The 2010 Hall of Faith Inductees
There are champions among us, those who embody values and integrity, leadership and character and faith in all aspects of their daily lives. On May 6, 2010, Athletes in Action will honor champions Jennifer Johnson Jordan, top ranked world professional beach volleyball player and Olympian and Jim Tressel, head football coach of The Ohio State Buckeyes.
Jennifer Johnson Jordan
Jennifer “Jenny” Johnson Jordan, professional beach volleyball player and Olympian, has finished ranked in the top 10 in season points each year she has competed on the Association of Professional Volleyball (AVP) Tour. Jenny describes herself and playing partner of more than a decade, Annett Davis, as the “Holy Hookup.” She contributes her motivation for success in volleyball first and foremost to God, and then from the support of her family.
Jenny believes that she did not choose volleyball—volleyball chose her. As the sport she excelled at most as a young woman, she stuck with it and grew to love it. The California native started playing in the seventh grade and has been playing ever since. She played collegiate volleyball at UCLA where she started for three seasons and captained the 1994 and 1995 teams. She earned All-League and All-American honors and graduated with a degree in Communication Studies.
After partnering with Annett Davis in 1997, the duo won the silver medal at the 1999 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Marseille. In 2000, Jennifer and Annett won four titles on three different tours and qualified for the Olympics in Sydney, Australia. They held the second highest ranking worldwide, and placed fifth in the Sydney Games. In 2004, Jenny and Annett became the U.S. team with most career tournaments played together, and in Huntington Beach, the duo became just the second team worldwide to compete in 100 events together. They won their first six career titles over a 14-month span on four different tours.
Jenny is a member of an athletically-gifted family. She is the daughter of Olympic decathlon champion Rafer Johnson and the niece of Pro Football Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson. She resides in Pittsburgh, PA, with husband Kevin Jordan, a former UCLA wide receiver, and their two children, Jaylen and Kory.
Jim Tressel
Jim Tressel reminds his players daily that representing Ohio State is a privilege, an advantage that allows them to enhance the futures of themselves, their families, and communities through education and enlightened concern. He emphasizes organization, planning and accountability as not just important in football, but as skills for life. He uses the game he loves as a means to grow people toward their potential.
Jim and his wife Ellen are actively involved with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, the OSU Thompson Libraries, and The Ohio State University Medical Center, particularly the James Cancer Center. They are the parents of four accomplished young adults: Zak, Carlee, Eric and Whitney.
Accolades: 2002 Division I National Championship; Four Division I-AA National Championships; Chevrolet National Coach of the Year in 1993, 1994 and 1997; American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year in 1991, 1994 and 2002; Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2002; AFCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1987 and 1993; six-time Ohio Coach of the Year.
Highlights: Has led Ohio State to five victories in nine bowl appearances, including a double-overtime win over Miami in the 2002 national championship game, and is 3-3 in BCS games; led Youngstown State to the 1991, ’93, ’94 and ’97 Division I-AA National Championships, 6 appearances in the Division I-AA National Championship Game, 10 appearances in the I-AA playoffs, and a playoff record of 23-6 and 12 winning seasons. Ohio State has gone to BCS bowls six of the last seven years. On January 1, 2010, Jim Tressel and his Ohio State Buckeyes played and won the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California—another first for a man with an already stellar career.
