LSU Football Coach Ed Orgeron Named AP Coach of the Year
After leading LSU to a 13-0 record, a College Football Playoff berth and SEC Championship win, coach Ed Orgeron was named the AP Coach of the Year on Tuesday.
Orgeron is the third LSU coach to be recognized as Coach of the Year, following in the footsteps of Nick Saban (2003) and Les Miles (2011). Orgeron received 33 of the 56 first-place votes, beating out Matt Rhule (Baylor), Ryan Day (Ohio State) and PJ Fleck (Minnesota).
In his four years as an interim coach first and three years as the head coach, Orgeron has posted a 38-9 record with the Tigers, including an astonishing 9-1 record against top-10 opponents over the last two years.
In addition to being named AP Coach of the Year, Orgeron won the Home Depot Coach of the Year and was named a finalist for the Munger Award, going to the nations top head coach. The winner of the Munger Award will be announced Dec. 29.
Orgeron has stated time and time again how he likes to treat all of his players like his sons. The same can be said of his players, who all rave about Orgeron, something that could not be more evident than watching Heisman winning quarterback Joe Burrow fight back tears when thanking Orgeron during his acceptance speech.
"Coach O, you have no idea what you mean to my family," Burrow said. "I didn't play for three years and you took a chance on me not knowing if I could play or not. I'm forever grateful for you. I sure hope they give him a lifetime contract because he deserves it."
Orgeron is hard at work preparing the Tigers for the Peach Bowl against No. 4 Oklahoma, a trip to the national championship on the line.
