Well, it was fun while it lasted.
In late February, reports surfaced that Tommy Tuberville was giving serious consideration to running for governor in the state of Alabama. Earlier this month, the former Auburn head coach had loaned his newly-formed campaign $100,000 as he filed the paperwork to form a principal campaign committee ahead of a potential gubernatorial run.
According to a report from 247Sports.com, the run has stopped before it ever really got started. Citing a person familiar with the situation, AuburnUndercover.com writes that “Tuberville will not run for governor in Alabama after two months of exploring the possibility in 2018.”
Other media outlets have subsequently confirmed the initial report.Fmr. Auburn head coach Tommy Tuberville has confirmed to the @MGMAdvertiser that he will not be running for governor of Alabama. #MGMAuburn
— Matthew Stevens (@matthewcstevens) April 25, 2017
@RickKarle confirms Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville will NOT run for Governor
— Jonathan Hardison (@FOX6Hardison) April 25, 2017
Tuberville himself has yet to make an official announcement, although that could come as early as today. A Tuberville aide did confirm the news, however, telling the ABC affiliate in Montgomery, Ala., that “Mr. Tuberville decided this morning the timing for him to enter governor’s race is not right,” with Tripp Skipper adding, “He feels led to pursue other opportunities.”
Whether those other opportunities include a continuation of his long-time coaching career remains to be seen.
The 62-year-old Tuberville spent 10 seasons as the head coach at Auburn, famously guiding the Tigers to a six-game winning streak over the rival Alabama Crimson Tide during his tenure. “If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have Nick Saban,” Tuberville said in a late-March radio interview when asked why Alabama football fans should vote for him.
A head coach most of the past two decades, Tuberville has a 159-99 record in stops that included Ole Miss (1995-98), Texas Tech (2010-12) and Cincinnati (2013-16) in addition to his time on The Plains.