Sam Wyche, the longtime National Football League coach who led the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl, is now looking to pursue a career in congressional politics.
Wyche told POLITICO he’s exploring a campaign to succeed Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-S.C.), who is leaving his House seat to run for governor.
“I’ve had a number of people ask me to consider it, which is very flattering. I just now need to see if I’m the right guy for the job,” Wyche said. “I’ve got some name recognition, being a football coach, and football’s really popular here in the Southeast.”
He said he plans to reach out to Steve Largent, J.C. Watts and Tom Osborne – three other former pro football players who made the transition to Congress. But he cautioned that he’s only in the very early stages of exploring a campaign, and is just now beginning to discuss his interest with statewide party officials.
Wyche has dabbled in local Republican party politics recently after spending most of his career playing and coaching in the NFL. Last year, he won a seat on the Pickens County Council and is serving a four-year term in office.
If he ran, Wyche would begin his campaign as one of the best-known contenders. He is well-known in Barrett’s northwestern South Carolina-based district because of his decades-long football career, and for his community activism. He spends much of his time volunteering as an assistant coach for a local high school football team.
“If I ran, I would be somebody that definitely isn’t a part of the Washington scene, somebody who isn’t in politics,” said Wyche. “I’m doing my due diligence right now talking to friends to see if I could be less of a politician and more of a public servant.”
Barrett’s 3rd District seat is heavily Republican, and the GOP nominee would be the clear favorite in a general election.
