Jim Tressel was born in 1952 at Mentor, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. His father, Lee Tressel, was the coach at Mentor's high school. After a 34-game winning streak at Mentor, Tressel's father was hired as head football coach for Baldwin–Wallace College in Berea, Ohio. Baldwin–Wallace won the 1978 NCAA Division III National Championship under Tressel's father. Tressel attended many of his father's games and practices, and developed a friendship with neighbor (and former Cleveland Browns player) Lou Groza. Tressel's mother Eloise Tressel worked as the athletic historian at Baldwin–Wallace while his father was the head coach.