Pepe Pearson

{{Short description|American football player and coach (born 1975)}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Pepe Pearson

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| current_team = Tarleton State Texans

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| position = Associate head coach & Running backs coach

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|12|11}}

| birth_place = Euclid, Ohio

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| high_school = Euclid (OH)

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| college = Ohio State

| undraftedyear = 1998

| pastteams =

San Francisco 49ers ({{NFL Year|1998}})*
Jacksonville Jaguars ({{NFL Year|1998}})*
Green Bay Packers ({{NFL Year|1998}})*
Chicago Bears ({{NFL Year|1998}})*
Cleveland Browns ({{NFL Year|1999}})*
Detroit Lions ({{NFL Year|1999}})*
Pittsburgh Steelers ({{NFL Year|2000}})*
Rhein Fire ({{RHE season|2000}}–{{RHE season|2001}})
Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|2001}})*
Las Vegas Outlaws (2001)*

| pastcoaching =

Ohio Dominican (2004–2014)
Running backs coach
Daytona Beach Hawgs (2004–2005)
Head coach
Marion Mayhem (2008–2009)
Head coach
Youngstown State (2015)
Running backs coach
Marshall (2016–2020)
Running backs coach
Tennessee State (2021–2022)
Running backs coach
Tarleton State (2023–present)
Associate head coach & running backs coach

| pastexecutive =

Marion Mayhem (2008–2009)
General manager

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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.{{Cite web |date=2023-06-24 |title=Former Ohio State running back Pepe Pearson accepts new coaching position |url=https://buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/2023/06/24/ohio-state-football-former-ohio-state-running-back-pepe-pearson-accepts-new-coaching-position/ |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=Buckeyes Wire |language=en-US}}

Playing career

A four-year letterwinner at Ohio State, Pearson is the Buckeye's ninth all-time leading rusher with 3,121 yards).{{cite news|title=Ohio State–Illinois postgame notes|work=The Columbus Dispatch|date=2008-11-15|url=http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/11/15/1115postgamenotes.html|accessdate=2011-02-18|archive-date=2020-01-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110213348/https://www.dispatch.com/live/content/sports/stories/2008/11/15/1115postgamenotes.html|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|last=Helwagen|first=Steve|title=OSU's 1996 Win Evened Series With Notre Dame|publisher=Scout.com|date=2005-12-28|url=http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/483132.html|accessdate=2011-02-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313011318/http://ohiostate.scout.com/2/483132.html|archive-date=2012-03-13|url-status=dead}}

As a player, Pearson helped Ohio State to four straight bowl appearances from 1994 to 1997, 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.{{cite news|title=Browns include former Ohio State standout Pearson among latest free agents signed|work=Sunday Times-Sentinel|agency=Associated Press|date=1999-01-10|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kuxDAAAAIBAJ&sjid=4a8MAAAAIBAJ&pg=5304,374429|accessdate=2011-02-18}}{{cite web|last=Flynn|first=Jim|title=Better Later Than Never|publisher=Scout.com|date=2001-07-25|url=http://tam.scout.com/2/11915.html|accessdate=2011-02-18|archive-date=2011-07-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716021311/http://tam.scout.com/2/11915.html|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite news|last=Carlson|first=Mike|title=Fire Downs Claymores in World Bowl|work=International Herald-Tribune|date=2000-06-27|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/27/sports/27iht-bowl.2.t.html|accessdate=2011-02-18}} He later spent time with the Dayton Warbirds, an expansion team in the National Indoor Football League.

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Pearson began a career in coaching. From 2004 to 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,{{cite news|title=Uf Women Continue Roll|work=Orlando Sentinel|date=2005-05-25|url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2005/05/25/uf-women-continue-roll/|access-date=2011-02-18}} 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.

References

External links

[https://tsutigers.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/pepe-pearson/633 Tennessee State profile]
[https://herdzone.com/sports/football/roster/coaches/pepe-pearson/72 Marshall profile]
[https://www.ysusports.com/sports/fball/coaches/Pearson_Pepe?view=bio Youngstown State profile]
[https://ohiodominicanpanthers.com/sports/fball/coaches/Old_Coaches/Pearson_Pepe?view=bio Ohio Dominican profile]{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
[http://www.all-xfl.com/lasvegasoutlaws/team/roster/pepepearson.htm Las Vegas Outlaws profile]

Category:1975 births

Category:Living people

Category:American football running backs

Category:Chicago Bears players

Category:Cleveland Browns players

Category:Detroit Lions players

Category:Jacksonville Jaguars players

Category:Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL) players

Category:Marshall Thundering Herd football coaches

Category:Ohio Dominican Panthers football coaches

Category:Ohio State Buckeyes football players

Category:Rhein Fire players