STRUTHERS — Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel said a new statewide fitness challenge for kids in grade 4-8 will make them not only healthier, but better students.

“If we can add just a little better fitness and health, it will make us that much better,” Tressel said Monday at Struthers Middle School as he kicked off the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge program.

Unlike the old President’s Fitness Test — which included sit-ups, running and climbing a rope — Tressel’s program allows students to pick from a variety of activities and set their own goals during a 90-day period though the effort to achieve the goals are during 60 of those days.

Students progress through three levels — bronze, silver and gold — from the various activities with focuses on physical activity, nutrition and sleep.

Tressel said he “never made it to the top of the rope in the gymnasium” and “was not a star” in the 600-yard dash, but “did OK on a couple of the others and it was a good test. But with today’s world, giving kids an opportunity to set goals, buy in and have it be their idea and have ownership, we might have a chance of people sticking to it.”

The first program starts Sept. 8 with more than 160,000 students at 635 schools in grades 4-8.

Tressel said of the grades chosen: “Educators thought that was the sweet spot. Maybe the ones a little younger might have a hard time getting focused on it, maybe the ones a little older wouldn’t think that it was cool.”

He added: “You’re only limited by your creativity.”

Tressel and Ted Ginn Jr., who used to play football under Tressel at The Ohio State University and is a former 14-year pro, are traveling around the state promoting the program.

Tressel said: “Any time you can get young people excited about things and have a little education sneaked into it and have kids get together” it’s a success.

Ginn said: “It’s important to show kids early on how simple it can be to live a healthy life,” and “we want to make it easier for kids to see how they can energize their bodies with small changes like water instead of soda or taking a walk everyday.”

Tressel said Gov. Mike DeWine “always says he wants everyone healthy, everyone safe and everyone reaching their full potential and we think this can help them do all those.”

Tressel kicked off a four-day, nine-city tour through the state to promote his fitness challenge with stops Monday in Cleveland and Struthers.

He and Ginn will be in Mingo Junction, South Point and Cincinnati today.

DeWine appointed Tressel — the retired Youngstown State University president and a former head football coach at YSU and Ohio State — as lieutenant governor on Feb. 10 in a surprising move. Tressel had never held or run for elected office before the appointment.

A couple of days later, Tressel said he “wouldn’t rule” out a potential gubernatorial bid in 2026. Right before the Ohio Republican Party endorsed Vivek Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur, as its gubernatorial candidate on May 9, Tressel again said he wouldn’t rule out a run and DeWine urged the party to wait for an endorsement.

But neither move stopped the party from an early endorsement of Ramaswamy, who also has the support of President Donald Trump.

Asked Monday about a bid for governor, which appears to be slipping away, Tressel said, “The only thing I want people talking about is the fitness challenge and we’ll worry about the other (issue) down the road.”

Tressel said when DeWine asked him to accept the lieutenant governor’s appointment, the governor brought up the fitness challenge and wanted him to spearhead it.

Asked about his time as lieutenant governor, Tressel said, “The six months have been fun. I was happily retired, but I’m also happy to be out doing whatever I can. In large part, Gov. DeWine is a special guy. When he says that he wants every Ohioan safe, healthy and reaching their God-given potential, he means it. Working for a genuine person like that, who’s work ethic is unmatched, it’s been an honor.”

The lieutenant governor’s seat opened when DeWine appointed Jon Husted, who held the position for six years, to an open seat in the U.S. Senate on Jan. 17.

Tressel was hired by YSU to be its head football coach for the 1986 season and led the team to four Division 1-AA national championships through 2000, when he was hired to be head coach of The Ohio State University football team. During his time at Ohio State, the team won a national title in 2002 and seven Big 10 championships.

Tressel resigned in 2011 after the university’s football program got caught up in an NCAA investigation involving players improperly selling memorabilia for benefits, including tattoos.

After serving as vice president of strategic engagement at the University of Akron, Tressel returned to YSU as its president, starting the job May 2014. He retired in February 2023.