Veteran Division I mentor Lou Tepper was appointed the 12th head football coach at Edinboro University, officially taking charge of the Fighting Scot program on January 5, 2000. He promised a tough and classy program, and in four short years has delivered a championship teams that fans and alumni enthusiastically endorse.
Tepper inherited an Edinboro program which had won just eleven games in the previous three seasons. The Scots have shown consistent improvement in "Coach Tep's" four years, culminated by an appearance in the NCAA Division II Playoffs this past year. The 2000 season brought a 5-6 record, matching the Edinboro record for wins by a first-year head coach. In 2001 and 2002, the Fighting Scots were very competitive, setting the stage for last year's breakthrough season that saw Edinboro ranked 18th nationally.
Edinboro made its first postseason appearance in 2003, claiming a share of the PSAC West championship. The Fighting Scots survived a brutal three-game stretch early in the season, defeating 16th-ranked East Stroudsburg, 30-21, dropping a 40-34 decision to 22nd-ranked Shippensburg, and finally upsetting fourth-ranked Indiana(Pa.) on the Indians' home turf, 28-20. That win started the Scots on a six-game winning streak to end the regular season. During that stretch Edinboro held opponents without a touchdown for 20 consecutive quarters. Tepper was recognized as the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2004.
While winning is important, it isn't the only emphasis at Edinboro with Tepper at the controls. He has stressed improved character and talent, a family concept and racial harmony. In the classroom the Fighting Scots have shown marked improvement in recent years. It all adds up to a championship program.
Tepper, a native of Keystone, PA, returned to the Division II level after coaching at Division I institutions for almost thirty years. He is renowned as a defensive coaching genius, with a resume that includes three Butkus Award honorees and an Outland Trophy winner. Tepper's list of standouts include Bruce Smith, John Holecek, Simeon Rice, Kevin Hardy, Brad Hopkins, Booger MacFarland, and Ken Dilger, all current or former NFL standouts. In addition, he has worked with some of the top head coaches in the country, including Bill Dooley at Virginia Tech, Bill McCartney at Colorado, John Mackovic at Illinois and Gerry DiNardo at LSU.
"Being a native of western Pennsylvania, it has been neat to be a head coach again and to be a head coach in this environment," Tepper related following his first season at Edinboro. "I've recruited western Pennsylvania for half of my career. It's a joy to be back home."
Tepper completed his second full season as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana State University in 1999. He began his tenure with the Tigers on December 15, 1997, helping LSU to a 27-9 Independence Bowl win over Notre Dame. All told, he has served as a defensive coordinator for 19 of his 37 years in the coaching profession.
The 58-year-old Tepper was appointed the head coach at the University of Illinois on December 13, 1991, just prior to the team's appearance in the John Hancock Sun Bowl. He replaced Mackovic, who left for the head coaching position at the University of Texas. During his five-year stint as the Fighting Illini head coach, Tepper compiled a record of 25-31-2, including two more bowl appearances. He guided Illinois to a pair of wins over Ohio State, including one at Columbus; the school's first victory in Ann Arbor against Michigan in 27 years; and three consecutive wins over rival Iowa by a combined score of 122-17. Just as impressive, Tepper graduated 91 percent of his seniors.
Tepper joined the Illinois program in 1988, serving as the defensive coordinator for four seasons and assistant head coach for two years. In his nine seasons at Illinois, he helped the program to six bowl invitations, one Big Ten title and top ten rankings in the AP and UPI polls.
He was honored as the Big Ten's top defensive assistant coach in 1990 by The Sporting News. His defensive units annually ranked among the best in the country, finishing 10th in 1989, 14th in 1993, ninth in 1994, and 21st in 1995.
Tepper's 1992 Illini squad finished 6-5-1, suffering a 27-17 defeat to Hawaii in the Holiday Bowl. Illinois went in to Columbus and upset Ohio State, 18-16, and posted a 22-22 tie against Michigan in Ann Arbor.
While his '93 edition finished 5-6, that included a 24-21 win in Ann Arbor against the Wolverines. The Illini made it back to postseason play in 1994, handing East Carolina a 30-0 whitewashing in the Liberty Bowl. The '94 squad finished 7-5, again upsetting one of the elite in the Big Ten. And once again it was on the road, as Illinois shocked Ohio State, 24-10, in Columbus behind Butkus Award winner Dana Howard.
Through the years Penn State had gained the reputation as "Linebacker U", but Illinois could have made a good case for that designation as well during Tepper's tenure. He produced consecutive Butkus Award winners in Dana Howard (1994) and Kevin Hardy (1995). Along the way, he also produced Big Ten Defensive Players of the Year in Moe Gardner and Darrick Brownlow (1990), Howard (1993 and '94) and Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year Simeon Rice in 1994. For the only time in Big Ten history, Tepper had four first team All-Big Ten linebackers at his disposal. In all, he has coached over 20 professional linebackers, and has published a book, "Complete Linebacking", a 312-page comprehensive book on linebacker play.
Hardy and Rice became the highest defensive draft duo in the history of the NFL draft in 1996 when Hardy went second to Jacksonville and Rice third to Arizona. That stood until the 2000 NFL Draft when Penn State's Courtney Brown and Lavar Arrington went one-two.
In over thirty years as an assistant coach, Tepper has worked at some of the top institutions in the country. That includes the likes of Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and Colorado, in addition to his time at Illinois and LSU.
Tepper began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pittsburgh in 1967, then moved on to the University of New Hampshire from 1968-71, coaching the running backs and linebackers before becoming the defensive coordinator. His next stop was the College of William & Mary, where he joined former New Hampshire head coach Jim Root as the defensive coordinator from 1972-77. The 1976 William & Mary squad posted the school's best record in thirty years. He was the assistant head coach his final year at William & Mary.
In 1978, Virginia Tech head coach Bill Dooley hired Tepper as his linebackers coach. Tepper helped build the Hokies into a consistent bowl contender with a defense that annually ranked among the nation's top ten. He stayed at Virginia Tech from 1978-82, working with Outland Trophy winner and Buffalo Bills great Bruce Smith, among others. The 1980 Hokie edition played Miami(FL) in the Peach Bowl.
Tepper joined Bill McCartney's staff at Colorado in 1983, serving as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach until departing for Illinois in 1988. Tepper helped turn around a Buffalo defense which ranked No. 100 nationally in yards allowed prior to his arrival, to one which was as high as 11th in Division I in total defense. He earned the title of assistant head coach to McCartney his final two seasons, and helped the Buffaloes to the 1985 Freedom Bowl and the 1986 Blue Bonnet Bowl. Among the assistant coaches at Colorado was Gerry DiNardo, who would later bring Tepper in to direct his LSU defense.
Tepper, born September 7, 1945, graduated from Rutgers University in 1967. He enjoyed a standout career as a defensive back at Rutgers from 1965-67. As a player, Tepper led the Scarlet Knights in interceptions as a junior and tackles as a senior. He won the George Cronin Trophy as the Most Improved Player in 1965.
Tepper is an active member of the American Football Coaches Association and has served on the All-American Committee and the NCAA Ethics Committee. He is active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and has spoken for Promise-Keepers, founded by former Colorado coach Bill McCartney. Tepper and his wife, Karen, have two children, Matthew, who recently graduated from Edinboro with a master's degree in Counseling, and Stacy Ann, a graduate of LSU who is an administrator for Young Life Ministries in Columbus, OH.
Born: September 7, 1945
Hometown: Keystone, PA
College Education: Rutgers University, B.S. in Physical Education -- 1967
Playing Experience: Rutgers University, defensive back -- 1965-67
Coaching Experience: University of Pittsburgh -- graduate assistant, 1967; University of New Hampshire -- running backs/linebackers, 1968-69; defensive coordinator, 1970-71; College of William & Mary -- defensive coordinator, 1972-75; assistant head coach/defensive coordinator, 1976-77; Virginia Tech University -- linebackers, 1978-82; University of Colorado -- defensive coordinator/ linebackers, 1983-85; assistant head coach, 1986-87; University of Illinois -- defensive coordinator/inside linebackers, 1988-89; assistant head coach, 1990-91; head coach, 1991-96; LSU -- defensive coordinator/linebackers, 1998-99
Wife: Karen
Children: Matthew (29), Stacy Ann (27)
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email Coach Tepper phone: 1-814-7322776 ext 240 |
last updated on August 7, 2004
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