LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Says He Almost Died, Thanks Staff for Saving Life

(Baton Rouge, Louisiana) - Ed Orgeron is back at LSU after his good friend Lane Kiffin asked him to return to the football program this year, but it's been a rough year for Coach O.

Coach O is playing an instrumental role on the defensive line and in recruiting at LSU, but at the start of the season, we haven't seen much of him because he's been battling health issues.

In fact, the beloved LSU coach hasn't even been on the sideline for a game this season, but that's about to change as LSU hosts Alabama this Saturday afternoon in Tiger Stadium.

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Coach O recently spoke at an engagement in Baton Rouge about his health issues; while he didn't get specific about what he's been going through, he thanked the staff at Our Lady of the Lake for saving his life.

Ed Orgeron Health Issues

Several videos on social media and television have shown Oregon walking with the help of a cane, but he says those days are over, and he even joked that he threw the cane in a parking area ahead of the huge SEC matchup this weekend in "Death Valley." You can watch the video Jacques Doucet shared on X by clicking here. 

If you recall Coach O's appearance when he was head coach for the Tigers, you can see that he is much slimmer and still appears to have trouble with his mobility, but he's alive and ready to tackle the Crimson Tide this Saturday.

Here's Coach O thanking the Baton Rouge hospital, which he credits with saving his life. Our Lady of the Lake shared the video as Orgeron thanks doctors and staff for their exceptional care.

I want to wish Coach O the best moving forward. Having met him a few times while he was the head coach of LSU Football, I must say that he was the nicest and most welcoming coach I've ever interacted with at LSU.

Many in the local and national media echo those sentiments, and Coach O is truly a Southern gentleman who deserves the best. I am just glad that he addressed the medical issues he's dealing with, because there was a time when he did not want to.