Lou Tepper
Encyclopedia
Lou Tepper is an American football
coach and former player. He was the head football coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
, a position he has held since the 2006 season. Previously, tepper served as the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(1991–1996) and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
(2000–2005). He was the defensive coordinator
at Louisiana State University
from 1997 to 1999.
. As a defensive back
from 1965 to 1966, Tepper led the team in interception
s as a junior, and in tackle
s as a senior. Tepper graduated with a Bachelor of Science
degree in physical education
in 1967.
in the 1991 season. Hired by John Mackovic
as defensive coordinator
in 1988, Tepper was promoted to head coach when Mackovic accepted the head coaching position at the University of Texas
. Tepper's first game as head coach was the 1991 John Hancock Bowl
, which the Illini
lost to UCLA
by the score of 6–3. Tepper served as the head coach at Illinois for five more seasons, compiling an overall record of 25 wins, 31 losses, and 2 ties, for a winning percentage of .446. The Illini went to the Holiday Bowl
in 1992, losing to Hawaii
by the score of 27–17, and the Liberty Bowl
in 1994, beating East Carolina
, 30–0, for Tepper's only bowl victory.
Tepper's defensive squads as coordinator were generally strong, and the Fighting Illini
continued to field able 3–4 defenses with Tepper as head coach. Tepper's defensive players as head coach included Butkus Award winners Dana Howard
and Kevin Hardy, as well as National Football League
standouts Simeon Rice
and John Holecek
. Tepper authored a book, Complete Linebacking, to teach his style of defensive play for the linebacker
position.
Tepper was the first Illinois coach since Robert Zuppke
to win or tie both of his first two meetings against Michigan
. The 1992 game, a 22–22 tie, ended Michigan's nineteen game conference winning streak.
Despite Tepper's abilities as a defensive coach, his teams were unable to match the moderate success of Mackovic's teams at Illinois, and the Illini got progressively worse over his tenure. They placed fourth in the Big Ten Conference
in Tepper's first full season, 1992, and finished in fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth in his remaining years. Tepper was fired after the 1996 season, when the Illini went 2–9 with a 1–7 conference record. Tepper later said that he forgave Illinois for firing him.
Prior to coaching at Illinois, Tepper served as an assistant defensive coach at the University of Pittsburgh
(1967, graduate assistant), the University of New Hampshire
(1968–1971), The College of William and Mary (1972–1977), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(1978–1982), and the University of Colorado at Boulder
(1983–1987).
Tepper's contract at IUP was scheduled to expire in June 2011, however, in December 2010 the university announced he would depart effective at the end of the year.
In February 2011 he was named defensive coordinator of the United States national American football team
for the 2011 IFAF World Cup
.
coached the first 11 games of the season.
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 and former player. He was the head football coach at Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is a public university in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, USA. The university is northeast of Pittsburgh. It is the largest university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and is the commonwealth's fifth largest university...
, a position he has held since the 2006 season. Previously, tepper served as the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
(1991–1996) and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
Edinboro University is a public liberal arts university located in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, USA and one of 14 schools associated with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The town is named after Edinburgh, Scotland. It is also not to be confused with the University of Edinburgh...
(2000–2005). He was the defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
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...
from 1997 to 1999.
Playing career
Tepper played college football at Rutgers UniversityRutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
. As a defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
from 1965 to 1966, Tepper led the team in interception
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
s as a junior, and in tackle
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
s as a senior. Tepper graduated with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in physical education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
in 1967.
Coaching career
Tepper was named the head coach at the University of IllinoisUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
in the 1991 season. Hired by John Mackovic
John Mackovic
John Mackovic is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of United States national American football team, which was formed to compete in the American Football World Cup...
as defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
in 1988, Tepper was promoted to head coach when Mackovic accepted the head coaching position at the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. Tepper's first game as head coach was the 1991 John Hancock Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
, which the Illini
1991 Illinois Fighting Illini football team
The 1991 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois in the 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Illinois offense scored 264 points while the defense allowed 188 points...
lost to UCLA
1991 UCLA Bruins football team
The 1991 UCLA Bruins football team represented UCLA in the 1991 NCAA college football season. The Bruins offense scored 323 points while the defense allowed 190 points...
by the score of 6–3. Tepper served as the head coach at Illinois for five more seasons, compiling an overall record of 25 wins, 31 losses, and 2 ties, for a winning percentage of .446. The Illini went to the Holiday Bowl
1992 Holiday Bowl
The 1992 Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played December 30, 1992 in San Diego, California. It was part of the 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season. It featured the 25th ranked Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, and the unranked ....
in 1992, losing to Hawaii
Hawaii Warriors football
The Hawaii Warriors football team represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The team, which is currently coached by Greg McMackin, is part of the Western Athletic Conference until 2012, when the team joins the Mountain West Conference.The Hawaii Warriors...
by the score of 27–17, and the Liberty Bowl
1994 Liberty Bowl
The 1994 Liberty Bowl was held on December 31, 1994, in Memphis, Tennessee at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The game featured the , of the Big Ten Conference, and the East Carolina Pirates, an independent team. Illinois won the game 30–0....
in 1994, beating East Carolina
East Carolina Pirates football
The East Carolina Pirates is a college football team that represents East Carolina University . The team is currently a member of the Conference USA, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association .The Pirates have won seven conference championships and...
, 30–0, for Tepper's only bowl victory.
Tepper's defensive squads as coordinator were generally strong, and the Fighting Illini
Illinois Fighting Illini
The Fighting Illini are the intercollegiate athletic teams of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The University offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports....
continued to field able 3–4 defenses with Tepper as head coach. Tepper's defensive players as head coach included Butkus Award winners Dana Howard
Dana Howard (American football)
Dana Howard is a former American football player.In high school, Howard played for the East St. Louis Flyers, where he was coached by Bob Shannon. At the University of Illinois, Howard won the 1994 Dick Butkus Award, presented annually to the best linebacker in college football...
and Kevin Hardy, as well as National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
standouts Simeon Rice
Simeon Rice
Simeon James Rice [] is a former American football defensive end, last playing in 2009. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals third overall in the 1996 NFL Draft...
and John Holecek
John Holecek
John Francis Holecek is a former professional American football player who played linebacker for eight seasons for the Buffalo Bills, the San Diego Chargers, and the Atlanta Falcons. After retiring, he returned to Illinois to coach high school football at Loyola Academy, a private college...
. Tepper authored a book, Complete Linebacking, to teach his style of defensive play for the linebacker
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...
position.
Tepper was the first Illinois coach since Robert Zuppke
Robert Zuppke
Robert Carl Zuppke was an American football coach. He served the head coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1913 until 1941, compiling a career college football record of 131–81–12. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951, Zuppke coached his...
to win or tie both of his first two meetings against Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
. The 1992 game, a 22–22 tie, ended Michigan's nineteen game conference winning streak.
Despite Tepper's abilities as a defensive coach, his teams were unable to match the moderate success of Mackovic's teams at Illinois, and the Illini got progressively worse over his tenure. They placed fourth in the Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
in Tepper's first full season, 1992, and finished in fourth, fifth, seventh, and ninth in his remaining years. Tepper was fired after the 1996 season, when the Illini went 2–9 with a 1–7 conference record. Tepper later said that he forgave Illinois for firing him.
Prior to coaching at Illinois, Tepper served as an assistant defensive coach at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
(1967, graduate assistant), the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
(1968–1971), The College of William and Mary (1972–1977), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
(1978–1982), and the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
(1983–1987).
Tepper's contract at IUP was scheduled to expire in June 2011, however, in December 2010 the university announced he would depart effective at the end of the year.
In February 2011 he was named defensive coordinator of the United States national American football team
United States national american football team
The United States national American football team represents the United States in international American football competitions. It is the country's official senior national men's football team. It is controlled by USA Football and is recognized by the International Federation of American Football...
for the 2011 IFAF World Cup
2011 IFAF World Cup
The 2011 IFAF World Championship was the fourth instance of the IFAF World Championship of American Football, an international American football tournament. It began on July 8, 2011 with the final games commencing on July 16. It was hosted by Austria, with games taking place in three cities:...
.
Head coaching record
*John MackovicJohn Mackovic
John Mackovic is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach of United States national American football team, which was formed to compete in the American Football World Cup...
coached the first 11 games of the season.