Ed Orgeron
Encyclopedia
Ed Orgeron is an American football
coach
who is currently serving as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator for the USC Trojans. Orgeron previously served as the head football coach of the Ole Miss Rebels
from 2005 to 2007. Prior to that, Orgeron was one of the highest paid assistant coaches in college football
, with an annual salary of $650,000.
with former Michigan Panthers
, New Orleans Saints
, and Atlanta Falcons
quarterback
Bobby Hebert
. Orgeron and Hebert played on the school's Class 4A state championship team in 1977. Orgeron then signed to play college
ball at Louisiana State University
, but he transferred to Northwestern State University
after one practice. He is of Cajun descent.
before moving to Syracuse University
in 1995, where he met his wife Kelly in 1996.
Before being hired by Mississippi, he was the defensive line coach and assistant head coach for the University of Southern California
(USC) where he played a key role in Pete Carroll
's Trojans winning the Rose Bowl and Associated Press National Championship in 2003 and the Bowl Championship Series National Championship in 2004. He joined the USC staff in January 1998 under the coaching regime of Paul Hackett, and was retained by Carroll when Hackett was fired in 2000. Under Carroll, Orgeron took on the added responsibility of recruiting coordinator for the Trojans in 2001, and was then named assistant head coach in 2003.
In previous years, Orgeron was an assistant at the University of Miami
, where he coached eight All-Americans, including NFL first rounders Cortez Kennedy
, Russell Maryland
and Warren Sapp
. During his tenure at Miami, the Hurricanes
won the national championship twice (1989 and 1991).
Orgeron was the National Recruiter of the Year in 2004, also the same year he was hired at the University of Mississippi
(Ole Miss) after the school's firing of David Cutcliffe
.
finished the season ranked 111th out of 117 Division I-A teams in total offense, 115th in scoring and 116th in rushing. Though Orgeron's defensive experience, along with returning LB
Patrick Willis
, helped the Rebel defense in 2005, the offense always seemed to produce more interceptions than touchdowns. As a result, the 2005 Mississippi football team struggled and finished the season with a record of three wins and eight losses, the worst for the Rebels since 1987.
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In response to the results of his first season, Orgeron fired offensive coordinator
Noel Mazzone
, replacing him with former University of Miami offensive coordinator Dan Werner. Also, Orgeron hired Art Kehoe, the longtime offensive line coach from the University of Miami. Werner and Kehoe had just been fired from Miami. In 2006 with the new offensive coordinator and offensive line coaches, Mississippi finished ranked #108 in scoring offense, #111 in total offense and #112 in passing offense.
Orgeron's second recruiting class in February 2006 was successful by acquiring the written pledges of a national Top 15 signing class for the Mississippi football program. He followed that with the 32nd ranked recruiting class in February 2007.
Orgeron's second recruiting class in February 2006 was successful by acquiring the written pledges of a national Top 15 signing class for the Mississippi football program. He followed that with the 32nd ranked recruiting class in February 2007.
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At Ole Miss, Orgeron recorded only two wins against teams with a winning record (the 2005 and 2007 Memphis teams, which both finished at 7-5), lowest among then-active SEC coaches. Until the 2007 season, he enjoyed the public support of The University of Mississippi's chancellor Robert Khayat
and other administrators with oversight of the football program, including Athletic Director Pete Boone. In a November 2006 article in The Clarion-Ledger
, Khayat said of Orgeron and of the poor record since he was hired (7–14 when that interview was conducted), "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, Mississippi finished the season 0-8 in the conference and 3-9 overall. It was Ole Miss's first winless campaign in the SEC since 1982.
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-
On November 24, 2007, after blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to in-state rival Mississippi State in the season's last game, Orgeron was fired as head football coach of Mississippi. He was replaced by former Arkansas
head coach Houston Nutt
who had resigned from Arkansas three days after Orgeron was fired.
-
-
On December 31, 2008, Orgeron accepted a position with the University of Tennessee Volunteers football program under new head coach Lane Kiffin
. In his role with the program, he was the associate head coach, the recruiting coordinator and the defensive line coach. Orgeron left Tennessee to return to USC with Kiffin on January 12, 2010.
as Mississippi's head coach at the time.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
who is currently serving as the defensive coordinator/defensive line coach/recruiting coordinator for the USC Trojans. Orgeron previously served as the head football coach of the Ole Miss Rebels
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
from 2005 to 2007. Prior to that, Orgeron was one of the highest paid assistant coaches in 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...
, with an annual salary of $650,000.
Playing career
Orgeron attended South Lafourche High School in Galliano, LouisianaGalliano, Louisiana
Galliano is a census-designated place on the Bayou Lafourche in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP population was 7,356...
with former Michigan Panthers
Michigan Panthers
The Michigan Panthers were a professional American football team that played in the United States Football League in the mid-1980s.-Team history:The Michigan Panthers were named as a charter member of the United States Football League on May 11, 1982....
, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
, and Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Bobby Hebert
Bobby Hebert
Bobby Joseph Hebert Jr., is an American sportscaster who is best known as a retired Pro bowl American football quarterback of the New Orleans Saints. He played professionally in the USFL and NFL from 1983 to 1996 for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons...
. Orgeron and Hebert played on the school's Class 4A state championship team in 1977. Orgeron then signed to play college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
ball at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
, but he transferred to Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University
Northwestern State University, known as NSU, is a four-year public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.NSU was founded in 1884 as...
after one practice. He is of Cajun descent.
Coaching career
Orgeron returned to the college ranks in 1994 at Nicholls State UniversityNicholls State University
Nicholls State University, founded in 1948, is a public university located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, USA. Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System of universities. Originally called Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the institution split from the Louisiana State University System in...
before moving to Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
in 1995, where he met his wife Kelly in 1996.
Before being hired by Mississippi, he was the defensive line coach and assistant head coach for the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
(USC) where he played a key role in Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
's Trojans winning the Rose Bowl and Associated Press National Championship in 2003 and the Bowl Championship Series National Championship in 2004. He joined the USC staff in January 1998 under the coaching regime of Paul Hackett, and was retained by Carroll when Hackett was fired in 2000. Under Carroll, Orgeron took on the added responsibility of recruiting coordinator for the Trojans in 2001, and was then named assistant head coach in 2003.
In previous years, Orgeron was an assistant at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
, where he coached eight All-Americans, including NFL first rounders Cortez Kennedy
Cortez Kennedy
Cortez Kennedy is a former NFL defensive tackle who played his entire eleven-season career with the Seattle Seahawks.-High school and college career:...
, Russell Maryland
Russell Maryland
Russell James Maryland is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Cowboys first overall in the 1991 NFL Draft...
and Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp
Warren Carlos Sapp is a retired American football player who played defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders during his 13 year professional career, and college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes. He was then...
. During his tenure at Miami, the Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
won the national championship twice (1989 and 1991).
Orgeron was the National Recruiter of the Year in 2004, also the same year he was hired at the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
(Ole Miss) after the school's firing of David Cutcliffe
David Cutcliffe
David Cutcliffe is the head football coach of the Duke University Blue Devils. He is best known for coaching Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning at the University of Tennessee, and Manning's younger brother and fellow Super Bowl Champion Eli at the University of Mississippi...
.
Mississippi years
Entering the 2005 season, Orgeron had hoped to run a USC-style offense, but was met with limited success. Mississippi's (Ole Miss') offenseOffense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
finished the season ranked 111th out of 117 Division I-A teams in total offense, 115th in scoring and 116th in rushing. Though Orgeron's defensive experience, along with returning LB
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Patrick Willis
Patrick Willis
Patrick L. Willis is an American football player who plays inside linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers 11th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft...
, helped the Rebel defense in 2005, the offense always seemed to produce more interceptions than touchdowns. As a result, the 2005 Mississippi football team struggled and finished the season with a record of three wins and eight losses, the worst for the Rebels since 1987.
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In response to the results of his first season, Orgeron fired offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Noel Mazzone
Noel Mazzone
Noel Mazzone is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He is currently the offensive coordinator at Arizona State University, a position he had held since the 2010 season.-Early life and playing career:...
, replacing him with former University of Miami offensive coordinator Dan Werner. Also, Orgeron hired Art Kehoe, the longtime offensive line coach from the University of Miami. Werner and Kehoe had just been fired from Miami. In 2006 with the new offensive coordinator and offensive line coaches, Mississippi finished ranked #108 in scoring offense, #111 in total offense and #112 in passing offense.
Orgeron's second recruiting class in February 2006 was successful by acquiring the written pledges of a national Top 15 signing class for the Mississippi football program. He followed that with the 32nd ranked recruiting class in February 2007.
Orgeron's second recruiting class in February 2006 was successful by acquiring the written pledges of a national Top 15 signing class for the Mississippi football program. He followed that with the 32nd ranked recruiting class in February 2007.
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Record
-At Ole Miss, Orgeron recorded only two wins against teams with a winning record (the 2005 and 2007 Memphis teams, which both finished at 7-5), lowest among then-active SEC coaches. Until the 2007 season, he enjoyed the public support of The University of Mississippi's chancellor Robert Khayat
Robert Khayat
-External links:*...
and other administrators with oversight of the football program, including Athletic Director Pete Boone. In a November 2006 article in The Clarion-Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger is the Pulitzer Prize winning daily newspaper of Jackson, Mississippi. It is the second oldest company in the state of Mississippi and is one of only a few newspapers in the nation that continues to circulate statewide...
, Khayat said of Orgeron and of the poor record since he was hired (7–14 when that interview was conducted), "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, Mississippi finished the season 0-8 in the conference and 3-9 overall. It was Ole Miss's first winless campaign in the SEC since 1982.
-
-
On November 24, 2007, after blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead to in-state rival Mississippi State in the season's last game, Orgeron was fired as head football coach of Mississippi. He was replaced by former Arkansas
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
head coach Houston Nutt
Houston Nutt
Houston Dale Nutt, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University , Boise State University , and the University of Arkansas...
who had resigned from Arkansas three days after Orgeron was fired.
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New Orleans Saints, Tennessee, and USC
On January 23, 2008 it was announced that Orgeron had been hired as the Saints new defensive line coach.On December 31, 2008, Orgeron accepted a position with the University of Tennessee Volunteers football program under new head coach Lane Kiffin
Lane Kiffin
Lane Monte Kiffin is the current head coach of the University of Southern California Trojans college football team. He was previously the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers college football team, the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, and the offensive coordinator for the Trojans...
. In his role with the program, he was the associate head coach, the recruiting coordinator and the defensive line coach. Orgeron left Tennessee to return to USC with Kiffin on January 12, 2010.
In media
Orgeron appears as himself in The Blind SideThe Blind Side (film)
The Blind Side is a 2009 American semi-biographical drama film. It is written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and based on the 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis. The storyline features Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who plays for the Baltimore Ravens of the NFL...
as Mississippi's head coach at the time.