Lane Kiffin tells hilarious Ed Orgeron story at introductory press conference
By David Wasson
Published:
New LSU coach Lane Kiffin regaled onlookers at his introductory news conference Monday in Baton Rouge with plenty of witticisms, and he also shared how he was already channeling the unique drawl of another Ole Miss-turned-LSU coach.
“We were going by Tiger Stadium, and I called one person – I called Ed Orgeron,” Kiffin said. “And I said ‘Hey man, this places makes me want to talk like you right now.’
“The kids were in the car and the coaches were like ‘What are you doing?’ I said ‘I don’t know. I am channeling Ed right now, I am feeling him.’ I rolled down the window and went ‘Go Tigers!’ to the fans. So I called Ed and told him I was feeling him, and Ed said ‘Coach, you are at the best place in America.’ And I feel that.”
Orgeron coached LSU for 6 seasons, including the 2019 campaign that saw the Tigers go 15-0 and win the program’s 4th national title. He went 51-20 at LSU and 31-17 in SEC play but was let go after back-to-back .500 seasons in 2021. Orgeron also coached at Ole Miss from 2005-07, going 10-25 in Oxford.
Orgeron also served as USC’s interim coach after the Trojans unceremoniously fired Kiffin midway through the 2013 season, winning 6 of 8 games in that capacity before being passed over for the permanent job in favor of Steve Sarkisian.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
