NASHVILLE – Longtime NFL and Super Bowl-winning coach Jon Gruden has become a Partner with the Nashville Kats and their ownership group, Fisher Football Ventures LLC.
Kats President and Partner Jeff Fisher made the announcement today that Gruden will be a Partner with consulting and advisory roles in all aspects of the team’s football and business operations.
“The Nashville Kats and the Arena Football 1 league are very excited to have someone with Jon’s experience, expertise, and success to not only be part of the ownership but also take an active role in a variety of ways within the organization,” said Fisher, who also serves as AF1 Commissioner.
Gruden was head coach of the Oakland Raiders (19989-2001), Tampa Bay Bucs (2002-08,) and Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders (2018-21). He led the Bucs to a championship in Super Bowl XXXVII over Oakland and has been inducted into Tampa Bay’s Ring of Honor.
“I have been a fan of indoor football for a long time and jumped at the opportunity to be involved with Jeff and the Nashville Kats as part of the ownership group,” Gruden said. “I have so much respect for what Jeff has done over his career and continues to do with the Nashville Kats and as commissioner of AF1. I’m excited to be part of the team.”
Gruden joined Barstool Sports in November 2024 in a variety of roles, including playing host to the popular social media postings of his receiving boxes of merchandise from various collegiate and professional programs.
Gruden’s brother, former Washington Commanders head coach Jay Gruden, was an assistant coach for the Nashville Kats in 1997 before becoming head coach of the Orlando Predators (1998-2001). As a player and coach, Jay Gruden was inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame.
“Obviously, I followed all of Jay’s playing and coaching days in Arena Football and knew how much he enjoyed all those years,” Gruden said. “I look forward to having that same kind of excitement with the Nashville Kats.”
Under Head Coach and General Manager Darren Arbet, the Nashville Kats (3-2) have won three games in a row, including last Saturday’s 41-17 win at Southwest Kansas in Dodge City. They currently sit in third place behind league-leading Albany Firebirds (7-0).
After a bye week, the Kats return to action at Albany on Saturday, May 10, with a 6 p.m. CDT kickoff time and 5:30 p.m. broadcast start with the pre-game show on Totally Hits 93.3. The Kats’ next home game is Saturday, May 24 at 5 p.m. versus the Oregon Lightning at historic Municipal Auditorium in downtown Nashville.
“With the recent success of the team on the field and the addition of Jon Gruden to assist in all areas of our operations, there is so much forward momentum for the Nashville Kats right now,” Kats CEO and Partner Bobby DeVoursney said. “We can’t be more thrilled to be just a few months into this new era for the Nashville Kats and to have such incredible local support and growing nationally as well.”
All AF1 games, including the Nashville Kats, can be viewed on the EvergreenNow streaming platform. AF1 also has a Vice TV Game of the Week broadcast live.