Tennessee State University head coach Eddie George is joining the Chicago Bears coaching staff – temporarily.
George has been named one of two Bill Walsh Diversity Fellows for the Chicago Bears. The Bears will also host current Florida State assistant and former Miami head coach Randy Shannon.
“We are very excited to welcome these two highly talented coaches in Eddie and Randy. Allowing them to join our staff during our OTAs enables us to offer this unique opportunity to current college coaches during their offseason,” Chicago Bears head coach Eberflus said in a statement. “We are confident that these coaches will be great assets to our team during their time here, and we are looking forward to learning from them as well.”
A nine-year NFL veteran, George was selected by the Houston Oilers in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft (14th overall) out of Ohio State. He spent eight seasons with the organization–which moved to Tennessee in his second year–before playing his final NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys in 2004.
George was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Year in 1996. From 1996-03, he made 128 consecutive starts at running back while also appearing in nine playoff games. He added four consecutive Pro Bowl selections to his resume during the 1997-2000 seasons and helped the Titans reach Super Bowl XXXIV in 1999.
George is only the second NFL running back to rush for 10,000 yards while never missing a start, joining Jim Brown. Only Walter Payton (170) started more consecutive regular season games than George’s 130.
A 1995 Heisman Trophy winner, Eddie George graduated from Ohio State following a four-year career. In 1995, he set the current single-season rushing record of 1,927 yards, averaging 148.2 yards per game. Ohio State retired his “27” jersey number in 2001.
Following a successful playing career, George went on to earn his MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2009. He and his wife, Tamara ‘Taj’ George, have two sons, Eriq and Jaire.
George has served as head coach at Tennessee State since 2021.