Ex-NFL coach Hue Jackson to take over at Grambling

Former Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson is taking over as the coach of Grambling’s storied football program.

Jackson, who spent this season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee State, fills the vacancy created when Grambling fired eighth-year coach Broderick Fobbs last month.

FILE – Cincinnati Bengals special assistant Hue Jackson reacts before an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns, on Nov. 25, 2018, in Cincinnati. Jackson is taking over as the coach of Grambling’s storied college football program, after the school fired eighth-year coach Broderick Fobbs last month. (AP Photo/Frank Victores, File)

“Hue is a professional and winner in all areas of life and a mentor to some of the best professional football players in the NFL,” athletic director Traveon Scott said.

Jackson spent 18 years in the NFL as a head coach or assistant with Washington, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Baltimore, the Raiders (who subsequently moved to Las Vegas) and Cleveland. Before that he spent about a decade on staffs at three Pac-12 programs (Arizona State, California and Southern California).

Grambling, a historically Black university where football became famous under College Football Hall of Fame coach Eddie Robinson Jr., has won 25 Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.

This year, the Tigers struggled to a 4-7 mark, but finished on a high note with a 29-26 victory over Southern in the Bayou Classic on Nov. 27. Grambling has not won more than six games in a season since going 11-2 in 2017.

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