Longtime athletics department volunteer, Athletics Hall of Fame honoree, and volunteer assistant swim coach Dave Tressel died on Feb. 11. He was 70 years old. 

The son of alumni and benefactors Lee and Eloise Tressel, for whom Berea’s Tressel Street is named, Tressel earned his undergraduate degree from BW in 1973 and a master’s in education in 1978. According to his bio on the BW athletics website, Tressel had lent his support to athletics department causes since the 1970s. The 2020-21 Swimming and Diving season marked his seventh year on the coaching staff.  

“In Dave’s passing, Baldwin Wallace and the Berea community lost a most faithful servant, friend and mentor,” Athletics Director Steve Thompson said in a statement following Tressel’s passing. “Dave had that unique ability to instantly connect with people of all ages.” 

Tressel was active in the greater Berea community as well, serving as a teacher and swim coach with Berea area school’s Roehm Middle School and Berea High School for over 35 years, in addition to 45 years as a summer swimming instructor for the Berea Recreation Department.   

“The impact of [Tressel’s] passion for public education, his leadership, and kindness will have a lasting legacy,” the Berea City School District said in a statement. 

Tressel served on the Berea School Board, the Baldwin Wallace Alumni Council, the Berea Kiwannis Club, Coe Lake Nature Trail Committee, and Berea Historical Society board. 

A viewing was held for Tressel inside BW’s Ursprung Gymnasium on Feb. 18.