Lou Tepper was named head coach at
IUP in January 2006 and enjoyed a highly successful debut season last
fall. Tepper led the Crimson Hawks to a record of 8-2, a
three-game improvement from the year before, victories over nationally
ranked East Stroudsburg and California and a final ranking of No. 25 in
the American Football Coaches Association poll.
The
win over California in the finale earned IUP a share of the PSAC West
championship after the team was picked fourth in the conference's
preseason poll. As a result of IUP's success, Tepper was named the
PSAC West Coach of the Year for the third time in the past four seasons.
Despite starting as many as nine
freshmen and sophomores, Tepper oversaw an IUP turnaround in several
defensive categories.
The Crimson Hawks tied for the PSAC
lead in scoring defense (14.4 points per game) after placing sixth the
previous season (22.4). IUP also improved from 12th in the
conference in rushing defense (205.8) to fourth (96.6) and went from a
-1 in turnover margin to a +6.
Chris Morgan was named the PSAC
West Offensive Player of the Year and signed a free agent contract with
the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts. Offensive tackle Jason
Capizzi was chosen to several All-America teams and inked a deal with
the Pittsburgh Steelers.
When Tepper became the 10th head coach in the modern era of IUP
football, he moved two hours down the road from Edinboro, where he
returned the Fighting Scots to regional and national prominence during
his six years at the school.
During his final three seasons at
Edinboro, the team won 26 of 33 games, the most victories in any three-year
period in school history, shared the PSAC West title each year and made
trips to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2003 and 2004. The
Fighting Scots defeated Bentley in the opening round of the 2004
tournament, the school’s first postseason victory since 1990.
For his efforts, Tepper was named the PSAC West
Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2005 and led Edinboro to Top 25 finishes
in the American Football Coaches Association national poll the last
three years. His overall record at Edinboro was 40-26, and he
brings an overall mark of 73-59-2 into the 2007 season.
But while producing successful football teams and
winning games is important, it is far from the only emphasis that Tepper
places on his program. Academics and quality of character are traits
that Tepper values every bit as much as athletic ability. He
demands a program that is run with class and includes only
student-athletes who will be ambassadors for IUP football on campus and
in the Indiana community.
BACKGROUND
Tepper is a native of Keystone, Pa., growing up less than 25 miles from
Indiana, and both he and his wife Karen attended Derry Area High School,
with Karen going on to graduate in chemistry from IUP. When he
took over as head coach at Edinboro, it returned him to his western
Pennsylvania roots following over three decades coaching on the Division
I level.
His coaching travels have led him to some of the
top programs and coaches in college football history. Tepper has
been on the staff of such coaches as Bill Dooley at Virginia Tech, Bill
McCartney at Colorado, John Mackovic at Illinois and Gerry DiNardo at
LSU. He had completed his second season as the defensive coordinator at
LSU in 1999 when he was named the head coach at Edinboro.
Tepper took over as head coach at Illinois in time
for the 1991 Sun Bowl and led the Illini for the next five seasons, a
tenure that featured two more bowl appearances.
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
Tepper was appointed head coach at Illinois in December 1991 just prior
to that season’s Sun Bowl. Tepper compiled a record of 25-31-2,
including two more postseason berths and a 30-0 victory over East
Carolina in the 1994 Liberty Bowl.
During his time at the helm of the Illinois
program, Tepper guided his team to a pair of wins at Ohio State, the
school’s first victory over Michigan in Ann Arbor in 27 years and three
consecutive wins over rival Iowa by a combined score of 122-17.
In his first full season as head coach in 1992,
Illinois finished 6-5-1 and lost to Hawaii by a score of 27-17 in the
Holiday Bowl. Along the way, the Illini upset Ohio State in Columbus,
18-16, and posted a 22-22 tie at Michigan.
The following year, Illinois finished 5-6 but one
of the victories was a 24-21 win in Ann Arbor over the Wolverines.
The Illini made it back to the postseason in 1994, finishing 7-5
culminating with the shutout of East Carolina. That squad also
defeated Ohio State on the road, taking a 24-10 victory.
Tepper joined the Illinois program in 1988, serving
as the defensive coordinator for four years and assistant head coach in
1990-91. In a total of nine seasons at Illinois, he helped the
team receive six bowl invitations, one Big Ten title and Top 10 national
rankings.
His defensive units annually ranked among the best
in the country, finishing 10th in total defense in 1989, 14th in 1993,
ninth in 1994 and 21st in 1995. Tepper was honored as the Big
Ten’s top defensive assistant coach by The Sporting News in 1990.
DIVISION I ASSISTANT COACH
Tepper has served as a Division I assistant coach for 28 seasons. He
began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pitt in 1967
on the same staff as former IUP head coaches Frank Cignetti and Bill
Neal. He moved on to New Hampshire, coaching running backs and
linebackers in 1968-69 before assuming the duties of defensive
coordinator for the 1970-71 seasons.
His next stop was at William & Mary, where he was
the defensive coordinator from 1972-77 and added the title of assistant
head coach the final two seasons. The 1976 William & Mary squad
registered the school’s best record in 30 years.
In 1978, Tepper was hired by Dooley at Virginia
Tech and spent the next five seasons mentoring the Hokie linebackers.
With Tepper on the staff, Virginia Tech developed into a consistent bowl
contender, including a date with Miami in the 1980 Peach Bowl. One
of Tepper’s pupils at Virginia Tech was Outland Trophy winner and future
NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith.
From Virginia Tech it was on to Colorado to work
with McCartney from 1983-87. While with the Buffaloes, Tepper was
the defensive coordinator, coached the linebackers and was named
assistant head coach for the 1986-87 seasons. He helped turn
around a poor defensive unit to one that was ranked as high as 11th in
total defense during his time in Boulder. Colorado played in the
1985 Freedom Bowl and 1986 Bluebonnet Bowl, laying the groundwork for a
program that won the national championship four years later.
After leaving Colorado, Tepper spent the 1988-96
seasons at Illinois. He returned to the coaching ranks as
defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at LSU in December 1997, in
time to help the Tigers post a 27-9 victory over Notre Dame in the
Independence Bowl. He spent the next two seasons at LSU before the
opportunity to run the Edinboro program came his way. In all, Tepper was
a defensive coordinator for a total of 19 seasons at five schools.
LINEBACKERS
Tepper is known in the coaching circles for producing top defensive
players, and his resume includes three Butkus Award winners and an
Outland Trophy honoree. Besides Smith, who keyed the Buffalo
defenses that helped the Bills reach four straight Super Bowls, Tepper
has worked with current or former NFL standouts Simeon Rice, Kevin
Hardy, Brad Hopkins, Booger MacFarland and Ken Dilger.
While at Illinois, Tepper turned out consecutive
Butkus Award winners with Dana Howard receiving the trophy in 1994 and
Hardy the following year. Howard, Moe Gardner and Darrick Brownlow
were each named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year while Rice was
the Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year. In all, Tepper has coached
over 20 professional linebackers.
At one point, Tepper had four first team All-Big
Ten linebackers on his defensive unit, the only time that has happened
in Big Ten history. In 1996, the Jacksonville Jaguars made Hardy the No. 2 overall pick while Rice went third to the Arizona
Cardinals. At the time it represented the highest that two college
defensive classmates were ever selected in the NFL draft.
Tepper parlayed his vast knowledge into “Complete
Linebacking”, a 312-page comprehensive book on linebacker play that is
one of the leading manuals in his profession. In June 2006, the
University of Illinois endowed an annual linebacker scholarship in
Tepper’s name.
PERSONAL
Born September 7, 1945, Tepper is a graduate of Rutgers University,
where he enjoyed a standout career as a defensive back from 1965-67. He
led the Scarlet Knights in interceptions as a junior and tackles his
senior season. He won the George Cronin Trophy as the Most Improved
Player in 1965. He earned his bachelor’s degree in physical
education from Rutgers in 1967.
The Teppers are the parents of Matthew and
Stacy Ann. Matthew is a graduate of Taylor University and has
a master’s degree in counseling from Edinboro. He is married to
Lourdes and they are the parents of Breana Marie. Stacy Ann is a
graduate of LSU, and she and her husband Jock Graff are the parents of
Olivia Ann.
Tepper is a member of the American Football Coaches
Association and has served on the All-American and Ethics committees.
He is also active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Lou Tepper’s Head Coaching Record
Year
School Record
1991* Illinois
0-1
Sun Bowl (lost to UCLA)
1992 Illinois 6-5-1
Holiday Bowl (lost to Hawaii)
1993 Illinois 5-6
1994 Illinois 7-5
Liberty Bowl (defeated East Carolina)
1995 Illinois 5-5-1
1996 Illinois 2-9
2000 Edinboro 5-6
2001 Edinboro 4-6
2002 Edinboro 5-6
2003 Edinboro 9-3
NCAA Playoffs
2004 Edinboro 9-3
NCAA Playoffs (defeated Bentley in first round)
2005 Edinboro 8-2
2006
IUP
8-2
_____________________________________________________________________
Total
73-59-2
* Took over December 13, 1991 prior to the Sun Bowl
