Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel to step down as Youngstown State president

Jim Tressel is stepping down as the president at Youngstown State early next year, the university announced Wednesday night.

Tressel, the former national championship-winning football coach for Ohio State, had led YSU since 2014. He is scheduled to officially depart on Feb. 1.

“It has been truly a blessing and labor of love to serve Youngstown State University in a number of capacities,” he wrote in an email to the campus community.

Before he was hired by the Buckeyes in 2001, Tressel spent 15 seasons as Youngstown State’s football coach, a tenure that saw the Penguins capture four national championships in the NCAA's Division 1-AA, known now as the Football Championship Subdivision.

Jim Tressel: 2001, an Ohio State football odyssey: When the Buckeyes started dominating Michigan

Ohio State baseball coach: Ohio State hires TCU's Bill Mosiello as baseball coach

Tressel was in Columbus for a decade before resigning in 2011 in the aftermath of a scandal known as “Tattoogate” in which five Ohio State players sold personal memorabilia in exchange for tattoos, a violation of NCAA rules.

He won 106 games with the Buckeyes, though 12 were vacated due to sanctions that followed.

Following his resignation, Tressel moved into university administration, first as the vice president of strategic engagement at Akron in 2012 and later as Youngstown State’s president.

In his email address, Tressel said he is prioritizing time with his wife, Ellen, and their children and grandchildren once he leaves the university. He turns 70 in December.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Jim Tressel to step down as Youngstown State president