A dozen TV cameras aligned in a tight row ... observers spilling over onto a stairway ... teens and senior citizens and middle-agers bumping into each other trying to grab a brief moment in his presence ... two cops escorting him in and out of the room.
Not exactly a typical scene for the hiring of an academician.
But all of this and more was swirling around Thursday morning, when the University of Akron introduced its vice president of strategic engagement.
Its what?
Don’t worry. The person who is filling that newly created post, former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel, isn’t sure exactly what it means, either. He and UA have agreed to play it by ear.
Not that Tressel’s specific duties really matter. The whole thing boils down to this: UA has hired a household name, a polished, confident, educated, silky-smooth speaker who thrives in the spotlight, a man who will provide a steroid injection to the endowment fund.
Strictly in terms of money, this is the best $200,000 the university has ever spent. Tressel will generate 10 times that amount during his first year.
In terms of academic credibility — well, that’s not nearly as clear cut.
Why? Because the fellow at the center of the news conference at UA’s Honors College was anything but honorable during the waning days of his most recent university job.
Although nobody uttered the word “tattoo” during the 45-minute gathering, Tressel’s attempted cover-up of the tattoo-for-memorabilia scam hung over the proceedings just as prominently as the Goodyear blimp, which was circling as he slipped out a side door afterward.
Everyone present was aware that Tressel lied repeatedly to administrators at his former school and to the organization that oversees collegiate athletics.
Everyone was aware that Tressel was available for this job because he was rejected as coach of the Indianapolis Colts and rejected by every major college football program in the country because of his status as a “show cause” hire.
That is NCAA terminology meaning, in essence, that no college in its right mind would hire him as a coach for the next five years, because the penalties imposed on OSU would follow him to his new school.
Tressel didn’t try to dodge the issue, saying he realized in the aftermath of the scandal that he had to adjust his goals and take a hard look at his overall direction.
He emphasized his educational background — including a master’s degree in education from UA — and noted that teaching is a crucial element of coaching, as well as one of the most personally rewarding aspects of his former job.
For most of the folks jammed into the meeting room, it all made sense.
State Sen. Tom Sawyer was among the many heavy hitters on hand. When I asked him whether he thought Tressel’s hiring would be a mixed blessing in terms of public relations, he said: “I think a lot of it will depend on how he approaches it.
“From everything I’ve heard this morning, he’s coming here as an educator. That can only be positive. ... He has approached everything that he’s done in his career first and foremost as a teacher. ... I believe he will be a real teacher and a real contributor to the life and culture of this campus.”
Some folks in the room were even more enthusiastic.
Student Matthew Phister, a junior from Tallmadge, turned to two buddies after Tressel had passed and exclaimed, “Dude! I shook Jim Tressel’s hand!”
Phister was a bit more eloquent but no less enthusiastic when I noted that he seemed incredibly excited.
“Absolutely! Jim Tressel, with his leadership abilities and the respect that he has around the country, is going to bring development to our university in ways that nobody even understands yet.”
Phister downplayed the possibility of negative public reaction.
“I feel like the things he’s done in his whole career can take over from what happened in the [recent] past. We all understand that people make mistakes.
“Coach Tressel brings the leadership that we’ve all been looking for that can bring our university farther than we’ve ever thought in the past.”
Sounds like we can anticipate a run on blue sweater vests.
UA is certainly not the only institution aware of Tressel’s fundraising potential. He also met with at least two other Ohio colleges, Baldwin-Wallace and Wittenberg, to talk about top administrative jobs.
At Thursday’s bash, Tressel and UA President Luis Proenza looked like sartorial twins, both attired in expensive dark suits with yellow ties and gold lapel pins.
The coincidence was highly appropriate, because the two are now inexorably entwined — for better or for worse.
Bob Dyer can be reached at 330-996-3580 or bdyer@thebeaconjournal.com.
