In light of former college football coach Tommy Tuberville’s run for U.S. Senate, let’s consider which current football bosses would excel on Capitol Hill.
Former college football head coach Tommy Tuberville announced in early April that he run for a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama as a Republican in 2020, challenging Democratic incumbent Doug Jones.
Jones won this seat, which was formerly filled by ex-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in a December 2017 special election against Republican nominee Roy Moore. The special election race against the twice-removed former Alabama Chief Justice was marred by allegations of sexual assault, bringing national attention to Alabama. Jones will seek re-election, and current U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne (Rep. Mobile) will also run in the Republican primary for this Senate position.
Tuberville served as head coach for Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati over a 41-year football coaching career. Some of Tuberville’s notable achievements include becoming the only Auburn coach to beat Alabama six times in a row and leading a12-0 Auburn team in 2004 that was left out of the BCS title game (which was later vacated by USC). Tuberville has amassed a 159-99 overall record as head coach, including one SEC title and seven bowl game wins.
This brings us to the important question: Which current college football coaches could serve as effective politicians? Try as they might to stay away from political debates and divisive rhetoric, good coaches in football-crazy parts of the country might have an inherent advantage in running for office in terms of name recognition and brand exposure, lack of experience notwithstanding.
In the notable 2017 Senate special election for this same seat, Alabama head coach Nick Saban received 421 write-in votes even though he wasn’t even running for the position. After his time with the Cornhuskers, former Nebraska head coach Tom Osborne notably served three terms as a U.S. Representative and Republican from the state’s third district.
And, who’s to say that some of these popular coaches wouldn’t be fine public servants? If they can counsel young adults, win on-field chess matches, curry donations from wealthy boosters, and present an appealing image to local and national media, why can’t they be capable of holding political office?
Here’s a list of coaches to consider.
10. Ken Niumatalolo, Navy — U.S. Senator from Hawaii
How about a two-time AAC Coach of the Year who has won nearly 100 games at the U.S. Naval Academy, hardly a college football powerhouse? Seems like a great political candidate in the making.
For a native Hawaiian who has coached the Midshipmen since 2007, Niumatalolo is an ideal fit for the U.S. Senate’s Armed Services Committee. For that insightful report that you wanted to military spending or the tough interview questions for a new leadership candidate, look no further than Niumatalolo.
Niumatalolo, 53, is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. As a Mormon, he has held several leadership roles in the church. If Niumatalolo were to join from his native state, he would become the fifth Mormon member of U.S. Congress.
9. Mike Leach, Washington State — U.S. Secretary of State
There might be a number of political positions that fit the bill for Mike Leach, a man of many talents and interests. Why not U.S. Secretary of State?
Leach’s class at Washington State this spring, “Leadership Lessons in Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies”, has drawn a considerable amount of news coverage. Leach created the class with Spokane County Treasurer Mike Baumgartner, who once worked for the U.S. State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Student applicants for the class were asked to answer the following questions in 200 words: “Can the British strategy in the Malaya insurgency be used today? Is the wishbone a potentially viable offense for the NFL? Why or why not?”
For a man who’s already adept at matching football strategy with geopolitical tactics, Leach is the ideal candidate among current big-time college football coaches to represent U.S. interests abroad.
8. Les Miles, Kansas — U.S. Vice President
Les Miles, after well-publicized stints at Oklahoma State and LSU, is picking up the reins in Lawrence, Kansas for the 2019 season after having compiled a 142-55 record as head coach.
Will the turf-chewing, zany, clock-stopping-or-not-stopping Miles last long in one of the worst spots for a Power Five football coach? Hard to say. The better question might be: What should Miles put his mind toward after his time as a Jayhawk?
“The Mad Hatter” fits a lot of demographics that tend to swing U.S. elections these days: he’s a Baby Boomer at age 65, born in Elyria, Ohio before attending the University of Michigan. You might not want to trust him with the playcalling or the clock management (or nuclear codes, or point of contact with other nations’ leaders), but you might benefit from having him on your ticket. Ohio and Michigan are two states in particular with meaty electoral vote counts in the heart of the country.
This is how Les Miles, while at LSU, spoke about a family vacation:
“I went to Austin, took my three children with me, so we had six, two parents and four children on that campus. It was miserable. I hated it. But it was great fun. I mean, it was not a beach, it was not sand, but it was my family, and that was the best.”
Sounds like a politician. Get this man to a campaign rally.
7. David Shaw, Stanford — U.S. Senator from California
David Shaw was coached by Bill Walsh, among others, as a Stanford wide receiver in the early 1990s before returning to coach at his alma mater. He also participated on the basketball and track & field teams for the Cardinal.
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Since 2011, Shaw has taken one of America’s most veritable academic institutions to an 82-26 mark, a remarkable feat. He has been named Pac-12 Coach of the Year four times and has won three conference championships.
Born in San Diego, Shaw is only 46 years old has a long potential political career ahead of him. Why not get started as a U.S. Senator? Shaw, the son of a college football head coach, has rubbed shoulders with leaders all his life.
Apart from representing the nation’s most populous state as one of two Senators, Shaw’s position as a Congressman from California could afford him with plenty of opportunities to move up the ladder rungs of the D.C. political establishment and gear up for a bigger run later in his career.
Need more credentials? How about a perfect 8-0 record against his school’s archrival, the Cal Golden Bears?
Shaw’s personality resembles a tough U.S. prosecutor or the Senator of a certain committee who will grill you.
6. Mark Stoops, Kentucky — U.S. Vice President
Fifty-one-year-old Mark Stoops is fresh off a 10-win season with the Wildcats in which the Youngstown, Ohio native won the SEC Coach of the Year in his sixth season.
Stoops is an ideal name to add as a running mate for a number of reasons.
Ohio, a state with 18 electoral votes, has been won by the eventual presidential winner in every election since 1960, when Republican Richard Nixon bested a young John F. Kennedy in the Buckeye State. Sometimes, the margin can be razor-thin.
Stoops has a famous older brother: Bob Stoops, a coaching legend at the University of Oklahoma who won one national title and 10 Big 12 titles during his time in Norman.
Lastly, Stoops isn’t afraid to back down from a challenge or a clean-up effort (though don’t accuse him of a “drain the swamp” message yet unless it’s a visit to Gainesville). Kentucky, in its previous 14 seasons before Stoops’ arrival, had only been bowling four times.
With these qualifications, Stoops would be a no-brainer for a president looking for a political boost late in election season.
5. Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State — U.S. Senator from Oklahoma
Mike Gundy is an eccentric personality who goes rattlesnake huntin’ and rocks an attention-grabbing mullet. He’s never afraid to back down from critics and is quick to make his displeasure known.
His run in Stillwater has been a successful one. Gundy has taken the Cowboys, long thought of as second-tier material in the Big 12, to a 121-59 record as head coach, including a 2011 Big 12 title.
While Gundy’s tough talking and entertaining antics might not precisely pander to a national audience, he could win over the Sooner State as a champion for Oklahoma in Washington, D.C. Gundy, a native of Midwest City, Okla., has resisted the overtures (or leveraged better pay at Oklahoma State, depends on who you’re asking) from SEC programs to remain at his alma mater and to remain as a Cowboy.
Gundy brings to mind the type of stick-to-his-guns (literal or not) Congressman who will always stick up for those constituents back home. And, of course, he’d always be ready for a quick social media overture or a sound bite.
4. Brian Kelly, Notre Dame — U.S. President
You can see where this is going: after coaching stops in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, the Massachusetts native and Baby Boomer is someone who can bring the Midwest and a certain age range to your side. He could be the talisman for the Catholic vote as the head coach of the nation’s preeminent Catholic university’s football team. And he would not be afraid to point out young staffers’ mistakes. Some may call him overly critical, but he would get the job done as a demanding president.
Kelly may not be the inspiring figurehead that a president can sometimes strive for, but his tenure in South Bend is one of the most impressive ones in the nation. He’s compiled a 231-91-2 as a head coach at numerous stops, including Grand Valley State, Central Michigan and Cincinnati, and he has won multiple national coach of the year awards. He’s also taken the Fighting Irish to two undefeated regular seasons before postseason shellackings by Alabama and Clemson.
A results-driven Kelly could be a strong congressman or president. And, in case you were wondering, yes, The West Wing is an inspiration for Kelly’s future chances.
3. James Franklin, Penn State — U.S. President
Franklin is a Pennsylvania native and a 47-year-old who could rock his way through a presidential run.
After coaching stints in Denmark (!), Maryland and Vanderbilt, he took over a reeling Penn State program only a few years removed from one of the most perplexing college football scandals of the century. Franklin won the 2016 Big Ten title with the Nittany Lions and has an overall head coaching record of 69-36.
Franklin’s wealth of experience, his energy level, and his youth would serve him well as a governmental leader.
The electoral college savvy of this nomination, paired with a wily veteran from the South, perhaps, could be path to a winning election bid.
2. Dabo Swinney, Clemson — U.S. President
Dabo Swinney took down the juggernaut in January, winning the second of the last three national championships with the Clemson Tigers. Beating Nick Saban in football games is an impressive enough resume to prove that you’re good at your craft, but Swinney did this as a program builder.
Swinney’s remarkable rise to Clemson’s head coach with multiple title rings began as an assistant in, where else?, Alabama. The Birmingham native, age 49, graduated from the University of Alabama and had several assistant coaching gigs before moving to Clemson. As recently as 2006, Swinney was the Tigers’ wide receivers coach. After becoming interim head coach in 2008, Swinney has written the rest into the history books.
He is young, personable, from impeccable Crimson (Tide) bloodlines, and has a knack for winning. His confidence and his demeanor are hard to match, making him a natural foil for the oft-dour Nick Saban, who’s much more likely to be compared to Bill Belichick. Think of recent Southerners who have become U.S. presidents, such as the either George Bush or Bill Clinton, and Swinney isn’t hard to imagine as a brighter personality than any.
1. Nick Saban, Alabama — U.S. President
Nick Saban is another obvious choice of beloved, trusted football coach who could be voted into office. As noted earlier, he already receives votes in Alabama for political elections without even running for office. And, in a commonly misrepresented news story a few years back, Saban managed to make headlines during the 2016 presidential election — he had voted early and didn’t realize that Tuesday that it was the election day itself.
Saban’s eight SEC titles and mind-numbing six national titles as head coach are hard to fathom — counting his team both at LSU and Alabama. Saban has seen the coaching perspective of the NFL in addition to his dominance at the college level.
The 67-year-old West Virginia native may not see the point in piling up trophies past the ceiling. What if he were to hang up his headset and run for political office? Of his trusted nature, his no-nonsense demeanor, and his efficiency, it’s hard not to imagine Saban as an analytics-driven and process-oriented leader of the United States.