Eddie George Honored With 2023 Neighborhood Heroes Award

Eddie George with Bristol Motor Speedway President Jerry Caldwell. Photo: Courtesy of TSU Athletics

Tennessee State University (TSU) head football coach Eddie George was honored with the 2023 Neighborhood Heroes Award by Bristol Motor Speedway.

George, who enters his third season leading TSU, was presented with a $1,000 check and a plaque from Jerry Caldwell, General Manager of Bristol Motor Speedway, that will go towards his Legacy Fund and the TSU Athletic Fund.

“For the award to be around since 2018 and to be recognized in this capacity is great,” says George. “I came in with the intention to transform lives and shape these young men’s lives through the prism of football so they can be productive citizens, but also realize their purpose after the game.”

The award recognizes first responders, military members and others in Tennessee who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in their professions to make a significant impact in the lives of others in their communities.

“So often I see athletes—high school, college, and professional—leave the game with no guidance and that’s something I went through as an athlete, leaving the game earlier than I would have liked to,” George says. “I just want to provide for them the guiding light to [plant] seeds to understand that we’re not here just to play football, but give back in a greater way [through football], and all that you aspire [to be] and dream about will come to fruition at its proper time.”

A few of the previous winners of the award include the Nolensville Little League All-Star team in 2022, and Hampton Valley Forge firefighter Chris Russell in 2019.

Steven Boero