Louisiana Tech's Tony Petersen hired as East Carolina offensive coordinator
Louisiana Tech offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tony Petersen has accepted the same positions under East Carolina coach Scottie Montgomery, according to sources.
Petersen has held his positions at Louisiana Tech the past three seasons. Under him, the Bulldogs are 18th in the FBS this season in scoring offense (37.5 points per game) and total offense (482.8 yards per game).
Last season, Louisiana Tech’s offense was the fifth most-improved scoring offense in the nation at 37.5 points per game. Prior to his time in Ruston, Petersen spent three seasons at his alma mater, Marshall, as associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
During that stint, he tutored Thundering Herd star quarterback Rakeem Cato, who won Conference USA’s Most Valuable Player award during Petersen’s last season.
The 49-year-old Petersen was South Dakota’s associate head coach and wide receivers coach in 2009, Iowa State’s quarterbacks coach from ’07–08 and Minnesota’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from ’00–06. He was also the Gophers’ passing game coordinator in 1999.
Petersen was an assistant for Marshall from 1991–98, coaching running backs, wide receivers, quarterbacks and tight ends in various years before becoming offensive coordinator his last season. He got his start in coaching in ’90 as a graduate assistant at Kentucky.
A Lodi, Calif., native, Petersen was a star quarterback at Marshall from 1987–88 after playing two years at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, Calif. Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals drafted him after his first season at San Joaquin Delta.
Petersen joins Montgomery, who was hired as East Carolina’s head coach earlier this month. Montgomery joined the Pirates after two years as Duke’s associate head coach, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. He replaces Ruffin McNeill, who was abruptly fired earlier this month following a 5–7 season.
