Executive Igniter of Athletes2Executives™ and Athlete C.O.R.E.™
Current NFL Coach, Past Top ESPN Sports Commentator
Consummate Mentor
Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden joined ESPN in 2009 as an analyst for Monday Night Football. Twice nominated for a Sports Emmy, Gruden also contributes analysis throughout the year on ESPN Radio and other platforms, including Super Bowl week and NFL Draft. He also served as an analyst during ESPN’s 2010 Pro Bowl telecast.
Gruden has been widely praised for his groundbreaking SportsCenter Special: QB Camp prime time show which has become a popular element of ESPN’s annual pre-Draft coverage. The in-depth, one-on-one interviews and film sessions have featured Gruden mentoring top quarterback prospects such as Sam Bradford, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, Colt McCoy, Cam Newton, and Tim Tebow. The success of these shows has led to similar specials, including a Gruden’s Champ Camp special with New Orleans Saints Super Bowl winners Drew Brees and Sean Payton in 2010.
Gruden does his regular film study for MNF and conducts the QB Camp interviews at his Tampa, Fla., office. Always looking to expand his knowledge of the game and learn from others, he regularly welcomes high school, college and professional coaches to discuss football strategy, philosophy and to review game film.
The dynamic, outspoken and often fiery Gruden was a highly successful NFL head coach for 11 seasons with the Oakland Raiders (1998-2001) and most recently with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002-08). He compiled a career record of 100-85 and led his teams to five division titles. Gruden’s best season was 2002 when the Buccaneers finished the regular season 12-4 and captured the Super Bowl XXXVII title with a 48-21 victory over the Raiders, the team Gruden help build and had coached just one season earlier. At the time, the championship made then 38-year-old Gruden the youngest head coach ever to win a Super Bowl.
Gruden began his NFL coaching career in 1990 when Mike Holmgren, then offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers, hired him as an assistant in charge of quality control. After three seasons in Green Bay, Gruden moved on to become the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator under head coach Ray Rhodes. In 1998, Gruden was chosen by Oakland owner and general manager Al Davis to be the Raiders’ new head coach at the age of 34.
A native of Sandusky, Ohio, Gruden graduated from the University of Dayton in 1985 with a degree in communications. Gruden grew up in a football family. His father, Jim, served as an assistant at Notre Dame in the late 1970s and later with the Buccaneers, among his 38 seasons of collegiate and professional experience.
Gruden was named one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People in the World” in 2001 and he was the first non-player ever invited by the Walt Disney Co. to star in its popular post-Super Bowl “What’s Next?” commercial (with quarterback Brad Johnson) after leading the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title in 2003. The recipient of the 2002 Coach of the Year honor at the ESPY Awards, Gruden was also recognized as Professional Coach of the Year at the 37th Victor Awards in 2003. He wrote the book Do You Love Football?! Winning with Heart, Passion, and Not Much Sleep.
Before joining ESPN, Gruden worked as a guest analyst with the NFL Network during the 2009 NFL Draft and Scouting Combine. During the summer of 2009, he participated in the inaugural NFL-USO Coaches Tour with Tom Coughlin, Bill Cowher, Jeff Fisher, and John Harbaugh, on a trip to meet and greet U.S. service members over several days in the Persian Gulf region.
Jon has been a supporting energy with Students to Executives since 2015
