LOU DESLOGES ('85G): Desloges has been a part of Plymouth State football for 32 years, first joining the program as an assistant in 1976. In 1986 he was elevated to head coach, inheriting a team that had won five consecutive NEFC titles while making three-straight postseason appearances.
The loss of Hall of Fame running back Joe Dudek (HOF ‘98), who had signed a professional contract with the Denver Broncos after receiving votes for the 1985 Heisman Trophy, left many wondering if that tradition would continue.
Desloges hit the ground running, though, sporting a 29-4-1 (.868) mark over his first three seasons, capturing three more NEFC championships and earning berths in the ECAC North Championship game each year. The Panthers won 20 consecutive contests between the 1987 and 1988 seasons, a program-best streak that still stands today, which included the program’s first win over a New York team, Ithaca College, in the 1987 ECAC North Championship; a 13-12 thriller in “white-out” conditions.
Ithaca was coming off an appearance in the 1985 Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl (Division III’s national championship), but Plymouth’s Green Wall, which led the nation in total defense, forced turnovers on each of the Bombers final two possessions to secure the victory.
In his seven years as head coach, Desloges would compile a 55-15-3 (.774) mark while leading the team to five ECAC appearances, including the 1987 title, and four NEFC championships. The 55 career wins stood as the most in program history until current head coach, Paul Castonia, surpassed them in 2016.
Desloges left Plymouth State after the 1992 season and enjoyed stints as an assistant at Bethany College and Dartmouth College, before returning to the sidelines of Currier Field in 2001. Since his return he has worked primarily with the defensive line, while also spending time as the running backs coach.
