Ted Ginn Jr. shined as a wide receiver and punt/kick returner. Now, he’ll try his hand with a headset.
The UFL’s Columbus Aviators announced Wednesday that they’ve hired the former Ohio State and NFL wideout as their next head coach. Ginn, who’ll be a first-time coach, grew up in Cleveland, roughly two hours north of Columbus.
The Aviators are one of three new teams in the UFL next season, joining the Louisville Kings and the Orlando Storm. These three teams are replacing the outgoing Michigan Panthers, Memphis Showboats and San Antonio Brahmas.
As for Ginn’s playing career, he ran back four punt returns for a touchdown in his freshman season at Ohio State (2004), six punt returns total over his three seasons with the program (2004-06) and ran back a kick return for a score in both 2005 and 2006. As a receiver, he averaged 55 receptions for 792 yards and 6.5 touchdowns per season from 2005-06, while occasionally being a factor in the running game for the Buckeyes.
Ginn was selected by the Miami Dolphins with the ninth overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. In 2009, Ginn ran back two kick returns for a touchdown and finished his eventual 14-year NFL career with three kick returns for a score and four punt returns for a score. Ginn tallied 790 receiving yards in his second season in the NFL (2008), with him surpassing 700 receiving yards in four seasons (2008, 2015, 2016 and 2017).
The San Francisco 49ers acquired Ginn from the Dolphins after the 2009 season. Following a three-year stay in the Bay Area (2010-12), Ginn had two stints with the Carolina Panthers (2013 and 2015-16), one-year trials with the Arizona Cardinals (2014) and Chicago Bears (2020) and a three-year stint with the New Orleans Saints (2011-19).
In 2015, when the Panthers went to Super Bowl 50, Ginn posted both a career- and team-high 10 receiving scores.
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“Today marks a new milestone in my football journey,” Ginn said in a statement. “When I heard that the United Football League was going to have a football team in Columbus, I wanted to be a part of creating a new winning tradition in this city that is such an important part of my life. I can’t wait to start building this team and I ask football fans throughout the state to join the Aviators as they take flight.”
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