Former NFL star Eddie George did something that hasn’t been accomplished in 25 years at Tennessee State. The football team’s head coach led the Tigers to the Ohio Valley Conference title.
The Tigers clinched their first conference championship since 1999 with a historic upset over No. 11 Southeastern Missouri. Tennessee State dominated early, building a 21-0 first-half lead en route to a 28-21 victory. Southeastern Missouri’s only previous loss had been to Lindenwood University.
George’s success — guiding TSU to its first playoff appearance since 2013 and orchestrating the major upset — earned him recognition as a finalist for the 2024 Eddie Robinson Award. The honor, announced Monday, is presented annually by Stats Perform to the Football Championship Subdivision national coach of the year. The award, first given in 1987, is named for legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson.
The Tigers (9-3) won seven of their final eight games to earn a share of the Big South/OVC championship with Southeast Missouri, UT Martin and Tennessee Tech. Tennessee State will face Montana (8-4) on Saturday in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
George’s coaching success follows his stellar playing career. He won the Heisman Trophy at Ohio State in 1995 before being drafted by the Houston Oilers (later the Tennessee Titans) in 1996. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards in seven of his nine NFL seasons, finishing with 10,441 career rushing yards and 68 touchdowns. In 2000, he helped lead the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, where they lost to the St. Louis Rams. George was selected to four Pro Bowls during his NFL career.
