Edward James Orgeron Jr. (; born July 27, 1961), nicknamed "Coach O", is an American college football coach who is currently the special assistant to recruiting and defense at Louisiana State University (LSU). He was the head football coach at LSU from midway through the 2016 season until the 2021 season. Louisiana’s 2019 Tigers team, which went 15–0 en route to a victory over defending champions Clemson in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship, is considered by many to be the greatest college football team of the modern era.
Before LSU, Orgeron served as the head football coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) from 2005 to 2007 and was the interim head coach at the University of Southern California (USC) in 2013. He played football as a defensive lineman at LSU and Northwestern State University.
Early years and education
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 in Larose, a town on the Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. Known as "Bebe" (pronounced "bay-bay"), he is of Cajun descent, and his family members worked a variety of jobs, including as hunters, fishers, and cooks. 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.
The Orgeron family were avid fans of LSU football; however, they could not afford to attend games in person. Ed Sr. encouraged young Ed to work hard with the hopes that he might some day play for the Tigers. Orgeron signed to play football on scholarship at Louisiana 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. Orgeron would continue to shovel shrimp during the summer breaks.
Coaching career
Early coaching years
Orgeron began coaching in 1984 as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State and the following year coached at McNeese State in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He then served two years as an assistant strength coach under Ken Hatfield at the University of Arkansas. In 1988, he moved to the University of Miami as defensive line coach under then-head coach Jimmy Johnson and his successor, Dennis Erickson. He coached eight All-Americans (including NFL first-round draft choices Cortez Kennedy, Russell Maryland and Warren Sapp). While he was with the Hurricanes, the program won two national championships (in 1989 and 1991), and he recruited a young Dwayne Johnson (later known as "The Rock" in his professional wrestling and film careers) as a defensive lineman.