NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Titans legend Eddie George celebrated his 51st birthday Tuesday afternoon at practice inside Tennessee State’s indoor facility. The fourth-year Tigers head coach continues to grind away at building a powerful FCS program.
It has been a mission that has even tested the charismatic and accomplished George as Tennessee State University goes through major changes.
“It’s been a big challenge both on and off the football field,” George said. “Trying to impact the lives of young men while also trying to win games but also trying to change the narrative around Tennessee State as a whole.”
It is a tumultuous time at TSU. The school known for its traditions and academic and athletic success has struggled through massive underfunding from the state, multiple audits, housing and scholarship mismanagement and an overhaul of the university’s leadership.
A new school board was appointed this spring which scrapped the ongoing search for university president and then named Ronald A. Johnson as interim president in June. Their mission is to rebuild the school’s foundation and reestablish trust in its leadership.
“(It’s) progress in taking away things that no longer serve the university and fix it from the foundation,” George said. “We have to really strengthen and solidify the foundation in order to build it from there.”
For now, George is just focused on getting his Tigers to bounce back from a disappointing 24-14 loss at Tennessee Tech and get set for a tough challenge Saturday against Charleston Southern. TSU is 2-2 on the season, having won both the John Merritt Classic over Mississippi Valley State and the Southern Heritage Classic against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Despite the loss to Tennessee Tech, the goal remains for this team to compete to win an OVC/Big South championship and fight for the program’s first FCS playoff berth since 2013.
George sits at 17-20 as TSU coach but led the Tigers to their first winning season since 2015 last fall. He believes the program, like the university, is marching towards a place where they can live up to the great traditions and success of the past.
“The progress is certainly not as fast as I would like it to be,” George said. “But sometimes you have to tear down things in order to rebuild it and that’s where we’re at right now. It’s going to be down to bare bones in terms of, okay, we’ve got to get the institution (headed) in the right direction and a byproduct of that will be the athletic department. We’re doing the best we can with the hand that we’re dealt.
The progress is slow and steady, but George believes it’s meaningful. The opportunity to help young people grow into young adults is a major reason why he took the job in the first place.
He hopes the changes at the university level will help the school and the football program find solid ground for a better, more sustainable future.
“Really, it’s taking it day by day,” George said. “And seeing where we’re going to be (as a school) for hopefully the next 50 years.”
