Category: News

Tommy Tuberville may be new to campaigning, but he feels it’s not much different from what he did as a coach.

“This is recruiting on steroids,” Tuberville said, receiving a lot of laughs from those in attendance at the Gadsden Rotary meeting Thursday at the Gadsden Country Club.

The former Auburn coach has certainly done his fair share of recruiting after serving as a head football coach at Ole Miss, Texas Tech and Cincinnati. Tuberville is now as a Republican running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Doug Jones.

Tuberville feels his coaching background would help him if he wins the seat.

“I’ve been over a $100-million budget,” Tuberville said. “I’ve had 150 employees. I had 120 knuckleheads (laughs). I’ve had to deal with mental health problems every day. Drug problems every day. I’ve been in rich homes, poor homes and middle-class homes all across this country — many in this state.”

Tuberville said he would not take on a salary if elected.

“I’m a politician’s worst nightmare,” he said. “I don’t need this job. I don’t need the money. … And I’m not going to be politically correct. I’m going to tell it like it is.”

It wasn’t all political talk Thursday when he also shared stories related to his coaching days.

Tuberville recalled one of what he called his biggest disappointing days as a coach in Etowah County. And it was because Etowah great Carnell Williams decided to commit to the University of Tennessee.

“We worked for Carnell real hard and we knew we were going to beat Alabama because y’all just had a change in coaches,” Tuberville said. “I tell you I didn’t sleep for 24 hours.”

Then Tuberville sent in for reinforcements.

“I had everybody in the world call him — Charles Barkley, Bo Jackson — everybody,” Tuberville said. “But we got through to him through his mother.”

He pulled a first in his coaching career when it came to recruiting Williams.

“I also took every coach on the staff,” Tuberville recalled of visiting ‘Cadillac’. “We had two (vans) and we took both. We filled them up with 14 coaches, and we all walked into his house. That was a fun time and fun visit.

“Then we all know what happened. He ended up on that visit committing to us and coming to Auburn.”

That was right before Auburn started its six-year win streak over Alabama in the Iron Bowl, which lasted from 2002-2007. It’s no coincidence that the Crimson Tide turned to Nick Saban to take over their program in 2007.

“For all you Alabama fans in here, you have to vote for me,” Tuberville joked. “Because if it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have Nick Saban.”

Read the original article posted by the Gadsden Times here.

For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2019

Coach Tuberville Announces First Wave Of Grassroots Leaders

July 31, 2019

Auburn, Al – Today, The Tuberville for Senate campaign announced their first set of county coordinators. Coach Tuberville is proud to have so many great people reaching out to the campaign to offer their assistance.

First ten county coordinators:

Jefferson – Katie Patrick
Baldwin – Kay Pugh
Madison – Stan McDonald
Tuscaloosa – Lewis Pitchford
Mobile – Gwen Shelton
Montgomery – Jason Hughes
St. Clair – Vicki Merrymon
Shelby – Sharon Murphy
Marshall – Dan Smalley
Elmore – Robin Norris

Coach Tuberville said, “The momentum our campaign is building is incredible. We are grateful for the help of our county coordinators and we thank them for assisting us in traveling to every corner of our great state. It is becoming more evident as this race goes on that the people of Alabama are ready to elect a non-career politician to represent them in the United States Senate”.

For Immediate Release:

Coach Tuberville Announces Support

July 30, 2019

Auburn, Al – Today, Coach Tuberville announced endorsements from leaders around Alabama. Mayor Randall Lewis of Rockford, the Chairman of Houston County Commission Mark Culver, and Dothan City Commissioner John Ferguson all voiced their support for Tuberville’s candidacy.

The latest endorsements add more momentum to Tuberville’s growing campaign.

Coach Tuberville is proud to have the support from leaders all across the State of Alabama. It is becoming more apparent as this race goes on that the people of Alabama are ready to elect a real outsider to represent them in the United States Senate and fire Doug Jones.

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) — It’s a new ball-game for Tommy Tuberville, but he is taking campaigning for the U.S. Senate, in stride.

Tuberville was in Dothan Monday afternoon, speaking to more than 100 Rotarians and guests, at a weekly Rotary Club meeting.

The former Auburn Coach spoke mostly about football, leadership and the role sports plays in creating responsible adults.

It’s something he says this country has recently been lacking.

And while politics is new for Tuberville, when asked how different running for a political office is from coaching, he said, not much.

“I call it recruiting on steroids when you’re campaigning because you’re everywhere almost 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,” said Tuberville.

“But I love it. That’s what I’ve always done. I really enjoy people, and I enjoy being outside talking to people, listening to what they want and what they need,” Tuberville said.

Tuberville said he plans to win, and does not plan to take a paycheck.

Read the original article at WTVY here.

Tommy Tuberville retired from a college football career where he grew accustomed to recruiting teenagers to play for him, but now he is criss-crossing the state recruiting voters for his 2020 U.S. Senate campaign.

Tuberville, the former Auburn football coach, spent Friday making multiple stops in Tallapoosa County visiting retirees, law enforcement, city and county officials and anyone else who wanted to talk. He said the public appearances and handshaking is different on the campaign trail compared to the NCAA-controlled recruiting process in college football.

“(Campaigning) is like recruiting on steroids,” Tuberville said. “(Thursday) night we were in Mobile until 9 p.m. and now we’re here. The difference is you do this to win one game – an election, but it doesn’t stop there.”

Tuberville started campaigning Friday morning with breakfast patrons at Jack’s in Dadeville, hoping to recruit more for his team of voters leading him to the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate. It’s the same seat Republican Jeff Sessions left to be the U.S. Attorney General and Democrat Doug Jones was elected in a special statewide election over Republican Roy Moore.

Tuberville supports President Donald Trump and clearing Washington D.C. of lifetime politicians while bringing back traditional values.

“The three things this country was built on were God, family and education and we have got to get back to them,” Tuberville said. “We have got to get back to some morals. We have absolutely lost them.

“You watch TV for about five minutes and you realize we are not going to have a country.

I am tired of career politicians. I want to help Donald Trump and he needs more help. If he had help, he would have done a lot more the last three years.”

Tuberville didn’t talk specifics but said he would support many of the things Trump does.

“I want to support the military more, our law enforcement, our teachers, small businesses and especially in this state our farmers,” Tuberville said. “Farmers are struggling. We need to keep the family farms alive.”

Voters in Tallapoosa County have taken a liking to the retired Auburn football coach with many approaching him to talk and get a photograph and autograph with him.

“I really like him,” Jacksons Gap resident Gary Smith said. “He wants to put family and God back in D.C. That is what is missing and tearing our nation apart.”

Voters agree with Tuberville’s idea shaking things up in Washington D.C.

“He won’t be one of the quiet ones up there,” StillWaters resident Buck Stevens said. “He will help clean things up.”

Football fans of all types like Tuberville, even former archenemies. Crimson Tide fan Lee Lloyd met Tuberville at the Tallapoosa County Courthouse with his grandson. The two got in a little friendly ribbing.

“Well, we beat ya six times in a row,” Tuberville told Lloyd jokingly after finding out he was an Alabama fan.

“I know,” Lloyd said. “I’m an Alabama fan but I’ll vote for you.”

The same was true for Alabama fans in Alexander City as they came up to take photographs with their former archenemy wearing crimson hats with a script “A” and T-shirts.

Willie Wright works in the kitchen at Russell Medical cafeteria, which was Tuberville’s lunch spot Friday. Wright, wearing an Alabama hat, cautiously approached Tuberville. Wright’s crimson heart quickly warmed as Tuberville put his arm around Wright and took a photograph with him.

Minutes later, Wright approached Tuberville again with the picture in hand to autograph.

“I’ll give credit where credit is due,” Wright said. “He just tricked us for six years. I’m not big into politics or politicians but I like him.”

Alexander City residents reminded Tuberville of the jobs lost when Russell Corp. closed down but Tuberville told would-be voters he wanted to bring jobs back to the U.S.

“Eight thousand (jobs lost), whew,” Tuberville gasped. “I remember they used to make the best (sweatpants) in the world. Everything is shipped to China. We have to get it back here.”

Dadeville resident Mickey Tarpley is not an Auburn fan, but he believes Tuberville will do well in Washington if elected.

“I’m a Tennessee fan but my wife did get her doctorate from Auburn,” Tarpley said. “There is no doubt he will make a difference.”

Like Trump, Tuberville said he doesn’t want a paycheck, as his coaching career has supported his family.

“God has blessed me,” Tuberville said. “I don’t need the job. I have done well, but (Nick) Saban and Gus (Malzahn) have done better. I’m doing this for public service. I want to help the state and country.”

Read the original post from The Outlook here.