OHIO — It’s been 20 years since Coach Jim Tressel led the Ohio State Buckeyes to a perfect 14-0 season, beating the odds and winning the national championship. A series of close calls brought the team unexpected glory.
What You Need To Know
- This season marks the 20th anniversary of Coach Tressel's National Championship team
- Prior to 2002, the Buckeyes hadn’t won a national title since 1968
- A series of close calls made for a perfect season
“I’m not sure there’s been a championship team more unlikely than that one,” said Bill Rabinowitz, Columbus Dispatch sports reporter.
“They had seven games that were won by seven or fewer points,” agreed numbers guru and sports historian Jack Park.
Expectations were very low going into the season, with the Buckeyes flying under the radar of most analysts.
“No one expected much," Columbus Dispatch sports columnist Rob Oller said. "I believe they started the season No. 11."
But Tressel, the newly minted coach, felt strongly that the team had what it would take, making his now famous “guarantee” during the Ohio State vs. Michigan basketball game that winter.
“I can assure you that you’ll be proud of our young people,” Tressel said to the halftime crowd. “In the classroom, in the community and especially in 310 days in Ann Arbor.”
It all led up to the double-overtime win against defending national champions, the Miami Hurricanes, earning the Buckeyes another national title.
“That was an incredible game ... probably the best game I ever covered,” Oller said.
The Stadium at 100 is part of a series of special coverage created by Spectrum News and the Columbus Dispatch to honor Ohio State University’s historical football stadium.