Edward Nathan George Jr. (born September 24, 1973) is an American football coach and former player who is the current head football coach at Tennessee State University. He played as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily for the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise.

He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes and won the Heisman Trophy in 1995. He was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Tennessee Titans (both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers) and Dallas Cowboys. George was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 as a player,^[3] and the International Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.^[4]

Post-football, George earned an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. In 2015, he guest starred on an IFC episode of the satirical talk-show Comedy Bang! Bang!, titled "Eddie George Wears a Navy Suit and Half-Zip Pullover." In 2016, he appeared on Broadway in the musical Chicago as the hustling lawyer Billy Flynn.^[5]

George was born in Philadelphia.^[6] He played Pop Warner football for the Abington Raiders. He attended Abington Senior High School until the tenth grade, and then transferred to Fork Union Military Academy. George made the decision to stay at Fork Union Military Academy for a fifth prep school year or postgraduate year. Such choices are commonly made by high school football players hoping to improve their recruitment status with colleges, but for George, it meant another year of the rigorous military lifestyle. George rushed for 1,372 yards in his postgraduate season at FUMA, attracting the attention of several major colleges.

George attended the Ohio State University, where he majored in landscape architecture and played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. As a freshman running back, George scored three rushing touchdowns in a win over Syracuse. However, he suffered a major setback in a game against Illinois. In that game, George lost a fumble at the Illinois 4-yard line that was returned 96 yards for a touchdown. Later in the game, with Ohio State leading by 2 points in the final quarter, George fumbled again, this time on Illinois' 1-yard line. Illinois recovered the fumble and drove for the game-winning touchdown.

Before the Illinois game, George had carried the ball 25 times and scored 5 touchdowns, but he had only 12 more rushing attempts and no more touchdowns for the rest of the year. In the following season, George was listed in the depth chart as the team's third-string running back, behind Raymont Harris. He carried the ball just 42 times, mostly when Ohio State had a large lead late in games, but showed his potential by averaging 5.3 yards per carry. As a junior, George became the team's starting running back and went on to rush for 1,442 yards and 12 touchdowns.

As a senior in the 1995 season, George rushed for a school-record 1,927 yards and 24 touchdowns, an average of 148.23 yards per game, while also catching 47 passes for 417 yards and another score (George only caught 16 passes in his first three seasons). One of his best performances of the year was in a 45–26 win over Notre Dame, where he rushed for 207 yards, his third 200-yard game of the season. He also rushed for a school-record 314 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in OSU's victory over Illinois.

In the 3 years after his 2 fumbles as a freshman, George had over 600 rushing attempts and fumbled only 6 times. Ohio State finished the season with an 11-2 record. George was recognized as a unanimous All-American. He won the Heisman Trophy in the closest vote in the history of the award at the time, beating Nebraska's Tommie Frazier by 264 votes. George left Ohio State second in school history in career rushing yards (3,768) and third in rushing touchdowns (44). Overall, he finished with 4,284 all-purpose yards, 45 touchdowns, and a 5.5 yards per carry average.

George was named the head coach at Tennessee State on April 13, 2021.^[19] He signed a five-year deal that paid $400,000 annually.^[1]

On October 1, 2006, George was appointed spokesperson for Tennessee's GetFitTN program by Governor Phil Bredesen. The initiative is aimed at preventing Type 2 diabetes and promotion of healthier, more active lifestyles. On Saturday, April 28, 2007, George ran the Country Music Half Marathon (ending just outside then LP Field, now Nissan Stadium) in an unofficial time of 2:04:08. He wore race number 27 during the race, just as he wore number 27 during his college and NFL careers. George later stated that completing the race was tougher than playing in the NFL.

In 2008, George campaigned for Senator Barack Obama's presidential bid.^[20]

After he retired from football, George went back to complete his bachelor's degree in landscape architecture from Ohio State. He later graduated from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, earning his MBA degree from the Executive MBA program.^[21]

In 2004, George married American singer, rapper, actress, and author Tamara "Taj" Johnson. She is best known for being a part of the group SWV (Sisters with Voices) and later being a contestant on the 18th season of the CBS reality show Survivor. On the 12th episode, "The Ultimate Sacrifice", George surprised his wife, by visiting her on Exile Island. His other thespian credits include performances on Broadway and in film.

George's jersey was retired by the Titans during a halftime ceremony against the Indianapolis Colts on September 15, 2019, along with former teammate Steve McNair who was killed in 2009.^[22]

George also owns a restaurant in Columbus called Eddie George Bar and Grille 27.

• List of NCAA major college football yearly scoring leaders