SLS 20RS-167 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 45
BY SENATOR CORTEZ
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Ed Orgeron, head coach of the LSU Fighting Tigers, on
an undefeated 2019-2020 season, leading the Tigers to a national championship, and being
the recipient of numerous coaching awards and accolades.
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2 To commend Ed Orgeron, head coach of the Louisiana State University Fighting Tigers
3 football team on an undefeated 2019-2020 season, leading the Tigers to a national
4 championship, and being the recipient of numerous coaching awards and accolades.
5 WHEREAS, Edward James Orgeron Jr.,"Coach O", as he is fondly referred to, was
6 born to Edward "Ba Ba" Orgeron Sr. and Cornelia "Co Co" Orgeron, and grew up with his
7 brother, Steve, in Larose, Louisiana; and
8 WHEREAS, of Cajun descent, he attended South Lafourche High School in Galliano,
9 Louisiana, where he played on the Class 4A state championship team in 1977; and
10 WHEREAS, Coach O signed to play football at Louisiana State University, but left
11 the program after his first year and transferred to Northwestern State University in
12 Natchitoches, Louisiana; and
13 WHEREAS, Coach O began coaching in 1984 as a graduate assistant at
14 Northwestern State University and the following year, coached at McNeese State University
15 in Lake Charles, Louisiana; and
16 WHEREAS, he then served two years as an assistant strength coach at the University
17 of Arkansas, and in 1988, began his tenure with the University of Miami as the defensive
18 line coach as the Hurricanes garnered a national championship in 1989; and
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1 WHEREAS, in 1992, Coach O took a respite from coaching and in 1994, returned
2 as a volunteer linebacker coach at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana; and
3 WHEREAS, the following year, he moved from the south to the northeastern United
4 States, accepting a job at Syracuse University with Head Coach Paul Pasqualoni, whom he
5 credits with developing his coaching skills on and off the field, and where he coached the
6 defensive line for three years; and
7 WHEREAS, in 1998, Coach O was hired by the University of Southern California
8 to coach the Trojans' defensive line, took on the added responsibility of recruiting
9 coordinator in 2001, and was named assistant head coach in 2003 as the Trojans won a
10 national championship along with LSU; and
11 WHEREAS, in 2004, he was hired as the head coach at the University of Mississippi
12 (Ole Miss), and in January, 2008, became the defensive line coach for the New Orleans
13 Saints; and
14 WHEREAS, on December 31, 2008, Coach O accepted a position with the University
15 of Tennessee as associate head coach, recruiting coordinator, and defensive line coach; and
16 WHEREAS, he returned to USC's assistant coaching staff in 2010, and in 2013,
17 became the interim head coach of the Trojans for the remainder of the season, posting a 6-2
18 record; and
19 WHEREAS, on January 14, 2015, Coach O was hired as the defensive line coach at
20 LSU, and on September 25, 2016, after head coach Les Miles was terminated following a
21 loss to Auburn, he was named the interim head coach; and
22 WHEREAS, under his guidance, LSU finished out the season with a 6–2 record, and
23 on November 26, 2016, LSU removed the "interim" tag from Coach O's title and formally
24 named him as its thirty-second full-time head coach; and
25 WHEREAS, under the leadership of Coach O, the Tigers finished the 2017 season
26 with a record of 9-4; and
27 WHEREAS, with a 9-3 record in 2018, the Tigers were invited to the Fiesta Bowl
28 and finished the season 10-3, were ranked sixth in the nation by the AP Poll and seventh by
29 the Coaches Poll, and earned Coach O a contract extension through the 2022 season; and
30 WHEREAS, after opening with a home win versus Georgia Southern University to
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1 begin the 2019 season, the Tigers recorded a statement road win over the University of
2 Texas in week two and proceeded to go undefeated through the regular season, including a
3 46–41 victory over the University of Alabama at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa; and
4 WHEREAS, a win over the University of Arkansas Razorbacks in the penultimate
5 game of the regular season clinched the SEC West division title and secured a berth in the
6 2019 SEC Championship Game against the University of Georgia Bulldogs, the Tigers' first
7 appearance and win since 2011, posting a 37-10 score; and
8 WHEREAS, on December 8, 2019, the Tigers were named the number one seed in
9 the College Football Playoffs, met the University of Oklahoma Sooners in the semifinals in
10 the Peach Bowl, and defeated them by a score of 63-28; and
11 WHEREAS, on January 13th, 2020, Coach O won his first national championship
12 as a head coach with a win over the Clemson Tigers by a score of 42-25 in the
13 Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, completing a perfect season; and
14 WHEREAS, under the leadership and inspiration of Coach O, the Tigers set team,
15 league, conference, and national records while posting a 15-0 record, defeating seven top ten
16 teams, validating recognition that the 2019 Tigers were the best collegiate football team
17 ever; and
18 WHEREAS, Coach O received the AFCA Coach of the Year Award, the Eddie
19 Robinson Coach of the Year Award, the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award, and the
20 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, and was named AP Coach of the Year, Home
21 Depot Coach of the Year, and SEC Coach of the Year; and
22 WHEREAS, Ed Orgeron, one of Louisiana's finest sons, merits a special measure of
23 commendation for his achievements as the head coach of the LSU Tigers during the
24 2019-2020 season and for being an ambassador for the great state of Louisiana as he
25 proclaims "Geaux Tigers".
26 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
27 commend and congratulate Ed Orgeron, head coach of the Louisiana State University
28 Fighting Tigers football team, on an undefeated 2019-2020 season, leading the Tigers to a
29 national championship, and being the recipient of numerous coaching awards and accolades,
30 and does hereby record for posterity the pride and honor that he brings to his family, friends,
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1 the faculty and students at Louisiana State University, the state of Louisiana, and the United
2 States of America.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
4 Ed Orgeron.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Nancy Vicknair.
DIGEST
SCR 45 Original 2020 Regular Session Cortez
Commends Ed Orgeron, head coach of the LSU Fighting Tigers football team, on an
undefeated 2019-2020 season, leading the Tigers to a national championship, and on being
the recipient of numerous coaching awards and accolades.
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