AUBURN, Ala. — Republican U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who entered politics after a successful career as a head football coach at Auburn and three other major college programs, announced Tuesday that he is running for governor of Alabama next year.
“Today, I will announce that I will be the future governor of the great state of Alabama,” Tuberville said on “The Will Cain Show” on Fox News, following weeks of speculation.
“I’m a football coach. I’m a leader. I’m a builder. I’m a recruiter, and we’re going to grow Alabama,” Tuberville said, pledging to improve education and bring manufacturing to the state while stopping illegal immigration.
Tuberville is expected to be a formidable entry in the race to succeed Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who cannot run again because of term limits.
Tuberville made the announcement in front of his family and friends at an Auburn barbecue restaurant. Many wore baseball hats with the word “Coach” that were distributed in the colors of Auburn University and the University of Alabama. Tuberville is often just called coach instead of senator by those who work closely with him.
Tuberville harnessed fame from his college coaching days to win election to the U.S. Senate in 2020, casting himself as a political outsider closely aligned with President Donald Trump. “God sent us Donald Trump,” Tuberville said during his campaign. In the 2020 Republican primary, Tuberville defeated former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who held the Senate seat for two decades before resigning to become Trump’s attorney general in 2017. Months later, Tuberville defeated incumbent Doug Jones, who had been the first Alabama Democrat elected to the Senate in decades.
Tuberville, a native of Arkansas, was the head football coach at Auburn from 1999 to 2008, leading the team to eight consecutive bowl appearances and one Southeastern Conference championship. He also served as head coach at Mississippi, Texas Tech and the University of Cincinnati, retiring in 2016.
