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Tarleton State Texans | |
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Position: | Associate head coach & Running backs coach |
Personal information | |
Born: | Euclid, Ohio | December 11, 1975
Career information | |
High school: | Euclid (OH) |
College: | Ohio State |
Undrafted: | 1998 |
Career history | |
As a player: | |
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
As a coach: | |
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As an executive: | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Pepe Pearson (born December 11, 1975) is a former American football tailback, starting in college for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and is currently the running backs coach for the Tarleton State Texans. [1]
A four-year letterwinner at Ohio State, Pearson is the Buckeye’s ninth all-time leading rusher with 3,121 yards). [2] trailing only Archie Griffin, Ezekiel Elliott, Eddie George, Tim Spencer, Beanie Wells, Braxton Miller, Keith Byars, and Carlos Hyde. His 1,484 rushing yards as a junior is the tenth highest season total in team history. Pearson's had a 173-yard rushing performance in Ohio State's 1996 victory over Notre Dame. [3]
As a player, Pearson helped Ohio State to four straight bowl appearances from 1994–97, including a 1997 Rose Bowl victory. As a junior, Pearson gained 1,484 yards and scored 17 touchdowns on 299 carries. He was selected All-Big Ten and team Most Valuable Player (MVP) for his efforts.
After completing his college career, Pearson spent time in the National Football League with the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers. [4] [5] His greatest professional success came in NFL Europe where he scored the game-winning touchdown for the Rhein Fire to win the 2000 World Bowl Championship. [6] He later spent time with the Dayton Warbirds, an expansion team in the National Indoor Football League.
After his playing career ended, Pearson began a career in coaching. From 2004-2015 he was the running backs coach for Ohio Dominican University. In 2005, he was also the head coach of the Daytona Beach Hawgs of the NIFL, [7] leading them to a playoff berth just before the team was disbanded. He was also the head coach for the now defunct Marion Mayhem of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). In 2015, he joined Bo Pelini at Youngstown State to be their running backs coach, having a successful first year with his team accumulating more than 2,000 rushing yards. In 2016, he left Youngstown and joined Marshall in Huntington, WV.
Pepe Pearson was hired as running backs coach at Tennessee State University in May 2021 after spending five seasons in the same position at Marshall.
Multiple running backs gained notoriety under Pearson at Marshall. In 2019, Brenden Knox was named Conference USA’s Most Valuable Player after rushing for 1,387 yards and 11 touchdowns. Keion Davis earned Gasparilla Bowl MVP honors with his 94 yard rushing, two touchdown performance in 2018.
Pearson helped guide Marshall to bowl victories in the 2017 New Mexico Bowl, and the 2018 Gasparilla Bowl. He also helped the Thundering Herd win the 2020 Conference USA East Division Championship, helping Marshall reach the 2020 Conference USA Football Championship Game, before falling to UAB 13-22.
Pearson joined the Thundering Herd after one season in the same position at Youngstown State after spending 10 seasons at Ohio Dominican.
In his final season with the Panthers, ODU finished 11-2 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Pearson helped running back Brandon Schoen earn multiple receive All-GLIAC honors on his way to becoming the programs all-time leading rusher.
Pearson produced two 1,000 yard rushers in 2013 for the first time in school history and mentored Mike Noffsinger to become a Harlon Hill Trophy semifinalist, honoring the best Division II players in the country.
In his final four seasons with the Panthers, Pearson took over the special teams duties in addition to coaching the running backs.
Archie Mason Griffin is an American former football running back who played with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and is the only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in NCAA history, 1974-1975, considered one of the greatest college football players of all time. Griffin won four Big Ten Conference titles with the Buckeyes and was the first player to ever start in four Rose Bowls. He was selected in the first round by the Bengals in the 1976 NFL draft.
Keith Alan Byars is an American sports broadcaster and former professional football player. He played as a fullback and tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots and New York Jets. He was selected in the first round by the Eagles in the 1986 NFL draft. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes.
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The 1980 Ohio State Buckeyes football team was an American football team that represented Ohio State University during the 1980 Big Ten Conference football season. In their second season under head coach Earle Bruce, the Buckeyes began the season ranked No. 1 in the pre-season AP Poll. They finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten Conference, compiled a 9–3, lost to Penn State in the 1980 Fiesta Bowl, were ranked No. 15 in the final AP Poll, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 387 to 181. The team played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
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The 2009 Marshall Thundering Herd football team represented Marshall University in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Marshall competed as a member of the East Division of Conference USA, and played their home games at Joan C. Edwards Stadium. The Thundering Herd finished the season 7–6 overall and 4–4 in Conference USA play. They were invited to the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, where they defeated Ohio, 21–17.
The Marshall Thundering Herd football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports program of Marshall University. The team represents the university as a member of the Sun Belt Conference East Division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, playing at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level.
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