COLUMBUS, Ohio – Sure, winning games is important. But what do your bosses think of you?

In their last performance reviews (which are available at bottom of this post), both Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer and men's basketball coach Thad Matta earned high praise from their OSU supervisors.

The Plain Dealer was recently provided with the reviews following an open-records request. The intent was to get a picture of whether Meyer and Matta are meeting the school's expectations in leading their teams and in complying with NCAA regulations.

They are.

After Jim Tressel's ouster in 2011, requests for past reviews found that Tressel had been judged as lacking in NCAA compliance issues on his review from 2005-06. That served as a reminder that it's worth keeping tabs on the people in charge of the Buckeyes' most high-profile and profitable sports programs.

The reviews are fairly old. Both were conducted last summer, as part of a required annual review.

Meyer's review was a face-to-face personal review with athletic director Gene Smith, a practice Smith had instituted with Tressel. It requires less specific paperwork than a written review. But there is a one-page written summary of the verbal review, which hasn't always been available in the past.

It came before the 2012 season, so it dealt primarily with Meyer's transition into the job after his hiring on Nov. 28, 2011. The paperwork was signed on Aug. 1, 2012, after the review was held on July 25.

It mentions a meeting Meyer and Smith had with Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany.

“You handled the transition into the athletic department and oversight of the football program as well as I could have expected. You did an outstanding job,” Smith wrote. “Your communications with me in particular is exceptional. Besides the obvious, the discussions we had in our joint meeting with the Big Ten commissioner in Chicago last week should give us comfort considering how we operate.”

Matta's review, from June 28, 2012, was conducted by senior associate athletic director Miechelle Willis in written form. An Ohio State spokesperson told The Plain Dealer that Matta is now reporting directly to Smith, so his review for 2013 will match the form used for Meyer.

Matta's performance covered the Buckeyes' run to the Final Four last season, so there wasn't much to quibble with there. His rating was “Exceeds Expectations” in that area.

As for directing the program in compliance with university, Big Ten and NCAA rules, Matta was “proficient,” which is the middle of three possible ratings.

A spokesperson pointed out that “simply means he is doing what he's supposed to be doing. He is on point and doing what is expected in these areas.”

In eight specific categories under “compliance & Personal Conduct,” Matta had four ratings of “exceeds expectations” (including knowing, understanding and adhering to NCAA and Ohio State rules); and four of “proficient,” (including creating a strong compliance environment.)

Overall in all individual categories, Matta has 32 ratings of “exceeds expectations,” 15 of “proficient” and one of “opportunity for improvement.”

That came under the heading of “Assures student-athletes participation in SAAB and life skill programs.”

SAAB is the "Student-Athlete Advisory Board," which includes a representative from all 36 varsity sports and organizes community activities and discusses issues affecting athletes.