For most of the last decade, the careers of Jim Tressel and Lloyd Carr were intertwined due in large part to their being the head coaches at Ohio State and Michigan. The former famously had the latter’s number -- spawning the equally famous jab “What kind of vehicle does Jim Tressel own? A Lloyd Carr” -- as Tressel’s Buckeyes beat Carr’s Wolverines six of the seven times they faced each other in The Game.
Carr retired following the 2007 season, while Tressel, of course, “retired” as OSU’s coach amidst a cloud of controversy earlier this year.
Four years after they were last coaching on the same football field, the two were back on the practice field again Tuesday, albeit in a non-coaching capacity. Both Carr and Tressel were invited guests of the Cleveland Browns today, taking in the practice with, among others, team president Mike Holmgren and general manager Tom Heckert.
Tressel has long been a fan of the Browns -- his father Lee was the legendary head coach at Baldwin Wallace, practically right next door to the Browns’ Berea facility -- and has even in the past been mentioned as a candidate for the head coaching job with the NFL club. While that never came to fruition, and he’s currently unemployed, Tressel did address his future following the practice and, in what may come as a surprise to some, said he would like to continue doing what’s been his job for the past three-and-a-half decades.
“I hope so,” Tressel was quoted as saying when asked by the Cleveland Plain Dealer‘s Bill Livingston if he’d like to coach again. “I’m taking it one day at a time.” Tressel did not mention at which level he would like to continue his coaching career, but did say, “oh no, not right now” when asked if he would become a consultant for the Browns.
As for Carr, he was asked after the practice his feelings on the situation that led to Tressel’s “retirement” from the Buckeyes.
“From a personal standpoint, it’s a tragedy. Jim will rebound,” Carr said according to Tom Withers of the Associated Press.
First-year Browns head coach Pat Shurmur enjoyed having the two collegiate coaching legends on the practice field, perhaps Carr in particular as Shurmur was recruited coming out of high school by the then-Michigan assistant.
“We had a lot of celebrities here today,” Shurmur said. “It was fun. I enjoyed visiting with Lloyd Carr and Jim Tressel, guys that I’ve admired in coaching. Actually, Lloyd tried to recruit me out of high school. It was good to see them. I’m glad they came out and enjoyed practice.”