Ed Orgeron is one of the most entertaining figures in all of sports, and LSU’s incredible season this year has given us an opportunity to learn even more about him. The more we learn about Coach O, the easier it is to like him.
ESPN’s David M. Hale put together an outstanding collection of stories about Orgeron from several of his friends, family members and players, and they are all worth reading. One of the best, however, came from longtime Syracuse head equipment manager Kyle Fetterly. Orgeron was on the Syracuse staff from 1995-1997, and Fetterly said the LSU coach was always the first guy to show up to work when former head coach Paul Pasqualoni wanted the equipment staff to arrive for two-a-day workouts at 4 a.m. Orgeron’s reason for getting there so early was outstanding.
Fetterly says one of his assistants asked Orgeron one day why a guy who is in such great shape wants to be on the field two hours early banging out sit-ups, push-ups, chin-ups and squat thrusts. Orgeron looked at him stunned and said he would never take a day off.
“Son, the day I can’t whoop a man’s ass is the day I don’t get out of bed,” Fetterly recalled him saying.
Some view Orgeron’s personality as a bit over the top, but he has clearly been like that his entire life. We already knew that from his former players revealing how Orgeron likes to punch himself in the face, which is likely a side effect of all the energy drinks he slams down.
If LSU caps off the year with a win over Clemson on Monday night, there’s no telling what Coach O is going to do. We just know it will be must-see TV.
