“I’m currently in management in my job, and there’s just so much I’ve learned from him that’s bigger than just him being a football coach.”
Tressel resigned Monday after leading the Buckeyes to seven Big Ten titles and a national crown in 10 years. And while he was known for improving the culture in the program as well as his considerable off-field work, his tenure will be marked by a scandal that cost him his job.
OSU was under mounting pressure to dismiss Tressel after he was found to have covered up the misdeeds of several top players, who broke NCAA rules by selling memorabilia for cash and tattoos.
But like many who follow the Buckeyes, Rudzinski — who works in Columbus for a medical supplies company and covers OSU as a radio and TV commentator — still holds Tressel in high esteem.
“I think he’s the finest human being in college coaching. I think he’s college football’s finest all-around head coach, and whatever happened with these tattoos and when things were revealed, we’ll never know,” he said.
“Right now, there’s no finer person as far having class, in how he supports the U.S. military and in running a faith-based program in this day and age. I was hoping he’d be around long enough so I could show that to my (four children, ages 6 and younger).”
Rudzinski has stayed close to the program. He twice served as honorary captain during games for Tressel and was asked by the coach several times to address the team.
His former teammate Luke Fickell, who anchored the defensive line for powerful OSU squads in the mid-1990s, has been tabbed to take over for Tressel for the 2011 season.
“I’ve kept a close friendship with Luke Fickell up to today, and I’m really excited for Luke,” Rudzinski said. “But I wish it was under different circumstances.”
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