Former Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George may have retired from playing, but he isn’t done with football. In 2021, George took over as the head football coach for the Tennessee State Tigers, a member of the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference.
His first two seasons as head coach were both losing seasons, but when the Big South and OVC merged, the Tigers started winning. This year, George led his Tigers to their first nine-win season in a decade, and first place in the conference, sending them to their first playoff appearance since 2013.
The Tigers performance was so impressive in 2024 that George was named the Big South-OVC coach of the year. From HBCUSports.com:
Recognized as the Stats Perform HBCU Team of the Week twice this season, Tennessee State enters the postseason ranked in both national FCS Top 25 polls.
The Tigers scored 40 points in a game four times this season, had a four-game win streak from Sept. 28 to Oct. 19, and did not lose consecutive games all season.
Tennessee State ranks ninth in the country with 7.3 tackles-for-loss, had three defensive touchdowns, recovered 10 fumbles and owns the FCS top kickoff return average (26.79). Tennessee State quarterbacks have thrown the fewest interceptions (7), ranked first in the conference in passing defense (195.8) and pass efficiency defense (116.15), and lost the fewest turnovers (15).
Eddie George played for the Titans from 1996-2003, and was part of the transition from Houston to Nashville. He was the NFL AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1996, appeared in four Pro Bowls, and is widely recognized as one of the greatest running backs in NFL history who is still Tennessee’s all-time leading rusher.
