Jon Husted football stats: Trump’s 17-interception claim

Donald Trump has falsely credited Ohio senator Jon Husted with a single-season American football record in a renewed appeal for votes. The University of Dayton lists the 17 interceptions Trump cited as Husted’s total across his four-year college career, not in one season. [1] [2]

In a Truth Social post dated 15 October 2026 and reproduced by the Trump’s Truth archive, Trump wrote: “He played Safety and, in one season, had 17 Interceptions, a record.” He used Husted’s sporting achievements to urge voters to back him against Democrat Sherrod Brown. [1]

Dayton’s 2026 football history guide ranks Husted third for career interceptions, with 17 from 1986 to 1989. Mark Kasmer leads with 21, followed by Doug Zimmer with 20. The separate single-season table gives Kasmer the record: 11 interceptions in 2002. [2]

Husted did have a successful college career. Dayton says he earned All-American honours as a cornerback and kick returner and was a starter on its 1989 NCAA Division III national championship team. His former high school in Montpelier describes him in its 2023 Hall of Fame programme as a third-team All-American defensive back. [5] [6]

The election behind the appeal

Husted is already a senator. Appointed to succeed JD Vance, now the vice-president, he has served since 21 January 2025. He faces Brown on 3 November in a contest that AP has described as a key Democratic target in the battle for control of the Senate. [3] [11]

Trump also wrote that Brown “got thrown out by the people three years ago”. Brown did lose to Bernie Moreno, but that election took place on 5 November 2024 — less than two years before the post, not three. Brown’s defeat concerned Ohio’s other Senate seat, now held by Moreno; Husted occupies the former Vance seat. [1] [3] [4]

The appeal reaffirms long-standing support. Trump had already given Husted his “Complete and Total Endorsement” in a post dated 9 April 2025, well before the recent football story. [7]

Former NFL head coach Jon Gruden publicly backed Husted at Trump’s 3 October rally at Butler High School in Vandalia, according to local broadcaster WHIO. Gruden joined Husted on stage and told the audience the senator would never quit on them. [9]

At his 12 October rally in Youngstown, Trump was already calling the 17 interceptions a record. “Ohio tends to like football,” he remarked, according to the Factbase transcript published by Roll Call. [10]

In a separate post on 13 October, Trump attributed the 17-interception figure to Gruden and called it a record, without assigning it to a single season. The 15 October post adds “in one season”, turning a genuine career total into a false claim of a single-season record. [8] [1] [2]