Tommy Tuberville facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tommy Tuberville
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Official portrait, 2023
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| United States Senator from Alabama |
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| Assumed office January 3, 2021 Serving with Katie Britt
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| Preceded by | Doug Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Hawley Tuberville
September 18, 1954 Camden, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 2 |
| Education | Southern Arkansas University (BS) |
| Website | |
| Coaching career | |
| Playing career | |
| 1972–1975 | Southern State |
| Position(s) | Safety |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1976–1977 | Hermitage HS (AR) (assistant) |
| 1978–1979 | Hermitage HS (AR) |
| 1980–1984 | Arkansas State (DB/NG/LB) |
| 1986–1992 | Miami (FL) (assistant) |
| 1993 | Miami (FL) (DC) |
| 1994 | Texas A&M (DC/LB) |
| 1995–1998 | Ole Miss |
| 1999–2008 | Auburn |
| 2010–2012 | Texas Tech |
| 2013–2016 | Cincinnati |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 159–99 (college) 9–10 (high school) |
| Bowls | 7–6 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1× SEC (2004) 1× The American (2014) 5× SEC Western Division (2000–2002, 2004–2005) |
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| Awards | |
| 1× AP Coach of the Year (2004) 1× AFCA Coach of the Year (2004) 1× Paul "Bear" Bryant Award (2004) 1× Sporting News College Football COY (2004) 1× Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2004) 2× SEC Coach of the Year (1997, 2004) |
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Thomas Hawley Tuberville (born September 18, 1954) is an American politician and former college football coach. He has been a United States senator for Alabama since 2021. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Before becoming a senator, Tuberville was a successful head football coach. He coached at the University of Mississippi (1995–1998), Auburn University (1999–2008), Texas Tech University (2010–2012), and the University of Cincinnati (2013–2016).
In 2004, after Auburn's perfect 13–0 season, Tuberville won five national coach-of-the-year awards. His team won the Southeastern Conference title and the Sugar Bowl. He achieved his 100th career win in 2007. Tuberville is the only Auburn football coach to beat their rival, Alabama, six times in a row. He also served as president of the American Football Coaches Association in 2015.
In 2020, Tuberville ran for the U.S. Senate in Alabama. He won the Republican primary and then defeated the Democratic senator, Doug Jones. He became a strong supporter of President Donald Trump. In 2023, Tuberville paused the promotions of many senior officers in the U.S. military for 10 months. He did this to protest a policy from the Defense Department.
In May 2025, Tuberville announced he would run for governor of Alabama in 2026 instead of seeking reelection to the Senate.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Tuberville was born and grew up in Camden, Arkansas. He was one of three children. He finished high school at Harmony Grove High School in 1972.
He went to Southern State College, which is now Southern Arkansas University. There, he played football as a safety and was on the golf team for two years. He earned a degree in physical education in 1976. In 2008, he was honored by being inducted into the Southern Arkansas University Sports Hall of Fame and the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Coaching Career
Starting as a Coach
Tuberville began his coaching career at Hermitage High School in Arkansas. He then became an assistant coach at Arkansas State University. Later, he worked at the University of Miami, starting as a graduate assistant. He eventually became the defensive coordinator in 1993. During his time there (1986–1994), the team won three national championships.
In 1994, Tuberville became the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M University. The Aggies had a great season that year, with 10 wins and only one tie.
Coaching at Ole Miss
Tuberville got his first head coaching job at the University of Mississippi ("Ole Miss") in 1994. Even though the Rebels team had some challenges, he was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 1997.
At Ole Miss, Tuberville was known for his bold play-calling, earning him the nickname "Riverboat Gambler." He was also involved in efforts to stop the use of Confederate flags at football games. He believed it made it harder to recruit new players.
After the 1998 season, Tuberville said he would not leave Ole Miss. However, less than a week later, he announced he was moving to coach at Auburn.
Coaching at Auburn
Tuberville became the head coach at Auburn University in Alabama after the 1998 season. He led the Tigers to the top of the SEC. They won an SEC championship and the Western Division title in 2004. Under his leadership, the Tigers played in eight bowl games in a row.
In 2004, Auburn had a perfect 13–0 season. They won the SEC title and beat Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Tuberville received many awards, including the Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award.
In 2005, even after losing many key players, Tuberville led Auburn to a 9–3 record. They ended the season with wins over rivals Georgia and Alabama.
Tuberville had a winning record against Auburn's biggest rival, Alabama (7–3). He led Auburn to six straight wins over Alabama, which was the longest winning streak in that rivalry since 1982. He was known for winning big games against top-ranked teams.
After the 2008 season, with a 5–7 record, Tuberville resigned from Auburn. He received a payment of $5.1 million after leaving. After leaving Auburn, he worked as a football analyst for ESPN. He also had a small role in the movie The Blind Side.
Coaching at Texas Tech
On December 31, 2009, Tuberville showed interest in becoming the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He was officially named head coach on January 9, 2010. In his first season, he led Texas Tech to a bowl game win. This was a 45–38 victory over Northwestern in the TicketCity Bowl.
In January 2011, Tuberville received a contract extension and a raise. This brought his salary to $2 million per year through the 2015 season. He also helped bring in one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in Texas Tech history in 2011.
In November 2012, during a game, Tuberville had an incident with a graduate assistant. He later apologized, saying he wanted to set a better example. He left Texas Tech with a record of 20 wins and 17 losses.
Coaching at Cincinnati
On December 8, 2012, Tuberville resigned from Texas Tech to become the head coach at the University of Cincinnati. He signed a $2.2 million contract. Cincinnati's athletic director, Whit Babcock, had worked with Tuberville before and they were friends.
In 2013, his first season with Cincinnati, Tuberville led the Bearcats to a 9–4 record. His 2014 team also had a 9–4 record and won a share of the American Athletic Conference championship. He resigned as head coach of Cincinnati on December 4, 2016, after a 4–8 season. He left Cincinnati with a record of 29 wins and 22 losses.
Tommy Tuberville Foundation
In 2014, Tuberville started the Tommy Tuberville Foundation. Its goal was to help military members and veterans, raise awareness for health issues, and support education.
Records showed that the foundation raised money but spent a small percentage on charitable causes. Foundation officials said that volunteer work and donated materials were not fully reflected in the tax filings. In 2023, a spokesperson for Tuberville said the foundation was being audited and would be reformed.
U.S. Senate
Elections
2020 Election
In August 2018, Tuberville moved to Alabama to run for the U.S. Senate in 2020. He announced his candidacy in April 2019. His campaign was quiet, with few public appearances. He strongly supported President Donald Trump.
Tuberville has stated his views on various topics. He supports building a wall on the border with Mexico. He believes in reducing the national debt by cutting social programs, but not Social Security or Medicare. He has expressed skepticism about the science of climate change.
In the Republican primary on March 3, 2020, Tuberville received the most votes but not over 50%. This led to a runoff election against former Senator Jeff Sessions. On March 10, President Trump endorsed Tuberville. Tuberville won the runoff election on July 14 with 60.7% of the vote.
As the Republican candidate, Tuberville was expected to win the general election. He was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee. On November 3, he defeated Senator Jones with 60.1% of the vote.
After the election, Tuberville made some comments that drew criticism. For example, he incorrectly stated the three branches of the U.S. federal government.
2026 Election
In May 2025, Tuberville announced he would run for governor of Alabama in 2026. This meant he would not seek reelection for his Senate seat.
Time in Office
Tuberville was one of six Republican senators who voted against expanding the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. This act would allow the U.S. Justice Department to review hate crimes related to COVID-19. In February 2022, Tuberville said proposals to ban lawmakers from trading stocks were "ridiculous."
In May 2022, Tuberville introduced a bill called the Financial Freedom Act of 2022. This bill would allow cryptocurrency to be included in individual retirement accounts.
At a rally in October 2022, Tuberville made comments about Democrats that were widely criticized as inaccurate. He was among the senators who voted against the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. He said the bill did not go far enough to fix the budget.
In June 2024, Tuberville called Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator." He also said that Russian president Vladimir Putin "doesn't want Ukraine."
Objections to the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election
After taking office in January 2021, Tuberville joined other Republican senators. They announced they would formally object to counting electoral votes for President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election. This was part of an effort to challenge the election results.
On January 6, when the Electoral College count was happening, supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol. This forced officials to leave their chambers. The count continued later that evening.
Tuberville voted to object to electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania, which Biden had won. These objections were defeated by the Senate. The count finished on January 7, confirming Biden's victory.
Military Nominations Hold
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In December 2022, after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a new policy, Tuberville said he would pause all military promotions. The policy allowed service members to get travel cost reimbursement for certain medical procedures. Tuberville announced his hold on "civilian, flag, and general officer nominations" in February 2023. He called the policy an "illegal expansion of DoD authority."
Over the next few months, Tuberville's hold stopped hundreds of senior military positions from being filled. The Pentagon said this limited the department's ability to ensure the right leaders were in place. By August 2023, over 300 generals, admirals, and policy officials had not been confirmed. The hold also affected the appointments of new leaders for the Marine Corps, Army, and Navy.
On September 20, the Senate worked around Tuberville's hold to confirm three top officers. This included the Joint Chiefs chairman and the Marine Corps commandant. However, the hold still prevented the Marine Corps commandant from appointing a deputy.
On December 5, 2023, Tuberville mostly lifted his hold. This allowed 425 military officers to be promoted. He kept his hold on 11 officers nominated for four-star positions. On December 19, he lifted the hold on the final 11 officers, ending the matter.
Comments on White Nationalists
In May 2023, Tuberville was asked if white nationalists should be allowed to serve in the military. He said the Biden administration "call[s] them that. I call them Americans." Later, his staff clarified that he was questioning if there were white nationalists in the military, not that he supported them serving.
In July 2023, Tuberville was asked about his comments again. He initially called the definition of a white nationalist an "opinion." He also denied that white nationalists are inherently racist. The next day, Tuberville changed his statement, saying, "White nationalists are racists."
Threats Against Tuberville
In June 2023, a person was arrested for threatening a member of Congress. The charges were linked to Tuberville's hold on military promotions.
In October 2023, a retired Air Force general made a comment about Tuberville on social media. Some people thought it was a call for violence. Tuberville reported the comment to the United States Capitol Police.
On December 24, 2023, Tuberville was targeted by "swatting." This is when someone makes a false report to emergency services to send a SWAT team to a person's home. Other politicians were also targeted during this time.
Committee Assignments
As of February 1, 2023, Tuberville serves on several important Senate committees:
- Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
- Committee on Armed Services
- Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
- Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Personal Life
Tuberville married Vicki Lynn Harris in 1976, and they later divorced. In 1991, he married Suzanne Fette. They have two sons. His elder son, Tucker, played quarterback at Texas Tech and Cincinnati. He also played for Auburn.
Tuberville enjoys NASCAR, golf, football, hunting, and fishing. He also likes country and western music.
In August 2023, reports suggested that Tuberville lives in Florida, not Auburn, Alabama. The United States Constitution requires senators to live in the state they represent. However, Alabama only requires a candidate to live in the state for one day to run for office.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2023
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From left to right, Jack Siedlecki, Mark Richt, Randy Shannon, Tommy Tuberville, and Charlie Weis with President George W. Bush in May 2008.
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Tuberville before the 2007 Vanderbilt game, his 100th career win.
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Tuberville during the 2011 Texas Tech Red Raiders Spring Game.
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In the 2020 U.S. Senate race, Tuberville defeated incumbent Sen. Doug Jones.
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Tuberville during the 117th Congress: First official portrait soon after being sworn in.
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Another portrait of Tuberville during the 117th Congress, alluding to his earlier career as a football coach.
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Tuberville speaks with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in June 2021.
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Tuberville with his son Tucker at the inauguration of Joe Biden.
See also
In Spanish: Tommy Tuberville para niños
