COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State enshrined former coach Jim Tressel into the Ohio Stadium ring of honor during Saturday’s opener against Ball State.

Tressel, who coached the Buckeyes from 2001 to 2010 and led Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, joined Woody Hayes and Paul Brown as the only Buckeyes coaches in the ring of honor.

“I thank God every day that he made me a Buckeye,” Tressel told the crowd after the first quarter, wearing the patented sweater vest he once donned on the Ohio State sidelines.

A banner with a sweater vest design covered up the “Jim Tressel” placard next to Hayes on the stadium ring until its unveiling.

Coach Tressel, forever enshrined in the ‘Shoe 🌰 pic.twitter.com/3jcAljXPZ1

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) September 5, 2026

Tressel became the first Buckeye to be enshrined in the Ohio State ring of honor since his former quarterback, 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, was honored in 2014.

Tressel went 106-23 at Ohio State with six Big Ten titles and a 9-1 record against rival Michigan. (His final win in 2010 was later vacated by the NCAA.) He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Tressel, 73, became Ohio’s lieutenant governor last year.

Ohio State also shifted its senior day celebration from the home finale against Michigan to Saturday. The Buckeyes introduced their seniors before kickoff against the Cardinals.