Tampa Native Earl Lane Finds His Niche As An LSU Assistant
By JOEY JOHNSTON
The Tampa Tribune
(c) Tampa Bay Times. Originally published Jan. 7, 2008.
NEW ORLEANS – Just before midnight, LSU defensive line coach Earl Lane could be awash in confetti at a Superdome celebration. Just before midnight, he could be hugging his players, wiping away tears of joy. Just before midnight, he actually could be lifting that crystal football trophy.
If LSU (11-2) defeats the Ohio State Buckeyes (11-1) in tonight’s BCS Championship Game, even after the clock strikes midnight, an improbable dream becomes reality for the man who refuses to embellish his hard road to glory.
“I’m a football coach,” said Lane, 51, a Tampa native and Plant High School graduate. “Maybe it will hit me when it’s all over. Right now, I can only do what I always do, going day to day.”
For Lane, some days were more difficult than others.
There were his hectic days as a substitute teacher and youth football coach, then his stints as an assistant at six different Hillsborough County high schools, when his goal of coaching at a college program seemed progressively impossible.
He couldn’t even get an interview.
There were his crazy days, after sheer persistence won him a spot on Jim Leavitt’s initial staff at the University of South Florida. For three seasons, Lane worked insane hours and wasn’t paid – not one dime.
After practice, he’d head home for a few hours of rest, then report for roll call at his other job, the midnight shift with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department. While his USF colleagues were sleeping, Lane went from coach to cop.
In the morning – after stealing another hour or two of shut-eye – the occasionally bleary-eyed and generally well-caffeinated Lane would report back to USF for Leavitt’s staff meeting.
There were his financially strapped days, when he was offered a full-time position at USF in 1999. How did he look past the $8,000 salary? All Lane saw was opportunity. He quit the police force, surrendering his benefits and respectable wages.
Lane’s wife, Sharon, had a quick reaction: Go for it. For as long as needed, she would become the primary breadwinner as a teacher and tutor, working extra whenever possible.
“Sharon didn’t blink an eye,” Lane said. “She told me to follow my passion.”
Lane’s story has hit fast forward. After nine years at USF, he’s in his second season with LSU’s Les Miles, who believed in his solid reputation. The nation’s most decorated player, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, swears by Lane’s methods. Finally, he’s making good money.
And now, on the floor of the Superdome, a long, long way from his playing debut at West Tampa Junior High School or his coaching beginnings at Skyway Park with the Tampa Bay Youth Football League’s Packers, Lane has the chance of a lifetime.
So how do you find perspective for this ascension?
“It just seemed like I was always running, running, running,” Lane said.
But always moving forward.
The Plan Changes
While playing as an undersized nose guard and middle linebacker for Roland Acosta’s Plant Panthers in the early 1970s, Lane formed his plan.
He would play college football.
Then he would coach.
After bouncing from Dodge City (Kan.) Community College to Saint Leo to Troy State, though, Lane returned to Tampa. His father became disabled. His mother, suffering from the lingering complications of diabetes, also was ill.
“I’ll always believe I did the right thing,” Lane said. “Family comes first.”
His career path, though, was off track. He didn’t have a degree, so college coaches didn’t give him a look. He became a permanent sub. He worked on the staffs at Tampa Catholic, Chamberlain, Gaither, Tampa Bay Tech, Bloomingdale and Brandon, doing whatever he could to gain experience. He arrived early and stayed late.
“Earl was teaching kids pro-like techniques, getting in their stance, getting off the ball,” Chamberlain coach Billy Turner said. “I saw dedication. I saw real potential.”
But Lane, at least temporarily, was slammed by reality. He needed a job and graduated from the police academy. He worked in crime prevention and as a school resource officer. On the street crime unit, a suspect once pulled a gun on him. Lane’s backup quickly arrived and the man was apprehended.
Fear was never part of his equation. He saw the parallel with football, where focus, concentration and doing the little things made a difference. On patrol in the wee hours, he had time to think while cruising the lonely streets of Tampa.
All he thought about was coaching.
Then Sharon entered his life.
Her son from a previous marriage, James, was playing youth football. She was introduced to an opposing coach, Earl Lane, and was amazed that he also was on a high-school staff, while serving on the police force. She thought he was cute. Within a few moments, they both knew.
“I was drawn to him, his sincerity,” Sharon said. “And I knew how hard he worked for something he believed in.”
One year after they met, Lane was with Sharon’s family for their traditional Christmas Eve gathering. Inside his gift to Sharon was a smaller box, one that included an engagement ring. They were married in 1995.
“I didn’t know exactly how it would work,” Sharon said. “But in knew, with all my heart, Earl was going to achieve his goals. I knew this would be a great ride together.”
Who cared about a few bumps along the way?
Earning Everyone’s Respect
Sharon laughs when recalling how her husband was hired by USF.
“Earl,” she said, “was Jim Leavitt’s stalker.”
Whenever Leavitt spoke, Lane was there, sitting in the front row. If Leavitt had an engagement in Orlando or Jacksonville, Lane arranged time off from work.
“My parents always told me if you want something bad enough, you do whatever you can to get it,” said Lane, who impressed Leavitt enough to earn a non-paying spot.
It wasn’t a new tactic.
USF defensive coordinator Wally Burnham, during his days at Florida State, remembered seeing a stocky young coach at spring practice, at clinics. He didn’t know the name. He certainly knew the face. It was the same guy who became at regular at One Buccaneer Place, soaking up knowledge from Bucs assistant Rod Marinelli.
Through all of this, Lane took classes here and there, earning his degree from Northwood University, a Michigan-based school with a Tampa campus.
When Lane came to USF, Burnham learned the whole story.
“Earl is completely eaten up with football,” Burnham said. “He loves even the mundane things other coaches hate, the two-a-days, the meetings, the work you have to do in recruiting.
“He was willing to make sacrifices. I’ve never seen anyone more deserving of good things.”
At LSU, he’s already beloved.
“He never lacks a minute of intensity,” Tigers defensive lineman Kirston Pittman said. “He makes sure we’re sharp, even in the walk-through. We don’t want to let him down.”
“Earl’s a special guy,” LSU defensive coordinator Bo Pelini said. “When you look at his background, it says so much about him as a person. The kids respect him. That’s why they play so well for him.”
Lane also has made an impact in attracting new players to LSU.
“I always wanted to talk to him when he called,” said LSU freshman tight end Jordon Corbin of Lakeland. “He doesn’t overwhelm you or try to get too flashy. He’s himself. He built a relationship with me, and I trust him completely.”
Lane’s future?
Some friends expect him to get an NFL opportunity. In the short term, though, he has the perfect situation, an elite SEC team, great talent and the state’s affection.
Sometimes, Lane remembers Dan Riveiro, his old position coach at Plant, a longtime mentor who wouldn’t let him quit football when playing time was scarce. He’ll smile about Turner’s life lessons. He’ll always be indebted to Leavitt. He even misses the bond he shared with old buddies on the police force.
But mostly, he thinks about Sharon, his wife, his confidante, his partner.
“Without her, none of this happens,” Lane said.
Without him, Sharon said, she wouldn’t know the true meaning of sharing a life together – for better or worse.
“It shows me that your dreams can come true,” she said.
Regardless of tonight’s result, none of that will change. Not even when the clock strikes midnight.
COACHING CAREER
Here are the stops in the football coaching career of LSU defensive line coach Earl Lane:
Seasons School Responsibility
1980-81 Tampa Catholic Defensive Coordinator
1982-83 Chamberlain Defensive Line
1984-85 Gaither Defensive Line
1991-92 Tampa Bay Tech Defensive Coordinator
1993 Bloomingdale Linebackers
1994 Brandon Defensive Coordinator
1996-2005 USF Defensive Line
2006-present LSU Defensive Line
