| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1921-12-07)December 7, 1921 Gilbert, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 2001(2001-04-15) (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.
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]Aforward, he averaged 1.9 points per game.[8] Lorendo then served in the Coast GuardinWorld 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 | ||||||||
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National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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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]
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Green Bay Packers 1950 NFL draft selections
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