 Orgeron at theWhite House in 2020 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1961-07-27)July 27, 1961 (age 63) Larose, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1979 | LSU |
| 1980–1983 | Northwestern State |
| Position(s) | Defensive lineman |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1984 | Northwestern State (LA) |
| 1985 | McNeese State (LA) |
| 1986–1987 | Arkansas (asst. strength) |
| 1988–1992 | Miami (FL) (DL) |
| 1994 | Nicholls State (LB) |
| 1995–1997 | Syracuse (DL) |
| 1998–2004 | USC (AHC/DL/RC) |
| 2005–2007 | Ole Miss |
| 2008 | New Orleans Saints (DL) |
| 2009 | Tennessee (AHC/DL/RC) |
| 2010–2013 | USC (DC/DL/RC) |
| 2013 | USC (interim HC) |
| 2015–2016 | LSU (DL) |
| 2016–2021 | LSU |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 67–47 |
| Bowls | 4–1 |
| Tournaments | 2–0 (CFP) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
Edward James Orgeron Jr. (/ˈoʊʒərɒn/; born July 27, 1961) is an American formercollege football coach. He was most recently the head football coach atLouisiana State University (LSU), a position he held from midway through the 2016 season until the 2021 season. Orgeron previously served as the head football coach at theUniversity of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2005 to 2007 and was the interim head coach at theUniversity of Southern California (USC) in 2013. He led the2019 LSU Tigers football team to anational championship, beating the defending championsClemson in the2020 College Football Playoff National Championship.
Orgeron played football as adefensive lineman atLSU andNorthwestern State University.
Born to Edward "Ba Ba" Orgeron Sr. (d. 2011) and Cornelia "Co Co" Orgeron on July 27, 1961, Orgeron and his brother Steve grew up inLarose, a town on theBayou Lafourche inLafourche Parish, Louisiana.[1][2][3] Known as "Bebe" (pronounced "bay-bay"), he is ofCajun descent, and his family members worked a variety of jobs, including as hunters, fishers, and cooks.[4] An active child, according to his mother, Coco, Ed broke his leg in second grade and learned how to play football wearing crutches and a cast.[5][6]
The Orgeron family were avid fans of LSU football; however, they could not afford to attend games in person.[7] Ed Sr. encouraged young Ed to work hard with the hopes that he might some day play for the Tigers.[7]
Orgeron attendedSouth Lafourche High School inGalliano, Louisiana with futureMichigan Panthers,New Orleans Saints, andAtlanta FalconsquarterbackBobby Hebert. Orgeron and Hebert played on the school's Class 4A state championship team in 1977.[8] Orgeron signed to play football on scholarship atLouisiana State University, but left the program two weeks into his freshman year due to homesickness and returned home where he worked on shrimp boats and dug ditches.[5][9][7] Shortly thereafter, he transferred toNorthwestern State University inNatchitoches, Louisiana and reunited with Hebert, who became his roommate.[5] Orgeron would continue to shovel shrimp during the summer breaks.[10]
During his junior year, Ed and a teammate vandalized a dorm room and instead of removing them from the team, head coachSam Goodwin decided to give them another chance.[11]
Orgeron began coaching in 1984 as agraduate assistant atNorthwestern State and the following year coached atMcNeese State inLake Charles, Louisiana.[10][12] He then served two years as an assistant strength coach underKen Hatfield at theUniversity of Arkansas. In 1988, he began his tenure with theUniversity of Miami, under then-head coachJimmy Johnson and his successor,Dennis Erickson. He was their defensive line coach for four of those years, in which he coached eight All-Americans (includingNFL first-round draft choicesCortez Kennedy,Russell Maryland andWarren Sapp). While he was with the Hurricanes, the program won two national championships (in 1989 and 1991), and he recruited a youngDwayne Johnson (later known as "The Rock" in his professional wrestling and film careers) as a defensive lineman.[13]
Yes [my dismissal was necessary]. It led to a turnaround in my lifestyle. That's something that had to be done in my life, where I just [could feel] comfortable with what I'm doing today.
— Ed Orgeron on his 1992 dismissal by Miami.[14]
Starting in 1991, a series of personal problems began to surface for Orgeron. A local woman filed a restraining order against Orgeron, accusing him of repeatedly attacking her. In July 1992, Orgeron was arrested for his part in a bar fight inBaton Rouge, Louisiana; Orgeron acknowledged he had been intoxicated that night and had grown angry when not allowed back inside to retrieve his credit card.[14] In October 1992, Orgeron took aleave of absence from the University of Miami coaching staff for personal reasons; the departure turned out to be a permanent one, however and he was replaced by assistant coachRandy Shannon.[15] Taking a respite from coaching, Orgeron worked on his personal life: the permanent injunction against him was eventually rescinded and the felony second-degree battery charges he faced were dropped.[14] He stayed with his parents in Larose, crediting his father for helping him get his life in order.[16]
Orgeron returned to coaching in 1994 but as a volunteer linebackers coach atNicholls State University.[16][17] The following year, he moved from the south to the northeastern U.S., accepting a job with head coachPaul Pasqualoni's staff atSyracuse University, where he coached the defensive line for three years.[14][18] Orgeron credited Pasqualoni for giving him a second chance at major-college coaching (after his prior personal issues had damaged his 'hireability') and helping him develop as a coach on and off the field.[16]
In 1998, Orgeron was hired by offensive guruPaul Hackett, the newly hired head coach of USC (theUniversity of Southern California), to coach the Trojans defensive line.[19] After Hackett's 2000 firing, Orgeron was one of a handful of coaches retained by Hackett's replacement,Pete Carroll, a defensive specialist. The two had met during a high school football game when Carroll was still only a candidate for the head coach position and connected over their shared passion for recruiting.[20] During the Carroll years, USC enjoyed much success, including two (Associated Press) National Championships. Orgeron took on the added responsibility of Recruiting Coordinator in 2001 and was named assistant head coach in 2003.[14] Orgeron won National Recruiter of the Year honors in 2004, the same year he was hired by Ole Miss to replace head coachDavid Cutcliffe.[20]
Upon arriving at Ole Miss as head coach, Orgeron attempted to bring USC's passing game coordinator,Lane Kiffin, with him as the newoffensive coordinator, but Kiffin opted to stay with the Trojans.[21]
Entering the 2005 season, Orgeron had hoped to bring a USC-style offense to theSoutheastern Conference (SEC), but found limited success. The University of Mississippi'soffense finished the season ranked 111th out of 117Division I-A schools, in total offense; 115th in scoring; and, 116th in rushing. Orgeron's defensive experience, along with returninglinebackerPatrick Willis, helped the Rebel defense in 2005, but as a result of the offensive woes, the 2005 team struggled and finished the season with a record of three wins and eight losses—the Rebels' worst record since 1987.
In response to the results of his first season, Orgeron fired offensive coordinatorNoel Mazzone,[22] replacing him with former University of Miami offensive coordinatorDan Werner.[23] Orgeron also hiredArt Kehoe, the longtime offensive line coach at the University of Miami; both assistants had just been fired by the University of Miami. In 2006, Ole Miss finished the season ranked No. 108 in scoring offense, No. 111 in total offense, and No. 112 in passing offense.[24]
Orgeron's second recruiting class in February 2006 was successful, acquiring the written pledges of a national Top 15 signing class.[25] He followed it with the 32nd ranked recruiting class in February 2007.[26]
At Ole Miss, Orgeron recorded only two wins against teams with winning records (the 2005 and 2007Memphis teams, which both finished at 7–5)—the fewest among active SEC coaches at the time. Until the 2007 season, he enjoyed the public support of The University of Mississippi's chancellorRobert Khayat and other administrators with oversight of the football program, including Athletic Director Pete Boone. In a November 2006 article inThe Clarion-Ledger, Khayat said of Orgeron and the poor win–loss record since he was hired (7–14, at the time of the interview), "I think Coach Orgeron inherited a very difficult situation....I am 100 percent behind him, and I think that people ought to understand that he has a big challenge."
In 2007, Ole Miss finished the season 0–8 against fellow SEC teams, and 3–9 overall. It was the program's first winless (conference) season since 1982.
On November 24, 2007, after Ole Miss blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to in-state rivalMississippi State in the season finale, Orgeron was fired. He was replaced by formerUniversity of Arkansas head coachHouston Nutt, who had resigned from the Arkansas program three days after Orgeron's firing.
On January 23, 2008, it was announced that Orgeron had been hired as the new defensive line coach of theNational Football League'sNew Orleans Saints.[27]
On December 31, 2008, Orgeron accepted a position with the University of Tennessee under its new head coach, former USC assistant coach and colleagueLane Kiffin. Orgeron worked as associate head coach, recruiting coordinator, and defensive line coach.[28]
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Orgeron returned to USC's assistant coaching staff on January 12, 2010, after Kiffin resigned from theUniversity of Tennessee without notice to accept the USC head coach position vacated by Pete Carroll (who had returned to head coaching in the NFL).[29] Orgeron was one of the highest paid assistant coaches in thePac-12 Conference, with an annual salary of $650,000.
It was announced on September 29, 2013—after Lane Kiffin's firing—that Orgeron would be the interim head coach of the Trojans for the rest of the 2013 season, until athletic directorPat Haden found a permanent replacement.[30]
After his experience at Ole Miss, Orgeron decided to approach his second stint as a head coach differently. Instead of resuming the intense aggressiveness he had used as a defensive line and head coach, he used a different approach this time. Orgeron applied behavioral techniques he had used on his own teenage children, in an effort to approach his USC players "like my sons".[31]
After receiving much praise for their upset win at home over highly rankedStanford, the Trojans suffered a humiliating 35–14 defeat to cross-town-rivalsUCLA—for the second year in a row—on November 30, 2013. This greatly threatened Orgeron's chances of winning the permanent head coach position. The Trojans were 6–2 under Orgeron, finishing the regular season with a 9–4 record.[32] On December 2, 2013,ESPN reported that another former USC assistant coach under Pete Carroll—Washington head coachSteve Sarkisian—had accepted USC's offer to become the next Trojans head coach.[33] After Orgeron was passed over for the job, he resigned.[34]
On January 14, 2015, Orgeron was hired as the defensive line coach atLouisiana State University (LSU).[35]
On September 25, 2016, after LSU head coachLes Miles was fired following a loss toAuburn, Orgeron was named the team's interim head coach.
Orgeron stated that he was going to "flip the script". He promoted tight ends coachSteve Ensminger to offensive coordinator and brought backPete Jenkins to take over as defensive line coach. Orgeron also decided to shorten practices and spend more time in the film room in order to keep players fresh. In addition, he brought the "theme of daily practices" he modeled from coachPete Carroll during Orgeron's first stint as an assistant at USC. These practice days have descriptive nicknames like Tell the Truth Monday, Competition Tuesday, Turnover Wednesday, No Repeat Thursday, and Focus Friday.[36]
Under Orgeron's watch, LSU finished out the season with a 6–2 record.[37] On November 26, 2016, LSU removed the "interim" tag from Orgeron's title and formally named him as its 32nd full-time head coach.
The beginning of the 2017 season saw Orgeron hireMatt Canada to be the offensive coordinator. Canada was known for an offensive playbook that was heavily based on setting skilled positions in motion prior to the snap, thus using jet sweeps often. The season began with LSU ranked in the top 15, but early losses to Mississippi State and Troy quickly found LSU unranked. However, the team went 7–2 in their remaining games, finishing the year with a 9–4 record.[38]
The 2018 season began with a season opening upset of 8th-ranked Miami, followed by another upset of 7th-ranked Auburn. These victories helped LSU rise to 5th in the CFP rankings, but a loss to 25th-ranked Florida sent LSU tumbling back to 13th. In response, the Tigers pulled off a shocking upset of No. 2 Georgia. The Tigers then avenged the previous year's loss to Mississippi State. The victories over Georgia and Mississippi State propelled LSU to being ranked No. 3 by the CFP going into a game against top-ranked Alabama. The LSU offense that had seemed to turn around afterSteve Ensminger took over the duties of offensive coordinator was unable to score against Alabama's defense. After the loss to Alabama, LSU was able to defeat Arkansas and Rice beforefalling to Texas A&M in a 7-overtime game. With a 9–3 record, LSU was invited to theFiesta Bowl to play theUniversity of Central Florida, who had not lost a game in the previous two seasons. On New Years Day 2019, LSU gave UCF their first loss since 2016. LSU finished the 2018 season with a record of 10–3 and were ranked sixth in the nation by the AP poll and seventh by the Coaches poll. LSU was not predicted to have a good season in 2018, and some, including respected SEC commentatorPaul Finebaum, believed it would be Orgeron's last.[39] However, the successful season earned Orgeron a contract extension through the 2022 season.[40]
After opening with a home win versusGeorgia Southern,[41] Orgeron's2019 team recorded a statement road win overTexas in week two and proceeded to go undefeated through the regular season, including a46–41 victory overAlabama atBryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa.[42][43] A win over Arkansas in the penultimate game of the regular season clinched the SEC West division title and secured a berth in the2019 SEC Championship Game againstGeorgia.[44] This was their first appearance in the SEC Championship Game since 2011. The traditionally defensive-minded Tigers averaged over 48 points per game, led by quarterbackJoe Burrow, Baton Rouge-native running backClyde Edwards-Helaire, and standout receiversJa'Marr Chase andJustin Jefferson. Burrow set new LSU and SEC single-season records for passing yards with 4,366; his 44 touchdown passes set a new LSU record and tied the SEC mark.[45] By the season's end, Burrow would go on set the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes (60) en route to winning theHeisman Trophy.[46] Orgeron's Tigers defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in theSEC Championship Game to win their first SEC title since 2011. On Sunday, December 8, 2019, they were named the No. 1 seed in theCollege Football Playoff. They met theBig 12 Conference championOklahoma Sooners in the semifinals in thePeach Bowl, defeating them by a score of 63–28.[47]
Following the regular season, Orgeron was named the winner of the 2019AP College Football Coach of the Year Award andHome Depot Coach of the Year Award.[48][49] On January 13, 2020, Orgeron won his first national championship as a head coach with a win over the unbeaten defending national championClemson Tigers, 42–25, finishing the season 15–0. Orgeron and the LSU Tigers won the national title in their home state at theMercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.[50]
LSU's 2020 season was shortened in response to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[51] They played a ten-game, all-SEC schedule. LSU started the season ranked No. 6 in the AP Poll, but dropped out of the rankings after three games and finished the season with a record of 5–5.[52] The Tigers had three different starting quarterbacks throughout the course of the season.Myles Brennan started the first three games, but was injured during the game againstMissouri on October 10 and was lost for the season.T. J. Finley started the next five games.Max Johnson started the final two games of the season.[53] He led the Tigers to an upset win over the No. 6Florida Gators inGainesville and a shootout 53–48 win overOle Miss in the season finale.[54][55]
In March 2021, a woman testifying in front of Louisiana state legislators said that she had reported an instance of sexual harassment by LSU running backDerrius Guice to Orgeron, but that the coach had taken no action against him, and in fact called the woman and asked her to forgive Guice.[56] In June 2021, Orgeron was added as a defendant to aTitle IX lawsuit against LSU, which alleges that the coach was told Guice had raped a student and did not report the allegation.[57]
Despite high expectations and a favorable schedule, LSU stumbled to a 3–3 start in2021, losing several games in which they were favored.[58] Following the tumultuous start, Orgeron's Tigers were able to upend the No. 20-rankedFlorida Gators 49–42 in a thrilling rivalry game matchup.[59] Despite the victory, LSU administrators announced the following day, on October 17, 2021, that they had reached a mutual agreement for Orgeron to leave the program at the end of the 2021 season.[60] Orgeron's last game was a last-second victory againstTexas A&M at home, which allowed the Tigers to finish the season at 6–6 and become bowl eligible.[61] Despite this, Orgeron announced shortly after the game that he would not coach in the bowl game, and that offensive line coachBrad Davis would be appointed interim coach.Brian Kelly was hired fromNotre Dame as Orgeron's successor.[62]
Orgeron appears as himself in the 2009 filmThe Blind Side recruitingMichael Oher. In 2005, Orgeron had won an intense recruiting battle for Oher. DirectorJohn Lee Hancock contacted Orgeron about playing himself, despite having been fired by Ole Miss prior to the filming of the movie. Orgeron agreed and impressed the filmmaker with his enthusiasm.[63]
In 2006, Bruce Feldman, then a senior writer atESPN The Magazine, was allowed in-depth access to the Ole Miss program for a book about the recruiting process at a big-time college football program. The result was 2007'sMeat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting, a book filled with anecdotes about Orgeron, whichThe New York Times described as "one of the most insightful books ever written about college football."[64]
Orgeron was portrayed byEmmett Skilton in the TV seriesYoung Rock, which is about actor and former wrestlerDwayne "The Rock" Johnson.[65][66] Orgeron was Johnson's defensive line coach when Johnson played atMiami.[67] Orgeron also appears as himself in the season 1 episode of Young Rock,Check Your Head.[68]
Orgeron is known for his strong, gravelly,Cajun-accented voice, and intensity while coaching.[14][16][21] In 2006, during his time at Ole Miss, he was parodied in an internet video titled "Colonel Reb is Cryin'".[69]
Orgeron has been married and divorced twice. His first wife was Colleen Orgeron.[15] He met his second wife, Kelly, on a blind date while at the1996 Liberty Bowl. The couple have three boys.[14] Upon returning to USC in 2010, Orgeron lived in a hotel across the street from the campus while his wife and children made their home in Louisiana.[70][71] The pair divorced in 2020.[72]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss Rebels(Southeastern Conference)(2005–2007) | |||||||||
| 2005 | Ole Miss | 3–8 | 1–7 | T–5th(Western) | |||||
| 2006 | Ole Miss | 4–8 | 2–6 | T–4th(Western) | |||||
| 2007 | Ole Miss | 3–9 | 0–8 | 6th(Western) | |||||
| Ole Miss: | 10–25 | 3–21 | |||||||
| USC Trojans(Pac-12 Conference)(2013) | |||||||||
| 2013 | USC | 6–2 | 6–1 | T–2nd(South) | |||||
| USC: | 6–2 | 6–1 | |||||||
| LSU Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(2016–2021) | |||||||||
| 2016 | LSU | 6–2 | 4–2 | T–2nd(Western) | WCitrus | 14 | 13 | ||
| 2017 | LSU | 9–4 | 6–2 | 3rd(Western) | LCitrus | 18 | 18 | ||
| 2018 | LSU | 10–3 | 5–3 | T–2nd(Western) | WFiesta† | 7 | 6 | ||
| 2019 | LSU | 15–0 | 8–0 | 1st(Western) | WPeach†,WCFP NCG† | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2020 | LSU | 5–5 | 5–5 | 4th(Western) | |||||
| 2021 | LSU | 6–6 | 3–5 | T–6th(Western) | Texas[a] | ||||
| LSU: | 51–20 | 31–17 | |||||||
| Total: | 67–47 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
