Former Auburn (and Cincinnati) head football coach Tommy Tuberville could take the next step to becoming a United States Senator. He ran in the Alabama Republican primary and is currently in a run-off with former Senator Jeff Sessions. That election is today (Tuesday, July 14th), and polling puts Tuberville as the favorite to win both the runoff and the general election against current Senator Doug Jones. (It is worth noting that runoff polling has been pretty limited. Tuberville does have the endorsement of President Donald Trump, but interestingly enough Trump-backed candidates are 0-2 so far in Alabama Senate races.)
Sessions has not been above making this race about football, mocking Tuberville’s coaching career on multiple occasions.
So, this all got me thinking. What Ohio State coaches could run for office? Would it matter statewide or local? Let’s look at every Buckeye coach since Woody Hayes and what offices they could have run for. No, this is not a serious column analyzing their electoral prospects. Let’s just have some fun with this.
Woody Hayes (1951-1978)
Well, let’s get around the obvious to start: Hayes won’t be winning any political races now, seeing as he passed away three decades ago. That aside (and pretending he’d be younger than 107 today), could Hayes win any political office?
He was beloved during his career but riddled with controversy. The allegations of violence towards players and opponents would haunt him. His 1971 tirade against officials (including tearing up yard markers) would make for excellent opposition campaign video. Hayes was a beloved coach and teacher by so many who knew him, but it’s doubtful that a coalition of just former Ohio State students could carry a coach through to local or statewide office.
Result: Given the recent history between Ohio State and Clemson, perhaps getting fired for punching a Clemson player would make Buckeye fans more sympathetic. But it’s hard to see Coach Hayes winning any election.
Earle Bruce (1979-1987)
Like Hayes, Bruce is no longer alive. He unfortunately passed away two years ago from Alzheimer’s. Both the diagnosis and the death obviously preclude Bruce from running for office, so let’s talk about what he could have done in 2016 and before.
Bruce was a coach his entire life. He managed football teams well, and he was widely-respected and liked. He was a bit more low-profile than the other coaches on this list, which makes sense considering how Hayes’ career ended. Bruce won the Big Ten four times, but never claimed a National Championship and never won the Rose Bowl. In fact, losing the Rose Bowl (with an NC on the line) during the first year of his career probably would have hurt his potential political ambitions. Had the Buckeyes won that game, he could have won anything.
Result: Probably could have won local offices somewhere after retiring. Doesn’t seem competitive statewide.
John Cooper (1988-2000)
Cooper never won the Big Ten outright, never went undefeated, and never challenged for a National Championship. He also couldn’t beat Michigan. He was straightforward and likable, but only so far.
Result: Cooper always performed solidly, but could never finish the job when it counted. He could take primaries, but would never win a general election.
Jim Tressel (2001-2010)
Tressel is a straight-laced, honest, and decent guy, a National Championship-winning coach, and a successful administrator at multiple universities. Yes, his tenure at Ohio State ended under some controversy–-but it’s not the type of controversy that would hurt politically. He was loyal to and protected his players. On top of that, Buckeye fans felt he was given a pretty unfair deal (though getting Urban Meyer out of it made them forget that a little.) If anything, his controversies would help him.
I have no idea what Tressel’s personal politics are. I don’t know what party he would run under, nor do I know if he has any desire to hold political office. I do know one thing, though. If you were to draw up a stereotypical Ohio Senator, it would look like Jim Tressel. (I mean, can anyone really prove that Jim Tressel and Mike DeWine aren’t the same person?)
Result: Run for statewide office (though not Attorney General), Coach. Maybe you’ll join Tommy Tuberville in the Senate.
Luke Fickell (2011)
I can say one thing about Fickell’s year at Ohio State: he was clearly in over his head. Fickell was forced into a terrible situation, but he did not get nearly the results he should have with the talent he was given. Even if it was just a one-year interim stint, Fickell was a disappointment as an Ohio State coach. Based on that, you wouldn’t expect to see him running for office.
However, what he’s done since being an Ohio State head coach has to be mentioned, too. He was a solid defensive coordinator under Urban Meyer, but it’s his current job that could matter.
Fickell has been a very successful coach and revitalized the Cincinnati Bearcats program. He has built a strong defense and gone 2-0 in bowl games behind it, finishing the last two years ranked in the Top 25. Cincinnati, of course, is part of Ohio, and Fickell is building a strong reputation there. He’s also shown loyalty by not (yet) bolting for a Power 5 job. If he keeps that up, his following will only rise.
Result: Nothing statewide, but local offices in the Cincinnati region are worth looking at.
Urban Meyer (2012-2018)
What can I say about Urban Meyer? Beloved as a coach, retired under controversy, but still retains a strong following. His family’s social media posts would be fodder for opponents in any major statewide race, as would his admitted brain issues, but Meyer might just have enough popularity to blow through all that anyway. The whole state doesn’t love football so much to make it a shoo-in or anything close, but enough cares and likes Meyer to keep him competitive. We also know that a Meyer campaign would be nonstop and incredibly specific in targeting voters. The same obsessive competitive nature that burned Meyer out as a head coach would serve him well in running a political campaign.
Result: Statewide campaigns would be tough but incredible to follow. Meyer could easily win elections for United States Congress in about ten of Ohio’s 16 districts.
Ryan Day (2018-present)
It’s too early to tell anything about Day, really, but starting off your coaching career with a 16-0 run, and the only loss being a last-second heartbreaker, bodes well for all of his future endeavors. His recruiting prowess also tells us that he can convince voters, and the incredible recruiting results from his assistants shows that he can build a strong campaign.
Result: Too soon to tell, but there’s huge potential here.
Honorable Mention
He’s not a coach, but former Buckeye wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez is already in Congress. Gonzalez won a competitive Republican primary in the 16th district, and he easily won the general election in November 2018. He’s running again in 2020 in a race that he’s expected to win. It is also noteworthy that, depending on the direction the party takes moving forward, many pundits expect Gonzalez to potentially be a major national player in the Republican Party. I’m not here to comment on the politics of it; I’m just pointing out that there’s already a Buckeye in office, and he’s gaining prominence.