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Jim Tressel to Tackle “Faith and Football” in Century Club Speech
Four will be honored at the Century Club dinner for their contributions to Franciscan University Posted: Friday, March 5, 2010
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STEUBENVILLE, OH—Ohio State University Football Coach Jim Tressel will block out his winning formula for football and life during his keynote speech at the Franciscan University of Steubenville Century Club Awards Dinner, Saturday, April 17.
Tressel’s talk, “Faith and Football,” will expound on the role faith plays in his personal life and in building a successful athletic program.
In his ninth year as OSU head coach, Tressel has amassed a 94-21 record, including nine bowl appearances, six Big Ten Conference Championships, and one national championship. Those achievements build on a remarkable 135-7-2 record during 15 seasons as head coach at Youngstown State University, including four NCAA Division I-AA Football Championships and 10 playoff appearances.
Tressel is known to begin each practice with quiet time, during which the players are encouraged to write down one thing they are grateful for, “so that we can begin the day with that attitude as opposed to whatever tough things are going on in our lives,” he said.
At a recent Fellowship of Christian Athletes talk to fellow coaches he said, “I constantly seek to know what God’s will is for my life and follow that, and not write my own script. I am here to serve others, and not simply myself.”
A turning point in Tressel’s faith journey came at a high-school sports summer camp in 1969, when retired New York Yankee second baseman Bobby Richardson stated, “If the game of life ended tonight, would you be a winner?”
“I wasn’t sure I could answer yes,” Tressel is quoted as saying in a 2006 Columbus Dispatch story, prompting him that evening “to begin to ask Jesus” to direct his life.
Jim and his wife, Ellen, are actively involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, medical, and educational organizations.
During the Century Club Dinner, four men will receive the President’s Award: Abe Bryan, Big Red Football Coach, 1964-72; Tedd Kwasniak, Class of 1964, two-time Ohio High School State Championship Basketball Coach; Niall O’Mahony, co-founder of Franciscan’s rugby program; and Earl Cramblett, retired businessman and community leader. Each man will receive his award from Father Terence Henry, TOR, University president.
The Century Club Dinner will serve as a major fundraiser for Franciscan University’s athletics program, which in 2007 began its first-ever participation in NCAA D-III athletics. By fall 2010 Franciscan University will field 13 NCAA teams in men’s and women’s soccer, basketball, track and field, cross country, and tennis, as well as women’s softball and volleyball and men’s baseball, in addition to varsity rugby.
Donations to the athletics program will be administered through the Franciscan University Capital Campaign.
For information on ticket prices and sponsorship opportunities call the Franciscan University Community Relations Office at 740-283-6406 or go to the Response Page.
2010 Century Club President’s Award Recipients:
Abe Bryan
“Legendary” and “remarkable” are two words commonly used to describe Abe Bryan. A driving force in football in Steubenville and Ohio, Bryan was a coach at Steubenville High School from 1951 to 1973 and served as head coach of the Big Red football team from 1964 to 1972. During his nine seasons, Big Red outscored its opponents 1,737 to 1,169. As coach, Bryan was instrumental in making Big Red a member of the All-American Conference, known to be the toughest football conference in the country at that time. He also called for the expansion of Harding Stadium. As president of the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association, Bryan established the current Ohio high school football playoff system, in which his team went on to do very well, taking the top spot in Ohio twice during his tenure. Bryan was named to the OHSFCA Hall of Fame in 1976 and to the Ohio Valley Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1994.
Tedd Kwasniak
Deemed “too small,” Tedd Kwasniak never played basketball for the College of Steubenville while he was a student from 1960-64. That didn’t stop him from becoming a legendary Ohio high school basketball coach. Since Ohio high schools adopted the Division I – IV system in 1988, only four men have accomplished back-to-back state championship victories. Tedd Kwasniak is one of those men. Named coach of the boys’ varsity basketball team at Villa Angela – St. Joseph High School in Cleveland in June 1980, Kwasniak led the Vikings to back-to-back state high school Division II championship victories in 1994 and 1995. He went on to coach at Mentor Lake Catholic High School for the next seven years, and now coaches at Euclid City High School.
Niall O'Mahony
Before nearly every Franciscan University rugby game, Niall O'Mahony sets aside his work as a painting contractor, gets in his car, and drives 400 miles from New Jersey to Steubenville. O’Mahony was instrumental in forming the Baron rugby team and has served as the team's general manager and visiting coach since its inception in 2000. Born and raised in Carlow, Ireland, O'Mahony "ate, played, and slept rugby" as a young man, first taking up the sport at the age of 7 and playing every season until he immigrated to America at 22.
Earl Cramblett
With his friendly smile and engaging conversation, Earl Cramblett made a point of putting the “service” in “service station” for nearly 60 years. Cramblett recently retired from the University Boulevard BP service station that he owned for more than 40 years. As past president of the Wintersville Little League, Earl initiated the rule that every child must play for two consecutive innings. Then and now, Cramblett has been a faithful supporter of Franciscan University undertakings, a member of the Century Club, and former member of the Franciscan University Board of Advisors.