Former Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden, who was born in Sandusky, took the stage at a rally President Donald Trump held in Ohio on Saturday night to endorse his former University of Dayton teammate, Sen. Jon Husted, ahead of Husted’s re-election bid.
Gruden appeared alongside Trump, Husted and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. During the event, a protester began shouting and was escorted out as the crowd chanted “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.”
Trump pointed out Gruden’s reaction to the crowd’s energy, telling the audience, “You know, Jon Gruden is standing here, saying, ‘I don’t believe this. This is rougher than a football game. There’s more spirit. I think they have more spirit here than they did today in Ohio State, if you want to know the truth.'”
Husted introduced Gruden to the crowd. The two were teammates on the University of Dayton’s 1985 football team and have remained friends since.
Gruden, who coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title and later led the Las Vegas and Oakland Raiders for 53 games before resigning in 2021, spoke briefly about his Ohio roots.
“I’ll be very brief, but I want to thank everybody for showing up,” Gruden told the crowd. “I love you guys. I just came back for one reason and I’m from Ohio. My mom and dad are from Cleveland. I was born in Sandusky and I went to the University of Dayton. And I’m damn proud of it, man!”
The crowd responded with cheers before Gruden turned to his endorsement of Husted.
“Jon Husted is a lot more than my friend,” Gruden said. “He was a great player. He intercepted 17 passes on the gridiron. He was a great player. And I know why he’s a great player. It was because of his work ethic and his commitment and his day-to-day mental toughness.”
Husted, who has served as an Ohio state representative, Ohio House speaker, state senator, secretary of state, lieutenant governor and, since January 2025, U.S. senator, was an All-American cornerback and kick returner at Dayton. He started on the Flyers’ 1989 NCAA Division III national championship team, which finished the season 13-0-1, and he recorded an interception in the title-game win over Union.
Gruden closed his remarks with a call to action ahead of early voting, which begins Tuesday.
“He will never quit, ever on you or anybody,” Gruden said. “Let’s hear it, for Husted. Right. I’m gonna close with this … Before you know it, last thing I’m gonna say, before you know it, this election is over, yes? It’s over. But what we got to do is we got to do our part. Early voting starts Tuesday. Can we be there or not? Let’s be there! And I know you guys got a lot more friends than I do. Get your friends, and get their friends and their friends, and let’s get Husted back in action. Let’s go!”
