NEW BOSTON, Ohio — Ohio Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State University football coach, stopped by New Boston School last week to talk with students about a statewide fitness program he leads as part of his role in the DeWine administration.
The New Boston Police Department said Tressel spoke with students about the “Team Tressel Fitness Challenge,” a free program open to students in grades three through eight that is designed to help them build habits that last into adulthood.
According to the department, the challenge has grown to reach more than 650,000 students at over 2,100 schools in all 88 Ohio counties.
The challenge runs over 30 days and asks students to set individual goals across five focus areas — cardio, strength, flexibility, nutrition and sleep — using grade-specific workbooks, according to the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators, which has promoted the program to member schools. The initiative is part of a broader push to address childhood obesity rates in Ohio, where nearly one in three high school students are overweight or obese.
Before entering public service, Tressel spent more than two decades on the sideline. He coached Youngstown State University to four NCAA Division I-AA national championships before taking over at Ohio State in 2001, where he led the Buckeyes to the 2002 national championship and six Big Ten titles over a decade, according to Ohio State University and Youngstown State University athletics records. He later served as president of Youngstown State before Gov. Mike DeWine tapped him to be lieutenant governor.
Tressel was joined on the visit by former Ohio State wide receiver DeVier Posey, who played for the Buckeyes from 2008 to 2011 and helped the team win two Big Ten titles before the Houston Texans drafted him in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft, according to Ohio State athletics records.
The police department said officers, along with Mayor Imes, took photos with Tressel and Posey during the stop and thanked both men for taking the time to visit.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the New Boston Police Department.
