Super Bowl winning coach Jon Gruden visited with players, coaches and fans Thursday during his visit to Eastern Illinois for the Panthers’ season opener against Dayton, which is Gruden’s alma mater. (Photo by Barry Bottino, PrairieStatePigskin.com)
By Barry Bottino
CHARLESTON – Across the field from banners honoring Super Bowl winning coaches Mike Shanahan and Sean Payton at O’Brien Field, Jon Gruden laughed Thursday while remembering how the two Eastern Illinois legends impacted his career.
“I think I helped Mike Shanahan become a great coach because he beat the hell out of me every year,” said Gruden, who was 1-8 against Shanahan’s Denver Broncos during his head coaching stints with the Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“When I was the offensive coordinator at Philadelphia, I was part of bringing Sean Payton into the NFL (as quarterbacks coach in 1997). We are very good friends, and I’m so happy for him and his success. I can see why he’s successful because of his ties to Eastern Illinois.”
During a whirlwind visit to Charleston sparked by an invitation from EIU head coach Chris Wilkerson, Gruden posed on social media with the retired jerseys of former Panther quarterbacks Payton and Tony Romo.
Across from Eastern’s iconic Old Main building on Lincoln Ave., Gruden visited a famed local bar and grill. “We went to Ike’s. I got to go where Sean Payton and Mike Shanahan have been, and (Tony) Romo and (Jimmy) Garoppolo. It’s just really cool to connect the dots.”
Gruden made the rounds on campus after flying into town Thursday. He moved around campus on a golf cart with athletic director Tom Michael.
Gruden ate a meal with the football team and spoke with Dayton players before the game, shaking hands with numerous players outside the visitor’s locker room hours before kickoff.
“This is the level I played at,” he said. “A lot of these guys don’t get the notoriety. They don’t get the publicity others get. They’re not getting all the NIL money. But they love the game, they play hard and they’re tough.
“I admire them,” he said, “and I’m happy to be here to support them.”
The visit wasn’t limited to football. Gruden took batting practice with EIU baseball players and greeted Eastern football alumni at a tailgate party. Gruden said he also met athletes from EIU’s softball, golf, basketball and track and field teams.
“There are just great people here,” he said. “It’s a great college town. It’s a great town, period.”
One of those EIU alums, former offensive lineman Brad Fichtel, told Gruden that he roomed with the former coach’s brother, Jay, while both played in NFL Europe.
Fichtel’s son, Carson, started Thursday at center for the Panthers.
On the field, Gruden exuberantly greeted EIU mascot Billy The Panther.
“Billy! You’re a legend!” Gruden said. “Get this crowd going, will you?!”
The coach who won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has not been on the sidelines since a head coaching stint with the Las Vegas Raiders from 2018 to 2021.
Gruden, who is currently a media personality with Barstool Sports, said he has not ruled out a return.
“I plan on coming back and coaching one more time,” he said. “You’ve got to check out what’s going on. The game has changed significantly, on the field and behind the scenes with NIL and the transfer portal. I’m trying to say up to date and be prepared if opportunity knocks.”
Barry Bottino is a co-founder of Prairie State Pigskin and a 19-year veteran of three Illinois newspapers. He has covered college athletics since 1995.
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