Tressel mentions bringing back wrestling?

[peteonastick]

Several people have mentioned to me that Tressel mentioned bringing back wrestling to YSU on the Dan Rivers show. I was wondering if anyone heard that?  That would be awesome for area high school wrestlers who have no opportunity to continue wrestling in college. I was a student when it was dropped because of Title IX but I think we are starting to see a shift in thoughts on how Title IX should never had taken sports from men while adding sports for women. Obviously funding will be an issue but again what an opportunity.

Go Guins!!

[IAA Fan]

I did not hear it, but when you look at the history of success at the local HS level, it has always made perfect sense. Then factor in the number of other YSU sport athletes that also wrestle, the scholarship burden would be reduced. At least until it became a real serious sport & we need dedicated athletes.

Also, we have nice facilities for soccer, swimming & diving and rifle. Again these are men's sports that can be reinstated at a reduced cost to the university. I really think that Ron Strollo is on top of this. I have heard him comment on more than one occasion.

[Wick250]

Stick,

I heard the interview.  Don't get your hopes up.  Tressel simply mentioned that the wrestling program had been an unintended victim of Title IX, but he also noted that Title IX is a fact that will always be with us.  There is no way we can add scholarships for any more men's sports, although wrestling would be a wonderful supplement to the football program. 

[guinpen]

I heard the interview and did not feel that he was in favor of adding sports. I actually felt that the question was out of line. JT was not hired for sports.

[ysufan0505]

I highly doubt it

[YSUinBoston]

Glad to see the head gym teacher...I mean university president is concerning himself with important issues.

[ValleyTalk]

Glad to see the head gym teacher...I mean university president is concerning himself with important issues.

Glad you came back... Took you longer than expected to get over this "awful" news we chose an excellent candidate as our next President.

As a proud YSU graduate, I could not be happier.

[YSUinBoston]

He's not an excellent candidate.  He's a football coach. 

And...I'm not over it.  I am looking forward to equally qualified candidates like Ed O'Neill, Ray "Boom Boom" Machini, and Super Fan to apply when Tressel's contract is up.       

As a proud YSU graduate, I could not be more embarrassed. 

[Lets_Talk]

I think Tressel will make a fine President at YSU. One trouble area I see though is members of the local media realizing that he is now UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT and not AD or Head Football Coach. Thus, expect Tressel being asked more questions pertaining to athletics by members of the local media, instead of questions that are SPECIFIC to his job as University President.

To the Tressel critics, it is not fair to blame Tressel for being asked irrelevant questions by members of the media. That is the fault of members of the media who ask said questions.

[YSUinBoston]

You are totally right on both counts. 

[Wick250]

In addition to appearing on WKBN, Tressel made the rounds of the morning television shows.  As Let's Talk suggested, these local "personalities" wasted minutes by asking trivial athletic related questions.

I predict that people will be shocked by how little attention Tressel pays to athletics.  In fact, if the financial issues become so drastic that personnel cuts are necessary, who will Tressel target?  Faculty members?  University police?  High tech specialists?  No, how about those superfluous athletic administrators whose ranks doubled since Tressel was the AD.  He knows the school does not need them and he knows perfectly well that the athletic department can function quite well without them.  And by making initial cuts in athletics he will gain community goodwill similar to his insistence upon a lower salary.

[IAA Fan]

Good point Wick, but that could backfire without a winning football program. You can cut people that have nothing to do with football, but if the team is bad, you know the public will blame the cuts.

Actually, many university presidents are highly involved in athletics. The media will come around, but not until after the 2014 FB season. When president Tressel asks the people of the Valley to buy tickets ...they will listen.

[paladin]

Wrestling isn't coming back. But I chuckle at the JT comments here. Cuts are on the way and will be for some time. Here's some thoughts --

1. Enrollment decline will continue. As a commuter school, many kids ( or adults) don't take 4-5 years to complete a degree. They take 8-10 years ( or more). Sporadic attendance.

2. Those who can afford college opt to go elsewhere ( Kent, Ohio St., etc) and seek out the traditional college.

3.The economic tidal wave is just beginning. Colleges are overcharging and have been. Lots  of pain coming.

4. Jobs are still a problem and many are now turning their attention to a career that does not require a 4 year  degree . College, as they say, isn't for everyone and that will be exacerbated in the future.

5. Chances are good that athletics may have to be cut still. The real "fan" base at YSU is the "gray panthers" and as they die off, the young fail to replace them in favor of new interests.

6. Growth remains in healthcare  where good jobs are available with 2 year degrees in specialized areas.

7.Many areas of college degrees are essentially worthless and jobs are not waiting for these people. Reality begins to sink in.

8. Those willing to work and go to school continue to seek out jobs and  colleges in better climate and better economic outlooks than Youngstown.

9. If YSU is to grow, they need to move away from being a commuter school and build a traditional campus attracting students from out of the area, building more housing for them, feeding them, etc.

10. Cronyism, nepotism and politics are rampant here , both in the athletic dept. and in academia. More new blood from the outside is needed, not more local parochialism.

Wrestling isn't coming back and change is in the winds.

[IAA Fan]

Some good points Paladin, but I would not agree with YSU becoming the traditional university. As you said ...specialty degrees (thus programs) are the wave of the future. Let's have an example: Pharmacology.

Aside from Veterinary medicine (which has a waiting list of almost an entire generation ...almost 15-years); Pharmacy is the next largest waiting-list program at Ohio State. Why? People make as much money as an MD, without all the studying and interning. The need for these people is enormous.

Now & future:
Pharmacies are open  24-hours a day and college-educated people do not want to work outside of the traditional Pharmacist hours of 7:30a to 3:30p. That is not what they spent $29k-a-year for in Columbus. They want society-level hours & a lifestyle. Universities continued to make this a "closed-shop" degree. So what happened?

The government passed rules allowing most prescriptions to be refilled by certified assistants/pharmacy-techs. Very seldom do drug stores mix prescriptions anymore as medication arrives at predefined levels; so a Pharmacist is becoming less and less needed. Most pharmacists these days spend their time supervising store staff, consulting with consumers, ordering drugs and vitamins. Go to Giant Eagle and you will see 10-people working ...only one of which is a Pharmacist. Furthermore, the smart school administrators realize this and develop programs in Pharmacy technology. Business colleges create specialty programs in Pharmacy management. Now if this was YSU was one of these colleges run by smart administrators, they would have 9 graduates employed working at that Giant Eagle Pharmacy ...while OSU has only one ...the Pharmacist ...and he/she answers to the pharmacy manager.

[paladin]

Or go for a two year degree at much less $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  &  get  medical tech certified -- operate medical checks or scopes for heart, lungs, etc. Make $60k + and benefits, vacation, etc and work  9 -5.

But I have a grandson at Kent St. ( Soph.)  for business administration ( and he'll ease into a lucrative family business afterward))where his dad has no problem sending him and another son sending his daughter to Kent  also this Fall where she is getting an accounting degree with a host of opportunities.

The traditional degree has a place but the lesser two year degrees are big opportunities as well. And much cheaper ( or more affordable).