Super Bowl winning football coach Jon Gruden had an NFL reputation for using his fire and enthusiasm, not to mention his offensive strategies, to great success and we saw some of that at the rally President Donald Trump held Saturday night in Ohio.
First of all, who knew Gruden was a conservative?
He watched the president deliver his message standing side-by-side with Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, who is running for re-election, and gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
A supporter holds a “Trump Country” flag as President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in Vandalia, Ohio, on Oct. 3, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
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And at one point during Trump’s comments, a protester began to say something or other, and was escorted out while the crowd chanted, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye.”
“You know, Jon Gruden is standing here, saying, ‘I don’t believe this. This is rougher than a football game,'” Trump told the crowd. “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.”
Gruden, who coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title and later coached the Raiders in both Oakland and Las Vegas for 53 games before resigning in 2021, was introduced to the crowd by Husted.
Then-Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden during a joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 18, 2021. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Husted and Gruden were teammates on the 1985 University of Dayton football team and have remained close through the years.
“I’ll be very brief, but I want to thank everybody for showing up,” Gruden told the crowd that greeted him with applause. “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!”
Yes, the crowd loved that and the cheers were evidence of that.
Then came the endorsement of his former teammate and friend:
“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.”
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Husted, who has served as an Ohio state representative, Ohio House speaker, state senator, secretary of state, lieutenant governor and, since January 2025, a U.S. senator, was an All-American cornerback and kick returner at Dayton.
Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden looks on from the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Heinz Field on Sept. 19, 2021. (Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports)
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He was a starter on the Flyers’ 1989 NCAA Division III national championship team. Dayton finished that season 13-0-1, and Husted recorded an interception in the championship-game victory over Union.
“He will never quit, ever on you or anybody,” Gruden bellowed. “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!”
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