Gene Lorendo
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 7, 1921 Gilbert, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 2001 (aged 79) Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S. |
| 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.
Early life and playing careers
[edit]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]
Coaching careers
[edit]Football
[edit]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]
Basketball
[edit]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
| |||||||||
Legacy
[edit]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]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Blankenship, Allison (November 19, 2015). "'Lorendo' follows untold story of former AU assistant coach". Auburn Villager. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "Gene Lorendo". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Gene Lorendo". Peach Basket Society. January 6, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Viking of the Plains". Auburn Magazine. Auburn University. November 12, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g Ringer, Ken (June 27, 2016). "Coach Gene Lorendo Biography". Support Auburn. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Gene Lorendo Statistics". Just Sports Stats. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Gene Lorendo". Pro Basketball Encyclopedia. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ a b "Eugene Lorendo NBL stats". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "All-Time Georgia Football Lettermen". GeorgiaDogs.com. University of Georgia. February 15, 2002. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "2017 Presbyterian Blue Hose Football Media Guide" (PDF). All-Time Results. Presbyterian College. 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "2008–09 Presbyterian Blue Hose Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Year-by-Year Results. Presbyterian College. 2008. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "MBCA All-Time Coaching Records". MHSCSA.org. Minnesota State High School Coaches Association. October 22, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- ^ "Rome High grad publishes book about Gene Lorendo". Rome News-Tribune. Otis Raybon. December 31, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
- 1921 births
- 2001 deaths
- American football wide receivers
- American men's basketball players
- Auburn Tigers football coaches
- Basketball coaches from Minnesota
- Basketball players from Minnesota
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Forwards (basketball)
- Georgia Bulldogs basketball players
- Georgia Bulldogs football players
- Georgia Bulldogs men's track and field athletes
- High school basketball coaches in the United States
- Oshkosh All-Stars players
- People from Gilbert, Minnesota
- Players of American football from Minnesota
- Presbyterian Blue Hose football coaches
- Presbyterian Blue Hose men's basketball coaches
- United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II