeds,” Tressel told the coaches. He urged them to keep “planting those seeds, watering them, cultivating them, nurturing them… There is so much out there and there are so many ways that we can all do our own little bit.”

By working to develop honorable men out of admirable players, Tressel continues to do his part to leave a legacy on the field and most importantly, in the hearts of men.

by Ashley Eggenberger

ashley.eggenberger@athletesinaction.org

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