Jon Gruden

Lore & Background

Gruden was born in Sandusky, Ohio, into a family of Slovene descent. He was raised Catholic and was a Cleveland Browns fan growing up. He attended Clay High School in South Bend, Indiana, and later played quarterback at Muskingum College before transferring to the University of Dayton, where he was a backup quarterback and graduated with a degree in communications in 1986. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Tennessee, then coached at Southeast Missouri State, the University of the Pacific, and the University of Pittsburgh.

He worked for the San Francisco 49ers as a special assistant in 1990. In 1992, he joined the Green Bay Packers as special offensive assistant/wide receivers coach, then became offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles. He was hired as head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 1998, leading them to consecutive division titles in 2000 and 2001 and an AFC Championship Game appearance. He was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002, winning Super Bowl XXXVII that season.

At age 39, he was the then-youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl. He coached Tampa Bay through 2008, setting the franchise record for wins. After being fired, he worked as an analyst for ESPN's Monday Night Football from 2009 to 2017. He returned to the Raiders as head coach in 2018 and resigned during the 2021 season after it was revealed he wrote and sent many racist, misogynistic, and homophobic emails between 2011 and 2018. In 2023, he was hired by the New Orleans Saints as an offseason consultant.

Reader's Guide

Gruden's nickname 'Chucky' was given by Raiders defensive lineman Grady Jackson, who thought Gruden looked like the fictional character from the 1988 movie Child's Play. His mantra for the 2002 season was 'Pound the Rock', a reference to commitment to the running game.

Did You Know?

• Gruden's father Jim served as a professional football regional scout, quarterbacks coach, and director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Gruden's younger brother Jay was head coach of the Washington Redskins.
• Gruden was a teammate of U.S. Senator Jon Husted at the University of Dayton.
• Gruden's Super Bowl win record as youngest head coach was first surpassed by Mike Tomlin, who previously served under Gruden as the Buccaneers' defensive backs coach.