Hall of Fame
A native of Camden (Harmony Grove) and a 1976 graduate of Southern Arkansas, Tommy Tuberville is respected as one of the country’s top football coaches, directing the Auburn Tigers to an 80-33 record over the past nine years. Now in his 10th season, his Tigers have a 42-9 mark over the past four years for an .824 winning percentage, fifth best in the nation in both wins and percentage over that span.
Tuberville guided his 2004 Auburn squad to an undefeated 13-0 season, the best record in school history. For that effort he was named the AFCA, Associated Press, Paul “Bear” Bryant, FCA, SEC and Walter Camp Coach of the Year. Tuberville has led the Tigers to a Southeastern Conference championship, five SEC West Division titles, and eight consecutive bowl appearances, including five New Year’s Day bowl berths. At Auburn he has coached 35 first team All-SEC players, eight All-America honorees, and has had 29 players selected in the NFL draft, including a SEC record four in the 2005 draft.
In his 13 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Tuberville has an overall record of 105-53. Before coaching at Auburn, he was the head coach at Ole Miss (1995-98), where he was 25-20 in four years despite inheriting a program under serious NCAA scholarship sanctions and probation. He was the AP SEC Coach of the Year in 1997 at Ole Miss.
Prior to Ole Miss, Tuberville was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas A&M in 1994 when the Aggies were 10-0-1, and was on the staff at Miami for eight seasons from 1986-1993 when the Hurricanes won three national championships and posted an 87-9 record. He got his collegiate coaching start in 1980 at Arkansas State where he served for five years, and his first coaching job was at Hermitage High School from 1976-1979, serving the last two years as head coach.
Tuberville played high school football at Harmony Grove before enrolling at SAU in 1972, where he lettered as a free safety for the Muleriders through 1975, and also played golf his final two years. He was encouraged to play college football by his father, the late C.R. Tuberville, a long-time and highly respected athletic official in the area.
While at Southern Arkansas, Tuberville played under legendary head coach Raymond (Rip) Powell, and during his tenure at Ole Miss, maintained that his days at SAU were the most formative of his future career. He requested of his then position coach, and still long-time friend, Sonny Whittington, that he wanted to attend offensive team meetings as well as the defensive meetings because of his desire to coach. Tuberville credits Powell, Whittington and the rest of the Mulerider staff (Calvin Neal and Eldon Hawley) with teaching him techniques, fundamentals, and more than he ever learned at any of his other coaching stops.
Tuberville is married to the former Suzanne Fette of Guilford, Ind. They have two sons, Thomas and Troy.
