Bowling Green gave Urban Meyer his first head coaching opportunity in 2001, a decision that paid off tremendously well for both sides. Meyer guided the Falcons to a 17–6 record over two seasons, parlaying it to the job at Utah. After BGSU's head coaching job opened late in the cycle, Meyer helped pay it forward, connecting the Ohio-based MAC program with a former Heisman winner at his final coaching stop, Ohio State.
After losing coach Scot Loeffler to the quarterbacks coach opening with the Philadelphia Eagles, Bowling Green moved quickly, naming Eddie George as new coach on Monday. George, a legendary Heisman-winner with the Buckeyes and two-time All-Pro with the Tennessee Titans, spent the last four years leading Tennessee State—an HBCU at the FCS level.
During his introduction as Falcons coach, George recalled receiving a call from Meyer as he drove through Bowling Green, Ky., a city roughly seven hours from his new home, while he was heading from the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis back to Nashville. He took it as a sign from God.
“Honestly, I wasn't looking for another opportunity. I was committed to finishing off my job at Tennessee State. Going into the last year of my contract, that was my focus," George said. "... I see the sign, Bowling Green, and I looked down on my phone. It said, ‘Message from Urban Meyer,’ talking about, 'Are you interested in the Bowling Green job?' And I put the phone down, I was like, ‘Oh boy. What are you trying to say?’”
Meyer served as matchmaker on both sides of the equation, after athletic director Derek van der Merwe asked him for some potential names for the job.
"After talking to Urban Meyer, he said I only have one name for you." van der Merwe said at the press conference, per FootballScoop. "I want you to talk to Eddie George. I said, ‘The Heisman Trophy winner, right?’ He says yeah. He says, ‘Don't look at anything. Don't read anything on him. Don't read his background. Talk to him. Talk to the human being.’
“After meeting with Eddie George during the search process, it became very clear to me that Eddie checked every aspect of that profile that we created. Eddie is someone who cares about people, values personal growth and development. He defines himself by his ability to adapt, adjust, and have success in every aspect of his life.”
George took over Tennessee State, a program in the Ohio Valley Conference, in 2021, elevating them from 2–5 in 2020 to 5–6 the following year. After two more bumpy years, George's Tigers broke through, winning a share of the conference and earning an FCS playoff berth, finishing 9–4 on the year.
George discussed the challenges that presented themselves at Tennessee State. That experience should serve him well at Bowling Green, which has been one of the most difficult jobs in FBS at times, but has also helped coaches like Meyer launch their careers.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Urban Meyer Helped Bowling Green Land Ohio State Legend Eddie George As New Coach.
