Longtime LSU assistant Pete Jenkins announces retirement
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The LSU Tigers have benefitted from having defensive line coach Pete Jenkins on the staff in recent years, as the longtime coach has spent 15 total years with the Tigers.
However, after the conclusion of the 2017 season, Jenkins’ second in his third stint with the program, the 76-year-old coach will retire.
The school announced Jenkins’ decision on the football team’s Twitter page on Sunday evening:
Legendary defensive line coach Pete Jenkins will retire at the conclusion of the 2017 season. https://t.co/kmmTCL5gAc pic.twitter.com/jycL38KDgX
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) November 27, 2017
Jenkins said the grind of being a coach simply is too much for him to continue at his age, so he’ll hang up his whistle after the Tigers’ bowl game:
Pete Jenkins: "I’ve been consumed for about four months. At 76, you look back and say, ‘How in the hell did that ole boy do it?’ It’s a grind."#LSU
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 27, 2017
Jenkins added that he was working 12-hour days, which were actually the shortest days of anyone on the staff:
Pete Jenkins was given the shortest hours of any #LSU staff member, he said.
He worked 12 hours a day. pic.twitter.com/y0CV3Hfd5i
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) November 27, 2017
It’ll be tough for the Tigers to replace Jenkins, but he has passed on a wealth of knowledge to coach Ed Orgeron, and the LSU program will be better off for it.
Now, Coach O will try to lead LSU to a bowl victory to send his mentor and friend off on a high note.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
