Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Gilbert, Minnesota, U.S. | December 7, 1921
Died | April 15, 2001 Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 79)
Playing career | |
Football | |
1947–1949 | Georgia |
Basketball | |
1942–1943 | Oshkosh All-Stars |
1946–1949 | Georgia |
Position(s) |
End (football) Forward (basketball) |
Coaching career ( HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1950 | Presbyterian (assistant) |
1951–1975 | Auburn (assistant) |
Basketball | |
1950–1951 | Presbyterian |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 17–9 (basketball) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
| |
Eugene Lionel Lorendo (December 7, 1921 – April 15, 2001) was an American college football and basketball coach, as well as a professional basketball player for one season. He played in the National Basketball League for the Oshkosh All-Stars in 1942–43, served as Presbyterian College's head men's basketball coach in 1950–51, but is perhaps most remembered for his twenty-five seasons spent as an assistant football coach for Auburn University between 1951 and 1975.
A native of Gilbert, Minnesota, Lorendo attended Gilbert High School and lettered in football, basketball, and track. [1] [2] [3] At 6'3" and 215 pounds, [4] and of French-Canadian descent, [4] Lorendo was a large man who was later written about resembling a viking. [4] Utilizing this stature helped him play football, basketball, and track when he attended college. [5]
Some sources claim that Lorendo played football and basketball at Evelith Junior College ( c. 1940), the University of Northern Iowa ( c. 1942), and the University of Georgia (1946–1949). [3] [5] [6] [7] The only verifiable statistics and records, however, can trace him to his time at Georgia.
Before Lorendo attended Georgia, he played one season of professional basketball for the Oshkosh All-Stars in the National Basketball League during 1942–43. [3] [8] A forward, he averaged 1.9 points per game. [8] Lorendo then served in the Coast Guard in World War II; stops during his service included Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. [5] [1]
When Lorendo enrolled at the University of Georgia in fall 1946, he joined the football, basketball, and track teams. [5] [9] In football he played wide receiver, where in 1949 he led the Southeastern Conference in receiving. [5] He also appeared in three bowl games: the 1947 Sugar Bowl, 1948 Gator Bowl, and 1949 Orange Bowl. [5]
In spring 1950, he was chosen in the 1950 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers (11th round, 134th overall) but never played a game in the league. [2]
Once Lorendo's playing days were over, he accepted Presbyterian College's offer to coach football and basketball, starting in the 1950–51 academic year. [4] He served as an assistant coach for the football team who finished with a 5–5 record in 1950. [10]
In March 1951, he received a phone call from Ralph "Shug" Jordan, Auburn University's newly appointed head football coach. [4] Jordan had been an assistant football coach and the head basketball coach at Georgia while Lorendo was attending as a student-athlete, and wanted Lorendo to join him on Auburn's football staff. [4] Lorendo accepted, and he, his wife, and their newborn son relocated to Auburn, Alabama. [4] Lorendo spent the next twenty-five seasons serving in various assistant coaching roles (1951–1975), and he earned a reputation as being tough yet fair. [4] His coaching method was described as "old school" [4] and he would punish players who he felt were not giving 100% effort in practice or games. [4] Lorendo was later quoted as telling his players, "If I've been yelling and cussing at you in past seasons, it is only because you had a chance to help the team." [4]
Lorendo's notable accomplishments as Auburn's assistant coach include coaching the wide receivers during the 1957 national championship year, as well as recruiting and coaching Pat Sullivan, an All-American and Heisman Trophy winner in 1971. [5]
In Lorendo's only year at Presbyterian, he served as the men's basketball team's head coach. [4] They finished with a 17–9 overall record and won both the South Carolina Little Four regular season and conference tournament titles. [11]
The Minnesota State High School Coaches Association website also lists Lorendo as having coached Northome-Kelliher High School for one season, compiling a 6–16 overall record, but it does not state the specific season in which this occurred. [12]
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Presbyterian Blue Hose ( South Carolina Little Four) (1950–1951) | |||||||||
1950–51 | Presbyterian | 17–9 | 5–1 | 1st | |||||
Presbyterian: | 17–9 | 5–1 | |||||||
Total: | 17–9 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Gene Lorendo's life was chronicled in a biography, Lorendo, written by sportswriter Kenneth Ringer (2015). [1] [13] He died on April 15, 2001, in Alpharetta, Georgia. [3]
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | Gilbert, Minnesota, U.S. | December 7, 1921
Died | April 15, 2001 Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S. | (aged 79)
Playing career | |
Football | |
1947–1949 | Georgia |
Basketball | |
1942–1943 | Oshkosh All-Stars |
1946–1949 | Georgia |
Position(s) |
End (football) Forward (basketball) |
Coaching career ( HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1950 | Presbyterian (assistant) |
1951–1975 | Auburn (assistant) |
Basketball | |
1950–1951 | Presbyterian |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 17–9 (basketball) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
| |
Eugene Lionel Lorendo (December 7, 1921 – April 15, 2001) was an American college football and basketball coach, as well as a professional basketball player for one season. He played in the National Basketball League for the Oshkosh All-Stars in 1942–43, served as Presbyterian College's head men's basketball coach in 1950–51, but is perhaps most remembered for his twenty-five seasons spent as an assistant football coach for Auburn University between 1951 and 1975.
A native of Gilbert, Minnesota, Lorendo attended Gilbert High School and lettered in football, basketball, and track. [1] [2] [3] At 6'3" and 215 pounds, [4] and of French-Canadian descent, [4] Lorendo was a large man who was later written about resembling a viking. [4] Utilizing this stature helped him play football, basketball, and track when he attended college. [5]
Some sources claim that Lorendo played football and basketball at Evelith Junior College ( c. 1940), the University of Northern Iowa ( c. 1942), and the University of Georgia (1946–1949). [3] [5] [6] [7] The only verifiable statistics and records, however, can trace him to his time at Georgia.
Before Lorendo attended Georgia, he played one season of professional basketball for the Oshkosh All-Stars in the National Basketball League during 1942–43. [3] [8] A forward, he averaged 1.9 points per game. [8] Lorendo then served in the Coast Guard in World War II; stops during his service included Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. [5] [1]
When Lorendo enrolled at the University of Georgia in fall 1946, he joined the football, basketball, and track teams. [5] [9] In football he played wide receiver, where in 1949 he led the Southeastern Conference in receiving. [5] He also appeared in three bowl games: the 1947 Sugar Bowl, 1948 Gator Bowl, and 1949 Orange Bowl. [5]
In spring 1950, he was chosen in the 1950 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers (11th round, 134th overall) but never played a game in the league. [2]
Once Lorendo's playing days were over, he accepted Presbyterian College's offer to coach football and basketball, starting in the 1950–51 academic year. [4] He served as an assistant coach for the football team who finished with a 5–5 record in 1950. [10]
In March 1951, he received a phone call from Ralph "Shug" Jordan, Auburn University's newly appointed head football coach. [4] Jordan had been an assistant football coach and the head basketball coach at Georgia while Lorendo was attending as a student-athlete, and wanted Lorendo to join him on Auburn's football staff. [4] Lorendo accepted, and he, his wife, and their newborn son relocated to Auburn, Alabama. [4] Lorendo spent the next twenty-five seasons serving in various assistant coaching roles (1951–1975), and he earned a reputation as being tough yet fair. [4] His coaching method was described as "old school" [4] and he would punish players who he felt were not giving 100% effort in practice or games. [4] Lorendo was later quoted as telling his players, "If I've been yelling and cussing at you in past seasons, it is only because you had a chance to help the team." [4]
Lorendo's notable accomplishments as Auburn's assistant coach include coaching the wide receivers during the 1957 national championship year, as well as recruiting and coaching Pat Sullivan, an All-American and Heisman Trophy winner in 1971. [5]
In Lorendo's only year at Presbyterian, he served as the men's basketball team's head coach. [4] They finished with a 17–9 overall record and won both the South Carolina Little Four regular season and conference tournament titles. [11]
The Minnesota State High School Coaches Association website also lists Lorendo as having coached Northome-Kelliher High School for one season, compiling a 6–16 overall record, but it does not state the specific season in which this occurred. [12]
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Presbyterian Blue Hose ( South Carolina Little Four) (1950–1951) | |||||||||
1950–51 | Presbyterian | 17–9 | 5–1 | 1st | |||||
Presbyterian: | 17–9 | 5–1 | |||||||
Total: | 17–9 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Gene Lorendo's life was chronicled in a biography, Lorendo, written by sportswriter Kenneth Ringer (2015). [1] [13] He died on April 15, 2001, in Alpharetta, Georgia. [3]