Eddie George Edward Nathan George , Jr . ( born September 24 , 1973 ) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League ( NFL ) for nine seasons . He played college football for Ohio State University and won the Heisman Trophy in 1995 . He was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the Tennessee Titans ( both in Tennessee and in Houston when the franchise was known as the Houston Oilers ) . George was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011 . Early life . George was born in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . He attended Abington Senior High School until the tenth grade , and then transferred to Fork Union Military Academy . George made the decision to stay at Fork Union Military Academy for a fifth prep school year . Such choices are commonly made by high school football players hoping to improve their recruitment status with colleges , but for George it meant another year of the vigorous military lifestyle . George went on to rush for 1 , 372 yards in his fifth season at FUMA , attracting the attention of several major colleges . College career . George attended The Ohio State University , where he majored in landscape architecture and played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team . As a freshman running back for the Buckeyes , George was an instant contributor . He scored three rushing touchdowns in a win over Syracuse University . However , he suffered a major setback in a game against the University of Illinois . In that game , George lost a fumble at the Illinois ' 4 - yard line that was returned 96 yards for a touchdown . Later in the game , with Ohio State leading by 2 points in the final quarter , George fumbled again , this time on Illinois ' 1 - yard line . Illinois recovered the fumble and drove for the game winning touchdown . Before the Illinois game , George had carried the ball 25 times and scored 5 touchdowns , but for the rest of the season , he had only 12 more rushing attempts and didn ' t score once . In the following season , George was used as the team ' s third string running back , behind Raymont Harris . He carried the ball only 42 times , mostly when Ohio State had a large lead late in games . However , as a junior , George became the team ' s starting running back and went on to rush for 1 , 442 yards and 12 touchdowns . As a senior in the 1995 season , George rushed for a school record 1 , 927 yards and 24 touchdowns , an average of 152 . 2 yards per game , while also catching 44 passes for 399 yards and another score ( George only caught 16 passes in his first three seasons ) . One of his best performances of the year was in a 45 - 26 win over the University of Notre Dame , where he rushed for 207 yards , his third 200 - yard game of the season . He also rushed for a school - record 314 yards and scored 3 touchdowns in OSU ' s victory over Illinois . In the 3 years since committing his 2 fumbles in the Illinois game as a freshman , George had over 600 rushing attempts and fumbled only 6 times . Ohio State finished the season with a 10 - 2 record , and George was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American and won the Heisman Trophy in the closest vote in the history of the award at the time , beating the University of Nebraska ' s Tommie Frazier by 264 votes . George left Ohio State second in school history in career rushing yards ( 3 , 768 ) and third in rushing touchdowns ( 44 ) . Overall , he finished with 4 , 284 all - purpose yards , 45 touchdowns , and a 5 . 5 yards per carry average . On May 19 , 2011 , it was announced that George would be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . Professional career . George was the first - round draft selection ( 14th overall pick ) of the Houston Oilers ( now the Tennessee Titans ) in 1996 NFL Draft . George won the NFL Rookie of the Year award in 1996 , and was the Oilers / Titans ' starting tailback through 2003 , never missing a start due to injury . He made the Pro Bowl four consecutive years ( 1997 – 2000 ) , and assisted the Titans to a championship appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV , where they lost to the St . Louis Rams 23 - 16 . George gained 391 combined rushing and receiving yards in the Titans ' three playoff games that year and went on to rush for 95 yards , catch two passes for 35 yards , and score two touchdowns in the Super Bowl . George is only the second NFL running back to rush for 10 , 000 yards while never missing a start , joining Jim Brown . Only Walter Payton ( 170 ) started more consecutive regular - season games than George ’ s 130 . Numerous sports writers have suggested that a heavy workload was the primary factor in George ' s decline . In five of his eight seasons with the Titans , George carried the ball over 330 times . In 2003 , George rushed for a near career low 3 . 3 yards per carry . George ' s decline in production along with numerous toe and ankle injuries were contributing factors in Titans owner Bud Adams ' decision to release him after George would not agree to a pay cut . George signed a one - year contract with the Dallas Cowboys on July 23 , 2004 for $ 1 . 5 million plus incentives that could have earned him more than the $ 4 . 25 million he would have made under his contract with the Titans , who released him on July 21 , 2004 in part due to salary cap considerations . George only started 8 games for Dallas , rushing for 432 yards on 132 carries . He retired from the NFL before the 2005 season . His career totals include 10 , 441 rushing yards , 268 receptions , 2 , 227 receiving yards , and 78 touchdowns ( 68 rushing and ten receiving ) . Hosting and performing career . George has done extensive television work . He has hosted a video - game themed show ( G4 ' s " Training Camp " ) , now hosts a pregame show with Jason Sehorn , Tim Brown , and Fox Sports Insider Jay Glazer , and now the studio analyst on Fox College Football on FX and Fox . He also does Tennessee Titans preseason games as a color commentator . In 1998 , George appeared as a guest star on " Nash Bridges " as a football star named Leon Washington . In 2006 , Eddie helped a teen become Prom King at Westerville South High School in Westerville , Ohio for an episode of the MTV show " Made " . George served as a pre - game analyst for the 2007 BCS Championship Game on FOX , and is well known for handing out OSU hats and apparel to fellow analysts during the Buckeyes ' 41 – 14 loss to the University of Florida . He could be seen cheering on the sidelines during most of the game . Eddie and his wife Taj currently star in the TV One reality series " I Married A Baller " . Eddie also made a credited cameo appearance in the movie " Into the Sun " starring Steven Seagal . Hosts a show on Big Ten Network called " The Quad " . Eddie made a cameo appearance in the movie " The Game Plan " starring Dwayne Johnson . Made an appearance on the reality show " " , on which his wife Taj was a contestant . In 2006 , George appeared in a performance of " God ' s Trombones " at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville . In 2012 , George portrayed the title role in " Julius Caesar " for Nashville Shakespeare Festival ' s winter show . In 2014 , George portrayed the title role in " Othello " for Nashville Shakespeare Festival ' s winter show . Personal life . George ' s mother changed her schedule as a flight attendant ( at the request of Eddie ' s agent , Lamont Smith ) to be in San Antonio for Eddie ' s signing of his first NFL contract on July 19 , 1996 . If she hadn ' t , she would have been aboard TWA Flight 800 , which crashed shortly after takeoff two days earlier . George has two sons — Jaire David George , from a previous relationship , and Eriq Michael George , by his wife Tamara " Taj " Johnson , a member of the R & B group SWV and contestant on " " . With partners , George has opened sports - themed restaurants in Nashville , Tennessee ( Eddie George Sports Grille ) across the Cumberland River from LP Field and in Columbus , Ohio ( Eddie George ' s Grille 27 ) near the Ohio State University campus . George is also a principal of The Edge Group , a planning and landscape architecture firm of over 20 professionals . In 1995 , George ' s Heisman Trophy was damaged when he put it through an X - ray machine at a New York airport . On October 1 , 2006 , George was appointed spokesperson for Tennessee ' s GetFitTN program by Gov . Phil Bredesen . The initiative is aimed at the prevention of Type 2 diabetes and the promotion of healthier , more active lifestyles . On Saturday , April 28 , 2007 , George ran the Country Music Half Marathon ( ending just outside LP Field ) in an unofficial time of 2 : 04 : 08 . He wore race number 27 during the race , just as he wore number 27 during his college and NFL careers . George later stated that completing the race was tougher than playing in the NFL . In 2008 , George campaigned for Senator Barack Obama ' s presidential bid . George graduated from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University , earning an MBA in the Executive MBA program .