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Tennessee Almost Hired Controversial Ex-NFL Head Coach

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Spencer Ostrow | Last updated Nov 15, 2024 11:10 AM ET

The Tennessee Volunteers were a powerhouse in college football during the 1990s and early 2000s. Under head coach Phillip Fulmer, the Vols won a national championship, added three SEC titles, and became one of the most consistent programs in the country.

Fulmer’s final season didn’t go as planned, with the Vols finishing 5-7 in 2008. That led Tennessee to start looking for a new head coach in 2009.

After their last 10-win season in 2007, the Vols went through years of struggles under Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, Butch Jones. and Jeremy Pruitt. The Vols finally broke through again with a 10-win season in 2022 under Josh Heupel.

But what if the Vols had hired a controversial and Super Bowl-winning head coach during those down years?

On Friday, former NFL head coach Jon Gruden, who was pressured to resign from his last coaching position, appeared on "Pardon My Take" and revealed just how close he came to taking the Tennessee head coaching job.

“My wife cheered at Tennessee," Gruden said. "I love Tennessee. I was a graduate coach there, and I did talk to the Athletic Director. And I don’t look up to anybody more than I look up to Peyton Manning and Kenny Chesney. Those are two of my favorite Tennessee guys. And I was very interested in doing it.”

Gruden's further comments about ESPN's Monday Night Football suggested he was offered the job when Tennessee was looking for a new head coach after the 2012 college football season. He worked on Monday Night Football from 2011-14.

Instead of Gruden "pulling the trigger" at the time, the Vols settled for Jones.

“At that time I was having so much fun on Monday Night Football with Mike Tirico I couldn’t take any other job,” Gruden added. "I almost did consider pulling the trigger there.”

Gruden spent 15 years as an NFL head coach, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl win and coaching the Raiders in two separate stints—first in Oakland and later in Las Vegas.

His coaching career came to an abrupt end in 2021 when leaked emails from 2011-18 revealed he had used sexist, misogynistic, and racist language about NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, as well as many others.

As a result, he resigned.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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