Former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville has picked up another win in Alabama. Tuberville defeated Democratic challenger Doug Jones to become Alabama's next governor.
Tuberville defeated Jones by just over 4% of the vote, and he will continue his political career in the Governor's Mansion. Tuberville will succeed current governor Kay Ivey in January, when he gets sworn into the role.
Following a coaching career that spanned more than two decades, Tuberville dove into Republican politics. In 2020, Tuberville challenged Jones -- then the incumbent -- in the Alabama Senate race. Tuberville won that election handily, wiping out Jones with just over 60% of the vote.
Tuberville has been a household name in Alabama, and throughout the Southeast, for decades. In 1995, Tuberville took over as coach at Ole Miss and led the Rebels to an overall record of 25-20 over four seasons.
His most high-profile job came in 1999, when Auburn hired Tuberville away from Ole Miss. Five years later, in 2004, Tuberville coached the Tigers to a perfect 13-0 record, but they were left out of the BCS National Championship in favor of USC and Oklahoma, both of which were also undefeated. That season, Tuberville won National Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year.
During his tenure on The Plains, Tuberville compiled an 85-40 record and had plenty of success against Alabama, going 7-3 in the Iron Bowl. That included a six-game winning streak from 2002-07.
Tuberville resigned from the Auburn job after a disappointing 2008 season, but he returned to coaching two years later when Texas Tech hired him in 2010. His stint there lasted only three seasons because he took another job with Cincinnati in 2012. After two nine-win seasons to begin his tenure with the Bearcats, Tuberville's results declined, and he resigned following a 4-8 campaign in 2016.
