Tressel’s media savvy might be biggest asset

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By Kyle Nagel, Staff Writer 7:35 PM Thursday, September 2, 2010

It seems like Jim Tressel could never fall out of favor, doesn’t it?

The Ohio State football coach is so entrenched in the Buckeyes athletic department that part of his contract is the guarantee of an assistant athletic director job whenever he finishes coaching. There are some moans and groans about his offense, certainly, but by and large Ohio State fans wouldn’t want him replaced.

But there was an interesting story in the Kansas City Star this week about how quickly things can change.

Remember when Mark Mangino at Kansas was one of the most celebrated coaches in the country for his work with the Jayhawks? Or Mike Leach with Texas Tech? What about Jim Leavitt at South Florida?

Well, they’re all out of a job now, not long after they were thought to be master architects of soon-to-be longtime successful programs.

Different things happened, of course, but the theme is the speed. All it takes, sometimes, is one bad game, one bad incident or one bad quote and things can come tumbling down.

The ability to avoid trouble in the current oppressive media landscape is undervalued, and Tressel has been a master. So good, in fact, that he basically has a job for life.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or knagel@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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