CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Former Ohio State University head football coach Jim Tressel is joining the WKYC Channel 3 team as a special contributor. His weekly report, "A Moment With Jim Tressel," will air each Wednesday, starting tonight, during the Gannett-owned station's 7 p.m. newscast.

Tressel, 59, was the head coach at Ohio State from 2001 to 2011. He resigned after the revelation of NCAA violations involving players who received cash and discounted tattoos in exchange for memorabilia. In February, he accepted a nonathletic department position at the University of Akron, where he started his coaching career as an undergraduate assistant for the Zips in 1975. He is the school's new vice president of strategic engagement, a position created for him.

"Jim's national championships as head football coach at Ohio State and Youngstown State universities are well-known to all, but his motivational speeches and best-selling books will be the basis of our 'A Moment with Jim Tressel.' " Channel 3's president and general manager Brooke Spectorsky is quoted saying in a statement released this morning by the station.

Tressel has a bachelor’s degree from Baldwin-Wallace, a master’s degree in education from the University of Akron, and two honorary doctorates.

"Jim motivates with passion but leads with compassion," said Virgil Dominic, Channel 3's interim news director. "We envision a weekly segment that takes daily news stories and makes them teachable moments."

"Jim is a truly exceptional leader," said Luis Proenza, president of the University of Akron. "In his new role as our VP for Strategic Engagement, he is responsible for student success, from application and recruitment to graduation and beyond, what we are calling the Akron Experience. We think his weekly television segments will only add to to his community outreach and help grow the Akron experience."