Dick Tressel was the longtime football coach and also served as athletic director at Hamline. He resigned from the Pipers in 2001 to join his younger brother, Jim, the new football coach at Ohio State. Dick was the running backs coach and the No. 1-rated Buckeyes were getting ready to play the Gophers in October 2006. Tressel was being interviewed about the thrills he had being part of the Ohio State program. One item he mentioned was this: “I had a chance to recruit James Laurinaitis, our linebacker from Wayzata. You will not find a young man more committed as an athlete and student at any level of college football.” Laurinaitis was a sophomore standout for a collection of Buckeyes that would reach the BCS title game. One year later, the Buckeyes again would play for the national championship. In 2008, Laurinaitis was a senior and about to play the Gophers in the Big Ten opener at Ohio Stadium. The linebacker had been much honored by then and had done Wayzata very proud. Brad Anderson, his high school coach, was asked about Laurinaitis and said: “I had more than a few coaches tell me they thought James was making a huge mistake, that he would get lost among the four- and five-star recruits at Ohio State. “I was pretty sure he could play because he was such a well-prepared athlete. …
Continue Reading: Reusse: Laurinaitis keeps on playing, tackling
