“My wife said why not”: Eddie George shares wife’s influence on decision to take the Tennessee State HC gig

Eddie George was officially hired as the next head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons on Sunday. This is his second head coaching gig after running Tennessee State from 2021 to 2024. Before his gig at Tennessee State, George had no coaching experience.

On Wednesday, George appeared on "The Triple Option" to discuss getting his Tennessee State coaching gig. He talked about his surprise when Tennessee State's president, Glenda Glover, called him offering him the head coaching job.

"I look at the phone like, you do know I've never coached right? What are we talking about? I said, you know what, I'm flattered but I'll think about it," George said (starts at 7:05). "Hung up the phone and said, I'm not gonna do that. My wife said what's the matter? I said, listen, Glenda Glover had the audacity to ask me to be the head coach for her football team."

However, when George told his wife about the phone call, she told him to consider taking the position. Without her, he would not have taken the job.

"I said, come on, I've never coached," he added. "My wife said why not? I started thinking, well what if I did do it and how would I start a program. Ever since then, I started thinking about the impact I could have on these young men to give back to the game that gave so much to me. To prepare them not just for football games, but for life after the games."

Eddie George discusses his mindset before taking the Tennessee State job

Before he was hired at Tennessee State, Eddie George wanted to stay focused on acting and business. However, now that coaching has a hold on him, he is happy he took the opportunity.

"I took the job and fell in love with it," George said. "It was very hard, but the gratification out of seeing the kids and building the program, there's nothing like it."

George will have the opportunity to build a more prestigious program at Bowling Green, which has seen limited success in recent years. The last time the team had double-digit wins was in 2015.