Jon Gruden knows the Original Hooters location on Gulf To Bay Boulevard well. He worked in the kitchen there in 1983.
Thursday the former Super Bowl-winning head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers returned to his old job site with some gifts to share.
“I’m counting on you guys this year!” he said to a group of CHS Tornado football players eating at the tables. “You ready for Countryside?”
Gruden and his foundations, the Fired Football Coaches of America, along with Hooters presented a $2,500 check to the team to help the athletic program.
Then he honored two local heroes. Officer Albert Granville and Detective Shannon Kasparek were both honored with gift cards and a hotel stay for their above-and-beyond work keeping residents safe in Clearwater.
“It’s great to have someone come to our community and bring us closer together in these times,” said Kasparek.
Gruden plans to honor more Gruden Grinders – people in the community who stand out for good reasons – when he visits new cities each week as part of the ESPN Monday Night Football broadcasts.
