Curtis Luper
Encyclopedia
Curtis Scott Luper is an American
college football
assistant coach at Auburn University
, serving as running backs coach
and recruiting coordinator under head coach Gene Chizik
. He was formerly the assistant head coach and running backs coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys
.
Some of the prominent players Luper has helped develop include Dantrell Savage
, Derrick Blaylock
, DonTrell Moore
, Terrance Shaw
and Jeremiah Trotter
.
in 1996 and his master’s from the college in 1998. He also completed coursework toward a doctoral degree in secondary and higher education from Texas A&M–Commerce
and is expected to receive it in May 2009. He has 5 children with his wife Nikki.
). Luper left school to serve as an air traffic controller for the United States Army
, before completing his playing eligibility at Stephen F. Austin
where he led the Lumberjacks in rushing and scoring as a second-team All-Southland Conference
running back in 1993.
working with the secondary and another as a running backs coach
. He received his first full time position as running backs coach at McKinney High School
in 1998 before joining Texas A&M-Commerce
as secondary coach in 1999. Luper served that position and assistant head coach until being lured away to coach running backs for Rocky Long
at New Mexico in 2002.
After Les Miles
left Oklahoma State
to take the LSU
job, newly promoted head coach Mike Gundy
brought in Luper to fill the vacant position coaching running backs at his alma mater. Gundy (QB) and Luper (RB) were teammates on the OSU 1986 and 1987 squads. After the 2006 season, Luper was promoted to assistant head coach for player development in addition to his running backs duties.
In December 2008, Luper was interviewed for the open head coaching job at New Mexico State
, but the job was filled by UCLA
defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker
.
hired Luper to fill a vacant spot coaching the Tigers
' running backs. He will also serve as Recruiting Coordinator. Chizik and Luper had previously worked together when Luper was a secondary assistant under Chizik's defense at Stephen F. Austin. Luper had previously spent eight months living in the state of Alabama during his tenure in the Army, splitting time between Fort McClellan
in Anniston
and Fort Rucker
near Enterprise
.
In 2010, Luper was recognized by Rivals.com
as one of the top-25 recruiters in the nation. In 2011, ESPN selected Luper as one of the best recruiters in the Southeastern Conference.
's career rushing leader DonTrell Moore
and helped the Lobo's finish 16th nationally in rushing in 2003, averaging 210 yards per game (265 rushing yards per MWC game).
In his first season on the OSU staff, one of his running backs, Mike Hamilton, rushed for a school freshman season record of 961 yards and was named the Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year. The 2006 season saw Luper tutor a trio of OSU running backs (Hamilton, Dantrell Savage
and Keith Toston
) to 2,000 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He also coach back-to-back 1,000 yard rushers, with Dantrell Savage rushing for 1,272 yards in 2007 and Kendall Hunter rushing for 1,555 yards in 2008. Under Luper, Oklahoma State's running attack led the Big 12 Conference
in rushing for 3 consecutive seasons (2006–2008). The Cowboys finished the 2006 season ranked seventh nationally in rushing, eighth nationally in 2007 and seventh nationally again in 2008 (averaging 256 yards per game).
In his first season on the Auburn staff, Ben Tate
rushed for 1,362 yards (just under 105 yards per game), while the team finished the season ranked 13th in the nation in rushing. In 2010, true freshman back Mike Dyer rushed for over 1,000 yards and broke Bo Jackson
's freshman rushing record.
Coach Luper has experience coaching in 8 bowl games including the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl
, 2003 Las Vegas Bowl
, 2004 Emerald Bowl
, 2006 Independence Bowl
, 2007 Insight Bowl
, 2008 Holiday Bowl
, 2010 Outback Bowl
and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
assistant coach at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, serving as running backs coach
Running backs coach
A running backs coach is a coach in charge of the running backs in gridiron football. The running backs coach typically operates under the team's offensive coordinator....
and recruiting coordinator under head coach Gene Chizik
Gene Chizik
Eugene "Gene" Chizik is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Auburn University football team, a position he has held since the 2009 season. Chizik's 2010 Auburn Tigers football team completed a 14–0 season with a victory over Oregon in the BCS...
. He was formerly the assistant head coach and running backs coach of the Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
.
Some of the prominent players Luper has helped develop include Dantrell Savage
Dantrell Savage
Dantrell Savage is a free agent American football running back who last played for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, Derrick Blaylock
Derrick Blaylock
Derrick Blaylock is an American football running back in the National Football League who is currently a free agent.-High school career:...
, DonTrell Moore
DonTrell Moore
Dontrell Moore is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at New Mexico...
, Terrance Shaw
Terrance Shaw
Terrance Shaw is an American football cornerback. He was born in Marshall, Texas. Terrance was selected in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers...
and Jeremiah Trotter
Jeremiah Trotter
Jeremiah Trotter is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Stephen F...
.
Personal life
Luper earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from Stephen F. AustinStephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
in 1996 and his master’s from the college in 1998. He also completed coursework toward a doctoral degree in secondary and higher education from Texas A&M–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a state university located in Commerce, Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, the second largest university within the system behind Texas A&M University in College Station....
and is expected to receive it in May 2009. He has 5 children with his wife Nikki.
Playing career
Luper was a 1984 graduate of Sherman High School, where he captured All-State honors as a senior and was the #2-rated prep running back in Texas behind future Cowboys teammate Thurman Thomas. He was recruited to play at Oklahoma State where he played from 1984–1987 and was part of three bowl teams (playing behind future Hall-of-Fame running backs Thurman Thomas and Barry SandersBarry Sanders
Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
). Luper left school to serve as an air traffic controller for the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, before completing his playing eligibility at Stephen F. Austin
Stephen F. Austin State University
Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...
where he led the Lumberjacks in rushing and scoring as a second-team All-Southland Conference
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the south central United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it participates in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision...
running back in 1993.
Coaching career
Luper began his coaching career at Stephen F. Austin, spending 2 years as a graduate assistantGraduate assistant
A graduate assistant is a position who serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The individual typically assists professors or with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants, coaches with an athletic team, or university department...
working with the secondary and another as a running backs coach
Running backs coach
A running backs coach is a coach in charge of the running backs in gridiron football. The running backs coach typically operates under the team's offensive coordinator....
. He received his first full time position as running backs coach at McKinney High School
McKinney High School
McKinney High School is located at 1400 Wilson Creek Parkway in McKinney, Texas, and is within the McKinney Independent School District...
in 1998 before joining Texas A&M-Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas A&M University–Commerce is a state university located in Commerce, Texas and a member of the Texas A&M University System, the second largest university within the system behind Texas A&M University in College Station....
as secondary coach in 1999. Luper served that position and assistant head coach until being lured away to coach running backs for Rocky Long
Rocky Long
-External links:*...
at New Mexico in 2002.
After Les Miles
Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
left Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State Cowboys football
The Oklahoma State Cowboys football program represents Oklahoma State University–Stillwater in college football. The team is a member of the Big 12 Conference and completes at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Cowboys are led by Mike Gundy, who is in his seventh year as...
to take the LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
job, newly promoted head coach Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy
Mike Gundy is an American football coach and former player He is currently the head football coach at Oklahoma State University–Stillwater. Gundy played college football Oklahoma State, where he was the Cowboys quarterback from 1986 to 1989. Gundy became Oklahoma State's coach on January 3, 2005...
brought in Luper to fill the vacant position coaching running backs at his alma mater. Gundy (QB) and Luper (RB) were teammates on the OSU 1986 and 1987 squads. After the 2006 season, Luper was promoted to assistant head coach for player development in addition to his running backs duties.
In December 2008, Luper was interviewed for the open head coaching job at New Mexico State
New Mexico State Aggies football
The New Mexico State Aggies football team represents New Mexico State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football competition as a member of the Western Athletic Conference ....
, but the job was filled by UCLA
UCLA Bruins Football
The UCLA Bruins football program represents the University of California, Los Angeles in college football as members of the Pacific-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The Bruins have enjoyed several periods of success in their history, having been ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll...
defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker
DeWayne Walker
-External links:* *...
.
Auburn
On January 2, 2009, new Auburn head coach Gene ChizikGene Chizik
Eugene "Gene" Chizik is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of the Auburn University football team, a position he has held since the 2009 season. Chizik's 2010 Auburn Tigers football team completed a 14–0 season with a victory over Oregon in the BCS...
hired Luper to fill a vacant spot coaching the Tigers
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
' running backs. He will also serve as Recruiting Coordinator. Chizik and Luper had previously worked together when Luper was a secondary assistant under Chizik's defense at Stephen F. Austin. Luper had previously spent eight months living in the state of Alabama during his tenure in the Army, splitting time between Fort McClellan
Fort McClellan
Fort McClellan, originally Camp McClellan, was a United States Army post located adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama. During World War II, it was one of the largest U.S. Army installations, training an estimated half-million troops...
in Anniston
Anniston, Alabama
Anniston is a city in Calhoun County in the state of Alabama, United States.As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 24,276. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 23,741...
and Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker
Fort Rucker is a U.S. Army post located mostly in Dale County, Alabama, United States. It was named for a Civil War officer, Confederate General Edmund Rucker. The post is the primary flight training base for Army Aviation and is home to the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and...
near Enterprise
Enterprise, Alabama
Enterprise is a city in the southeastern part of Coffee and Dale Counties in the southeastern part of Alabama in the Southern United States. The population was estimated to be 25,909 in the year 2009....
.
In 2010, Luper was recognized by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
as one of the top-25 recruiters in the nation. In 2011, ESPN selected Luper as one of the best recruiters in the Southeastern Conference.
Coaching successes
Luper has a history of successfully developing talent throughout his coaching career and has enjoyed successes at each of his stops. In his first year of coaching, he helped coach Stephen F. Austin to their semifinal run in the I-AA playoffs. In 2001, Texas A&M-Commerce finished second in the league in total defense, with his defensive backs helping to produce 30 takeaways. Luper also coached the league’s best kickoff return and coverage teams that season. While at New Mexico, Luper coached the Mountain West ConferenceMountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
's career rushing leader DonTrell Moore
DonTrell Moore
Dontrell Moore is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was originally signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at New Mexico...
and helped the Lobo's finish 16th nationally in rushing in 2003, averaging 210 yards per game (265 rushing yards per MWC game).
In his first season on the OSU staff, one of his running backs, Mike Hamilton, rushed for a school freshman season record of 961 yards and was named the Big 12 offensive newcomer of the year. The 2006 season saw Luper tutor a trio of OSU running backs (Hamilton, Dantrell Savage
Dantrell Savage
Dantrell Savage is a free agent American football running back who last played for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
and Keith Toston
Keith Toston
-St. Louis Rams:Toston was signed by the Rams on April 25, 2010, and made the Rams opening-day roster in 2010. Toston spent the year as the Rams secondary back. He accumulated 54 yards on 19 carries in spot duty.-External links:* at St. Louis Rams official site...
) to 2,000 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He also coach back-to-back 1,000 yard rushers, with Dantrell Savage rushing for 1,272 yards in 2007 and Kendall Hunter rushing for 1,555 yards in 2008. Under Luper, Oklahoma State's running attack led the Big 12 Conference
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...
in rushing for 3 consecutive seasons (2006–2008). The Cowboys finished the 2006 season ranked seventh nationally in rushing, eighth nationally in 2007 and seventh nationally again in 2008 (averaging 256 yards per game).
In his first season on the Auburn staff, Ben Tate
Ben Tate
Tate was drafted in the 2nd round in the 2010 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. Most projected Tate to be picked somewhere in the early to middle of the second round, and recognizing his value at pick 58, the Texans aggressively traded up to draft him...
rushed for 1,362 yards (just under 105 yards per game), while the team finished the season ranked 13th in the nation in rushing. In 2010, true freshman back Mike Dyer rushed for over 1,000 yards and broke Bo Jackson
Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....
's freshman rushing record.
Coach Luper has experience coaching in 8 bowl games including the 2002 Las Vegas Bowl
2002 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2002 edition to the Las Vegas Bowl was the 11th edition of that annual game. It featured the , and the . The Bruins defeated the Lobos 27-13. Notably the game was the first Division I-A college football game to have a female player on the field, Katie Hnida...
, 2003 Las Vegas Bowl
2003 Las Vegas Bowl
The 2003 Las Vegas Bowl was the 12th edition of that annual game. It featured the Oregon State Beavers, and the . Oregon State's 55 points scored remains a Las Vegas Bowl record. Their 41-point victory margin is also a record....
, 2004 Emerald Bowl
2004 Emerald Bowl
The 2004 Emerald Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the and the on December 30, 2004, at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California. It was the third time the Emerald Bowl was played and the final game of the 2004 NCAA Division I FBS football season for both teams...
, 2006 Independence Bowl
2006 Independence Bowl
The 2006 PetroSun Independence Bowl, part of the 2006–07 NCAA football bowl season, took place on December 28, 2006 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. The competing teams were the Alabama Crimson Tide, representing the Southeastern Conference, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys,...
, 2007 Insight Bowl
2007 Insight Bowl
The 2007 Insight Bowl, part of the 2007-08 NCAA football bowl games season, was played on December 31, 2007, at Sun Devil Stadium on the Arizona State University campus in Tempe, Arizona....
, 2008 Holiday Bowl
2008 Holiday Bowl
The 2008 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2008 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks, and was part of the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season and one of the games in the 2008-2009...
, 2010 Outback Bowl
2010 Outback Bowl
The 2010 Outback Bowl was the 24th edition of the college football bowl game, and was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The game started at 11 AM US EST on Friday, January 1, 2010. The game was telecast on ESPN and matched Auburn University against Northwestern University...
and the 2011 BCS National Championship Game
2011 BCS National Championship Game
The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was the final college football game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision season. The finale of the 2010-2011 Bowl Championship Series was played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, the host...
.