Twelve days ago, Ohio State University football coach Jim Tressel honored a former recruit who never played a down for the Buckeyes.

In a quiet, simple ceremony at Rogers High School, Mr. Tressel presented Jeanelle Sturdivant, the mother of deceased Rogers football star Drushaun Humphrey, with a national championship ring commemorating Ohio State's 14-0 season.

Mr. Humphrey, who rushed for 1,222 yards and 21 touchdowns as a junior running back, died of an apparent heart attack while playing basketball on April 30, 2001.

He would have been part of Mr. Tressel's second recruiting class at OSU. The coach thought so highly of the powerful 6-3, 240-pounder with sprinter's speed that he offered him a scholarship before his senior year, based on that one season at Rogers.

Following the Buckeyes' double-overtime victory over Miami in the Fiesta Bowl in January, associate athletic director Archie Griffin approached Mr. Tressel with an interesting proposition:

What about ordering a national championship ring for Mr. Humphrey and presenting it to his family?

Although Mr. Tressel didn't know Mr. Humphrey personally, Mr. Griffin had met the youngster at a football camp. Mr. Tressel liked the idea and gave Mr. Griffin the go-ahead to petition the NCAA for a ring for Mr. Humphrey, who would have been a member of last year's freshman class at OSU.

When Mr. Tressel scheduled a recruiting visit to Rogers on May 20 to meet with coach Rick Rios regarding senior-to-be wide receiver Fred Davis, it afforded him with the perfect opportunity to deliver Mr. Humphrey's ring.

Mr. Rios called Ms. Sturdivant with the news April 30 - ironically, the anniversary of Drushaun's death. Ms. Sturdivant said she was emotionally overwhelmed - both by the timing of the call and by the unsolicited display of kindness shown by Ohio State.

“I have my bad days and my good days. Some days I really struggle,” Ms. Sturdivant said of coming to grips with her son's death. “The pain never goes away.

“When Coach Rios called me on Drushaun's anniversary, I didn't really relate the date to what he was telling me,” she said. “I thought he was calling to cheer me up. I was in shock at first. I didn't expect anything like that. I mean, why? He didn't get to play there.

“It was a wonderful gesture.”

When Mr. Rios informed Ms. Sturdivant of Mr. Tressel's impending visit, she surprised herself when she told Mr. Rios she wanted to meet Mr. Tressel.

Originally, Mr. Tressel intended to give the ring to Mr. Rios while visiting with the Rogers coach to discuss young Davis, one of the top high school players in America.

“This was the coach my son would have played for in college,” said Ms. Sturdivant, her voice growing quiet.

Ms. Sturdivant and Mr. Tressel met for about 20 minutes, making small talk and visiting the Rogers gymnasium and trophy case where Drushaun's football memorabilia is prominently displayed. It was her first visit to Rogers in two years.

Of special interest to Ms. Sturdivant was an Ohio State football jersey with Mr. Humphrey's No. 6 enclosed in a frame, which Mr. Tressel presented shortly after Drushaun's death.

“I saw the jersey before, but I never saw it hanging on the wall,” she said.

Ms. Sturdivant thanked Mr. Tressel for everything.

“I told him, `You didn't have to do this.' Coach Tressel told me it wasn't his idea, that Archie Griffin deserves all the credit,” Ms. Sturdivant said.

That's a compliment to Mr. Tressel's practice of routinely deflecting credit to others. And why Ms. Sturdivant and Mr. Rios believe Mr. Tressel and the Buckeyes are sincere with their gesture.

The easy and cynical assumption to make is that Mr. Tressel presented the ring to strengthen Ohio State's chances of signing young Davis.

Not so, according to Mr. Rios.

“Coach Tressel didn't want anyone to know about this,” Rios Mr. said. “He could have made it into a big deal, but he wanted to keep it quiet. This was between him and Drushaun's family.”

Mr. Tressel, with his low-keyed demeanor and his life-before-football viewpoint, declined comment for this column. According to Ohio State athletic spokesman Steve Snapp, Mr. Tressel considers the ring ceremony to be a private matter and not for media consumption.

“Coach Tressel's a very personable guy. He's not the one who recruited Drushaun. [John] Cooper actually recruited him. Coach Tressel didn't have to come here,” Ms. Sturdivant said.

“He was nothing like I thought he would be. He made me feel at ease. He didn't ask questions. We just talked. We talked about the funeral [which Mr. Tressel attended]. He talked about how the pastors spoke about Drushaun going back to church and how the kids at the service were all affected by his death.”

They even discussed Ohio State's never-a-dull-moment running back Maurice Clarett, who would have been Drushaun's teammate and major competition at running back.

“He told me, `You've got to stay on him,'” said Ms. Sturdivant, laughing at the memory. “I said, `Him and Drushaun both.'”

When Mr. Tressel presented Drushaun's national championship ring to Ms. Sturdivant in Mr. Rios' office, she looked at it for a moment - before pushing it back.

“I just looked at it. It was overwhelming. It was beautiful,” Ms. Sturdivant said. “But actually I was uncomfortable. I started to push it back to coach Tressel.”

Ms. Sturdivant had one simple question for Mr. Tressel and Mr. Rios: “What am I supposed to do with this ring?”

“Coach Rios told me, `It's yours, Momma,'” Ms. Sturdivant said.

So she kept it because of her love for Drushaun and because some important people who cared about her son went through a lot of trouble to honor him.

“Coach Tressel told me the rest of the team won't get their rings until later. They special-ordered Drushaun's ring,” Ms. Sturdivant said proudly.

One half of the huge diamond-studded ring, which includes the inscription of Drushaun's name, details Ohio State's Fiesta Bowl win over Miami in the national championship game. The other half details the regular-season victory over Michigan.

“Coach Tressel said that when you beat Michigan, you've got to put that on your ring,” Ms. Sturdivant said.

When she regains control of her emotions, Ms. Sturdivant said she'll write a thank-you letter to Ohio State.

“I have to get my thoughts together first. I mean, how can you thank somebody for doing something like this?”

First Published June 1, 2003, 11:00 a.m.