Eddie George facts for kids
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George in 2022
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| Bowling Green Falcons | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Head coach | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | September 24, 1973 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Fork Union Military (Fork Union, Virginia) |
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| College: | Ohio State (1992–1995) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 14 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| As coach: | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||
| Regular season: | 24–21 (.533) | ||||||||||||
| Postseason: | 0–1 (.000) | ||||||||||||
| Career: | 24–22 (.522) | ||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
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College Football Hall of Fame
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Edward "Eddie" Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is a famous American football coach and former player. He was a running back, which means he carried the ball a lot. Eddie is currently the head football coach at Bowling Green State University. Before that, he coached at Tennessee State University from 2021 to 2024.
George played college football at Ohio State University from 1992 to 1995. He then played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, from 1996 to 2004. Most of his time was with the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans team.
Eddie George was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He went to Abington Senior High School and then Fork Union Military Academy. At Ohio State, he became a star player. In 1995, he won the Heisman Trophy, a huge award for college football players. He was later added to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.
The Houston Oilers picked George in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He quickly became a starting running back. In 1999, after the team moved to Tennessee and became the Titans, he helped them reach the Super Bowl XXXIV. He was also chosen for the Pro Bowl, which means he was one of the best players in the league.
After his football career, George earned a special business degree from Northwestern University. He also appeared on TV shows and even performed on Broadway in the musical Chicago.
Contents
Early Life and High School Years
Eddie George was born in Philadelphia. He started playing football when he was young in a league called Pop Warner. He went to Abington Senior High School for a couple of years. Then, he moved to Fork Union Military Academy.
George decided to stay at Fork Union Military Academy for an extra year. This is something high school football players sometimes do to get more attention from colleges. Even though it meant another year of strict military school life, it paid off. In that extra year, George ran for 1,372 yards. This helped him get noticed by many big colleges.
College Football Career
George went to Ohio State University. He studied landscape architecture while playing for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. As a freshman, he scored three touchdowns in a game against Syracuse. However, he had a tough game against Illinois, losing two fumbles that led to touchdowns for the other team.
After those fumbles, George didn't play as much for the rest of his freshman year. In his second year, he was the third-string running back. He only carried the ball 42 times but showed his talent by averaging 5.3 yards per carry. As a junior, George became the main running back. He rushed for 1,442 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.
In his senior year in 1995, George had an amazing season. He rushed for a school record of 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also caught 47 passes for 417 yards. One of his best games was against Notre Dame, where he ran for 207 yards. He also set a school record by rushing for 314 yards against Illinois.
After his freshman year, George rarely fumbled the ball. Ohio State finished the 1995 season with 11 wins and 2 losses. George was named a unanimous All-American, meaning everyone agreed he was one of the best. He won the Heisman Trophy, beating Nebraska's Tommie Frazier by a very close vote. George finished his college career as one of Ohio State's top rushers ever.
College Statistics
| Season | Team | GP | Rushing | Receiving | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | TD | |||
| 1992 | Ohio State | 11 | 37 | 176 | 4.8 | 5 | — | — | — |
| 1993 | Ohio State | 12 | 42 | 223 | 5.3 | 3 | — | — | — |
| 1994 | Ohio State | 13 | 276 | 1,442 | 5.2 | 12 | 16 | 117 | 0 |
| 1995 | Ohio State | 13 | 328 | 1,927 | 5.9 | 24 | 47 | 417 | 1 |
| Career | 49 | 683 | 3,768 | 5.5 | 44 | 63 | 534 | 1 | |
Professional Football Career
Eddie George was picked 14th overall by the Houston Oilers in the 1996 NFL Draft. He quickly became the team's starting running back and never missed a game until 2003. He won the NFL Rookie of the Year award in 1996.
George was chosen for the Pro Bowl four years in a row (1997–2000). In 1999, he helped the Titans (the Oilers had moved to Tennessee and changed their name) reach Super Bowl XXXIV. Even though they lost to the St. Louis Rams, George had a great game, rushing for 95 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Eddie George is one of only two NFL running backs to rush for over 10,000 yards without ever missing a start. Only Walter Payton started more games in a row than George's 130.
George rushed for over 1,000 yards in all but one of his seasons with the Titans. However, carrying the ball so much might have made him less productive later on. In 2004, the Titans released him due to money reasons and some injuries.
Time with the Dallas Cowboys
On July 23, 2004, George signed a one-year contract with the Dallas Cowboys. He started eight games for Dallas while another player, Julius Jones, was out with a shoulder injury. When Jones returned, George became the backup running back. He officially retired from football in 2006.
In his NFL career, Eddie George rushed for 10,441 yards. He also caught 268 passes for 2,227 receiving yards. He scored a total of 78 touchdowns (68 rushing and 10 receiving). In 2019, the Tennessee Titans retired his number 27 jersey, honoring his great career with the team.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1996 | HOU | 16 | 16 | 335 | 1,368 | 4.1 | 76 | 8 | 23 | 182 | 7.9 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 1997 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 357 | 1,399 | 3.9 | 30 | 6 | 7 | 44 | 6.3 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 1998 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 348 | 1,294 | 3.7 | 37T | 5 | 37 | 310 | 8.4 | 29 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| 1999 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 320 | 1,304 | 4.1 | 40 | 9 | 47 | 458 | 9.7 | 54T | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 2000 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 403 | 1,509 | 3.7 | 35T | 14 | 50 | 453 | 9.1 | 24 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| 2001 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 315 | 939 | 3.0 | 27 | 5 | 37 | 279 | 7.5 | 25 | 0 | 8 | 6 |
| 2002 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 343 | 1,165 | 3.4 | 35 | 12 | 36 | 255 | 7.1 | 14T | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | TEN | 16 | 16 | 312 | 1,031 | 3.3 | 27 | 5 | 22 | 163 | 7.4 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2004 | DAL | 13 | 8 | 132 | 432 | 3.3 | 24 | 4 | 9 | 83 | 9.2 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Career | 141 | 136 | 2,865 | 10,441 | 3.6 | 76 | 68 | 268 | 2,227 | 8.3 | 54T | 10 | 37 | 21 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 1999 | TEN | 4 | 4 | 108 | 449 | 4.2 | 68T | 3 | 10 | 72 | 7.2 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000 | TEN | 1 | 1 | 27 | 91 | 3.4 | 15 | 1 | 8 | 52 | 6.5 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | TEN | 2 | 2 | 30 | 100 | 3.3 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 2003 | TEN | 2 | 2 | 41 | 136 | 3.3 | 13 | 0 | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 9 | 9 | 206 | 776 | 3.8 | 68T | 5 | 23 | 149 | 6.5 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 4 | |
Titans Franchise Records
Eddie George holds many records for the Titans team. He has the most career rushing attempts and rushing yards. He also holds records for rushing attempts and yards in playoff games. George is known for scoring many touchdowns and having many games where he rushed for over 100 yards.
Coaching Career
On April 13, 2021, Eddie George was named the head coach at Tennessee State University. He signed a five-year contract for this role. In 2024, his fourth year as head coach, George was named the Big South–OVC Coach of the Year. His team also won the Big South–OVC championship that year.
For the 2025 season, George was hired as the head coach of Bowling Green State University. This team plays in the Mid-American Conference.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee State Tigers (Ohio Valley Conference) (2021–2022) | |||||||||
| 2021 | Tennessee State | 5–6 | 3–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 2022 | Tennessee State | 4–7 | 2–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| Tennessee State Tigers (Big South–OVC Football Association) (2023–2024) | |||||||||
| 2023 | Tennessee State | 6–5 | 2–4 | T–6th | |||||
| 2024 | Tennessee State | 9–4 | 6–2 | T–1st | L NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| Tennessee State: | 24–22 | 13–12 | |||||||
| Bowling Green Falcons (Mid-American Conference) (2025–present) | |||||||||
| 2025 | Bowling Green | 0–0 | 0–0 | ||||||
| Bowling Green: | 0–0 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Total: | 24–22 | ||||||||
Personal Life and Other Activities
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After retiring from football, Eddie George continued his education. He went back to Ohio State to finish his bachelor's degree in landscape architecture. He also earned a special business degree from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
In 2006, George became a spokesperson for Tennessee's GetFitTN program. This program helps people live healthier lives and prevent type 2 diabetes. He even ran a half marathon in 2007, wearing his old jersey number 27. He said finishing the race was tougher than playing in the NFL!
In 2004, George married American singer and actress Tamara "Taj" Johnson. She was part of the music group SWV. She also appeared on the TV reality show Survivor, where Eddie surprised her with a visit.
On September 15, 2019, the Tennessee Titans retired Eddie George's number 27 jersey. This was a special ceremony to honor his amazing career with the team. His former teammate, Steve McNair, also had his number 9 jersey retired at the same time.
See also
- List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders
