E. Gordon Gee Retires As Ohio State President, Ends Notable, Lavishly Accommodated Career

E. Gordon Gee, 69, will retire as (the) president of (the) Ohio State University effective July 1st. His career was certainly notable once the 24-hour sports media got a hold of him. Here are a few highlights.

Expenses: Gordon Gee was not a cheap date. A report revealed Gee earned $1.9 million in salary and ran up $1.7 million in expenses at Ohio State in 2011. Said expenses included $64,000 on bow ties and a $532 shower curtain. The school spent $1.3 million renovating the president’s house. For Gee, this was slumming it. He spent $6 million on his personal abode at Vanderbilt and $3 million at Brown.

Catholics, Kentuckians and Thugs: In one “poor attempt at humor,” Gee offended both Catholics, Kentuckians and SEC fans. He also called Bret Bielema a thug. Well, he asserted that someone else called Bret Bielema a thug, but same difference. While he may not have been able to trust Catholics, he was an avowed fan of the Jews.

I Just Hope the Coach Doesn’t Dismiss Me: Ohio State reaffirmed its commitment to Jim Tressel at a press conference when the initial NCAA scandal broke. When asked if Jim Tressel would be fired, Gee responded “Are you kidding me? Let me be clear. I just hope the coach doesn’t dismiss me?”

Little Sisters of the Poor: Gee claimed schools such as Boise State and TCU did not deserve BCS bids because they played “Little Sister of the Poor” while Ohio State played “fine schools.” Ohio State would receive a BCS bid in 2011, ahead of Boise State, with a weaker strength of schedule. He visited the Little Sisters of the Poor personally to apologize.