Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville is part of a new batch of candidates for the College Football Hall of Fame 2024 induction class, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced Monday.
Tuberville coached at the highest level of college football for over 20 years, notably at the University of Mississippi and Auburn University, the organization noted in its announcement. He posted around a 62% win percentage over his entire career, which landed him seventh all-time in Ole Miss wins and fourth all-time at Auburn University. At Ole Miss, he earned the nickname “The Riverboat Gambler” for his coaching style, and the Associated Press named him SEC coach of the year in 1997.
Tuberville saw the Auburn Tigers run through the competition to a perfect 13-0 season in 2004 and a Sugar Bowl victory over Virginia Tech. He was named the 2004 National Coach of the Year for his own coaching performance with the SEC Champions and No. 2 overall team in the country the same year.
CINCINNATI, OH – NOVEMBER 5: Head Coach Tommy Tuberville of the Cincinnati Bearcats walks off of the field after calling a timeout during the fourth quarter of the game against the BYU Cougars at Nippert Stadium on November 5, 2016 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
Tuberville’s career continued through Texas Tech and ended with the Cincinnati Bearcats in 2016. The senator was one of the top 50 winningest coaches in college football history when he retired.
After his coaching career, Tuberville emerged victorious over former state senator and attorney general Jeffrey Sessions. He then defeated incumbent Democratic state Sen. Doug Jones in the general election of 2020, and is currently serving as the senior senator from Alabama after Republican state Sen. Katie Britt’s election in 2022.