Lorenzo Ward

Last updated

Lorenzo Ward
Current position
Title Defensive coordinator
Team Chattanooga
Conference SoCon
Biographical details
Born (1967-04-26) April 26, 1967 (age 56)
Greensboro, Alabama, U.S.
Playing career
1986–1989 Alabama
Position(s) Strong safety, linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1991 Alabama (GA)
1994–1998 Chattanooga (DB)
1999–2005 Virginia Tech (DB)
2006–2007 Oakland Raiders (ST/assistant DB)
2008 Arkansas (DB)
2009–2015 South Carolina (DC)
2016 Fresno State (DC)
2017–2018 Louisville (AHC/DB)
2018Louisville (interim HC)
2019–presentChattanooga (DC)
Head coaching record
Overall0–2

Lorenzo Ward (born April 26, 1967) is an American football coach. He is the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, a position he has held since the 2019 season. Ward served as the interim head football coach at the University of Louisville for the final two games of the 2018 season following the firing of Bobby Petrino. Ward played college football at the University of Alabama from 1986 to 1989.

Contents

Playing career

Ward was born and raised in Greensboro, Alabama. A 1991 graduate of the University of Alabama, Ward played for the Crimson Tide from 1986 to 1989 under head coaches Ray Perkins (1986) and Bill Curry (1987-89).

Coaching career

Ward's first job was at his alma mater as a graduate assistant during the Tide's 1991 season. Ward then worked for the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga from 1994 to 1998.

In 1999, Ward was hired by Frank Beamer to join Virginia Tech's coach staff. Here, Ward coached the secondary and had five all-Big East players and one all-ACC player, including DeAngelo Hall. During his last year, the Hokies led the nation in total defense, allowing just 247.6 yards per game. [1]

Ward then joined the Oakland Raiders for the 2006 before rejoining the college ranks at Arkansas (2008) and then as defensive coordinator at South Carolina from 2012 to 2015 under Steve Spurrier. [2]

Ward spent the 2016 season as the defensive coordinator at Fresno State before being hired by Louisville in 2017 as secondary coach.

On November 11, 2018, Louisville fired Bobby Petrino after the team's 2–8 start. Ward was named interim head coach and coached his first game in this role against N.C. State on November 17, 2018. [3]

On June 4, 2019, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga re-hired him to be the defensive coordinator. [4]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Louisville Cardinals (Atlantic Coast Conference)(2018)
2018 Louisville 0–20–17th (Atlantic)
Louisville:0–20–1
Total:0–2

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References

  1. "Meet Lorenzo Ward, Louisville football's new interim coach". The Courier-Journal.
  2. "Lorenzo Ward - 0 Coach - University of Louisville Athletics". University of Louisville Athletics.
  3. "Louisville football fires coach Bobby Petrino". The Courier-Journal.
  4. "Wright Names Lorenzo Ward Defensive Coordinator". GoMocs.com. June 4, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.