One of the marks of a grassroots footballer is to grow in a career that ranges from playing to coaching a team or analyzing games when one reaches an inactive age to be on the pitch. It is in this last category that Jon Gruden falls. The American footballer had a father who was also involved in football and he then continued his career, in addition to becoming a coach and now an analyst at ESPN. Learn more about him here.

Basic information about Jon Gruden

Jon, addressed in full as Jon David Gruden was born by Kathy Gruden in Sandusky, Ohio to his father Jim Gruden on August 17, 1963. His father was a professional regional football scout and director of player personnel for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jon attended Clay High School in South Bend, Indiana, and was a Cleveland Browns fan while growing up. He graduated from high school in 1981 and later attended Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio. He transferred to the University of Dayton after a year at Muskingum and in Dayton he became three-year Letterman and backup quarterback for the Flyers. The year 1985 marked his graduation with a communications degree but never saw much football playing time with the Flyers.

College Coaching Career

After college, Jon Gruden quickly became more involved in football when he was named a graduate assistant coach at the University of Tennessee for the 1985 and 86 football seasons. At the end of his short stint there, he spent the the next two years as a quarterback coach for the Southeastern United States from Missouri before being hired as an assistant coach by the University of the Pacific in 1989. In 1990, he moved to the 49ers from San Francisco as special assistant to quarterback coach Mike Holmgren, as his transfer to the University of Pittsburgh as receivers coach received the end of his college coaching career in 1991.