Eddie George Takes On Another Challenge
Eddie George has tried his hand in a number of ventures since he retired as a football player.
Coaching was not one of them. Until now.
The Tennessee Titans’ all-time leading rusher is the new head coach for Tennessee State University, an HBCU institution in Nashville that has had ties with the NFL franchise since its relocation from Houston in 1997, according to multiple reports Sunday.
The move makes him the latest high-profile athlete (current or former) to lend his talent and/or his influence directly to HBCU institutions. Jackson State hired Deion Sanders last year to be its football coach while others such as Steph Curry and Peyton Manning have made significant financial commitments.
George, 47, has become a case study in how an athlete can find new challenges and motivation after he has finished playing. In his case, he has become an accomplished actor who has appeared on Broadway and on television, a businessman who has developed successful ventures and an investment advisor for young athletes even though he admittedly struggled with his identity immediately after his nine-year career ended in 2004.
In 2015, he talked about a possible return to football – as an NFL owner.
"My dream is to be an owner of the Titans and bring a Super Bowl to Nashville," George told WZTV (Fox 17) then. "To build a new state-of-the-art stadium which doesn't have that corporate feel and creates a great fan experience. If Indianapolis can do it, why can't we? Think of the economic impact bringing the Super Bowl to this town would make. It would be unreal and the city is ready for that."
That has not happened, but he has remained close to the franchise that drafted him 14th overall in 1996 and for which he rushed for 10,009 yards – and never missed a game – in nine seasons. George frequently has lent his acting skills to Titans hype videos in recent seasons, particularly the 2019 playoff run that ended with a loss in the AFC Championship.
Tennessee retired his No. 27 at the 2019 home-opener.
When the Titans moved to Nashville as the Tennessee Oilers in 1997, they held training camp on TSU’s campus for two years. The school’s football program, which competes at the FCS level, plays some home games every year at Nissan Stadium, where it has a permanent locker room a short distance from where George and his teammates dressed during his playing days.
George will replace Rod Reed, who played for TSU from 1984-88 and returned to the school as defensive coordinator in 2003. Reed has been head coach for 11 seasons. The news of the pending coaching change broke while the Tigers were playing the final game of their 2020 season, which was delayed by COVID-19 and consisted of seven games.
