By Matthew Maxey | Published Sep 2012
In the sports and entertainment world, two celebrities often get tagged with the term “power couple” when they decide to get married. In reality, many are just another celebrity couple who become fodder for the gossip magazines. Few survive the first few years, and in some high profile examples, some do not survive even the first 72 days.
Two of middle Tennessee’s most prominent residents have quietly gone about reversing that trend. Former Tennessee Titan Eddie George and his wife, singer/actress Tamara “Taj” Johnson-George, are showing what it takes to become a true power couple. They are sharing their secrets to a successful marriage in their recently released book Married for Real: Building a Loving, Powerful Life Together.
The road to becoming a power couple was not always easy for the Georges, though. Before getting married in 1999, Eddie and Taj each had obstacles from their own childhoods that challenged them to find an inner strength. For the two of them, it was that self-developed inner strength that ultimately led them to their individual successes and eventually to their success as a married couple.
Eddie is best remembered for his years on the football field, where he was a Heisman Trophy winner at Ohio State University and then a legendary member of the Tennessee Titans, winning the NFL’s “Rookie of the Year” in 1996 and helping take the Titans to the Super Bowl in 2000. Prior to reaching the bright lights of professional football, Eddie grew up in Philadelphia, where his parents’ divorce resulted in seeing neither of them very often. His father battled an addiction, which limited Eddie’s time with his father. In addition, his mother traveled frequently for her job as a flight attendant. Eddie even left home early to attend Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia for his final two years of high school before going on to Ohio State.
Taj is best known as a part of the Grammy-nominated R&B group SWV (Sisters With Voices), a popular singing group that first “hit it big” with their 1992 triple-platinum album “It’s About Time.” More recently, Taj appeared on the 2009 reality TV show Survivor: Tocantins, in which Taj came in fourth place. Taj grew up in Brooklyn as the youngest of six children. Her childhood was far from ideal, as it was marred by the loss of both her parents by the age of 14 and filled with abuse by her stepfather and other family members.
After getting married, Eddie and Taj also began working together on a number of issues that were important to both of them. Most notably was Visions with Infinite Possibilities (VIP), the Georges’ not-for-profit charity for survivors of domestic violence and their children. Having been a survivor of domestic violence herself, Taj is really able to relate to the families involved. The Georges’ work with VIP was also highlighted when the two of them stared in the reality TV show I Married a Baller, which followed the couple around for five weeks showing what life was like for Taj as an NFL wife.
In addition to their work with VIP, the Georges have also contributed a lot of time and energy to promoting physical fitness. During the nine episodes of I Married a Baller, Taj spoke about her journey to lose 40 pounds after the birth of the couple’s youngest child Eriq. The couple appeared on the Dr. Oz Show as part of “Core Team Oz” in Dr. Oz’ NFL Moms Fitness Challenge. In addition, Eddie was named by former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen as spokesperson for Tennessee’s GetFitTN program, which promotes healthier and active lifestyles.
That goal of physical fitness was also one of the initial reasons Taj wanted to appear on the show Survivor. Noting her struggle to lose the last of her baby weight from giving birth three years prior, Taj signed up but later went on to say the experience was ”one of the most grueling experiences of my life.”
“Once I got to Brazil I had no Idea what I had gotten myself into. When you’re watching Survivor from your warm and cozy couches, you see the dirt, the bugs, the physical challenges, and in the back of your mind you’re thinking “I could do this,” but the task of actually surviving the show requires a mental preparedness I had no idea I possessed.”
In addition to their work with their different philanthropies, Eddie has also expanded his resume a bit by adding “stage actor” after performing in “God’s Trombones” at the Belcourt Theater in 2006 and as the lead role in “Julius Caesar” at the 2011 Nashville Shakespeare Festival. That is in addition to his newest role as studio analyst on FOX’s new Saturday night college football broadcast alongside Joey Harrington and Erin Andrews.
Without a doubt, it is easy to see that Eddie and Taj are not satisfied with resting on the accomplishments they have had so far in life. It is that inner drive developed in them at an early age that is evident in everything they do, from their philanthropy work to their careers. These traits make it so easy to see why their marriage has successfully made them a true “power couple” that will do more than try to survive. Those in middle Tennessee and the communities touched by the Georges’ kindness are just lucky enough to have a front row seat to see this power couple at work.