Gene Lorendo

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]

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]