Ohio State Head Football Coach Jim Tressel Resigns After Months Of Turmoil

No one was quite sure whether the axe would fall or not, but it's clear the tree has been bending for some time. After months of apologies, suspensions, questions and negative media coverage, Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel has resigned after a tremendous run atop one of the nation's greatest college football programs.

In his career, Tressel has won the last six Big Ten conference titles and a national title in 2002, his second season in Columbus. He won several BCS Bowl Games in his tenure as well, including the Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl. In total, he  went 106-22 in 10 seasons with Ohio State and that came after a tremendous coaching run at Youngstown State before that (135-57-2). It's clear that Tressel is an incredible football coach.

But when the rumors begin to swirl, it's harder to put out than a California wildfire. Just ask USC how they are pushing through sanctions in the next year where Lane Kiffin is cleaning up Pete Carroll's mess. For Tressel, it was a willingness to play dumb and not admit that he knew of violations that were going on as players were selling memorabilia items and getting involved with shady characters like Edward Rife. A complete timeline is available here.

The Buckeyes will now be without some of their best players for half of next season, including quarterback Terrelle Pryor, and now their head coach as well. Interim coach Luke Fickell now takes over as interim coach through the 2011 season.