Bo Pelini facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bo Pelini

Pelini in 2008
Biographical details
Born	(1967-12-13) December 13, 1967 (age 57) Youngstown, Ohio, U.S.
Playing career
1987–1990	Ohio State
Position(s)	Free safety
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1991	Iowa (GA/AWR)
1993	Cardinal Mooney HS (OH) (QB)
1994–1996	San Francisco 49ers (DB)
1997–1999	New England Patriots (LB)
2000–2002	Green Bay Packers (LB)
2003	Nebraska (DC)
2003	Nebraska (interim HC)
2004	Oklahoma (co-DC/DB)
2005–2007	LSU (DC)
2008–2014	Nebraska
2015–2019	Youngstown State
2020	LSU (DC)
Head coaching record
Overall	100–55
Bowls	4–3
Tournaments	4–1 (NCAA D-I Playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
3 Big 12 North Division (2008–2010) Big Ten Legends Division (2012)

Bo Pelini, born on December 13, 1967, is a well-known former American football coach and player. He recently worked as the defensive coordinator for the LSU Tigers football team. He is the younger brother of Carl Pelini, who also coached football and often worked with Bo.

Bo Pelini was the head coach for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 2007 to 2014. After that, he coached the Youngstown State University football team from 2015 to 2019. Before becoming a head coach, he was a defensive coordinator for teams like the LSU Tigers, Oklahoma Sooners, and Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Playing Football

Bo grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. This city was known for its strong sports history. He got his nickname "Bo" from a famous football player named Bo Scott. After high school, he played as a free safety for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 1987 to 1990. He played under coaches Earle Bruce and John Cooper. Both coaches are in the College Football Hall of Fame.

He was a starter in his last two years. In his senior year, he was a co-captain for the team. He earned a degree in business administration from Ohio State in 1990.

Coaching Career

Starting Out as a Coach

After his playing days, Pelini started coaching at the University of Iowa in 1991. He was a graduate assistant for the Iowa Hawkeyes. During this time, he also earned his master's degree in sports administration in 1992. In 1993, he coached quarterbacks at Cardinal Mooney High School for one year.

Coaching in the NFL

In 1994, Pelini got his first job in the National Football League (NFL). He was hired by the San Francisco 49ers as a scouting assistant. He quickly moved up to assistant secondary coach. By the spring of 1994, he was promoted to defensive backs coach. In 1995, he coached in his first Super Bowl. His team, the 49ers, won Super Bowl XXIX against the San Diego Chargers.

In 1997, Pelini joined the New England Patriots as defensive backs coach. He helped the Patriots reach the playoffs twice in his three years there. In 2000, he became the linebackers coach for the Green Bay Packers. The Packers had a good record and made the playoffs twice during his time there.

Returning to College Football

Pelini returned to college football in 2003. He became the defensive coordinator for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Before he arrived, Nebraska's defense was ranked 55th nationally. In his first year, it improved to 11th. They also led the country in forcing turnovers.

After the regular season, the head coach was fired. Pelini became the interim head coach. He led Nebraska to a 17–3 win in the 2003 Alamo Bowl. Pelini wanted the head coach job, but Nebraska hired someone else.

For the 2004 season, Pelini joined the Oklahoma Sooners. He was a co-defensive coordinator. He helped the Sooners have a strong defense. They won the 2004 Big 12 Championship Game and played in the 2005 BCS National Championship Game.

In 2005, Pelini was hired by the LSU Tigers as defensive coordinator. LSU's defense was ranked 3rd nationally for all three years he was there. In 2007, the LSU Tigers won the 2008 BCS National Championship Game. They defeated Pelini's old team, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Head Coach at Nebraska

In 2007, Nebraska hired Pelini as their new head coach. He was chosen after a nine-day search.

2008 Season

Nebraska started the 2008 season with three straight wins. Pelini's arrival brought new excitement to Nebraska football. They had record numbers for Pay-Per-View buys.

The team then had some tough losses. They lost to Virginia Tech and Missouri. They also lost to Texas Tech in overtime. However, they became eligible for a bowl game by beating Kansas. The season ended with a 9–4 record. They won the 2009 Gator Bowl against the Clemson Tigers. Pelini's 9–4 record was the best among all new head coaches that year.

2009 Season

Expectations were high for the 2009 season. Nebraska was ranked #24 in the preseason polls. They hoped to compete for the Big 12 North Division title.

Pelini led his team to the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game. They played against the #3 Texas Longhorns. Even though they lost, Nebraska's player Ndamukong Suh played amazingly. He had 4.5 sacks and 12 tackles. Suh won many major awards for defensive players that year.

Nebraska finished the season with a 33–0 win over the Arizona Wildcats in the 2009 Holiday Bowl. This was Nebraska's first bowl game shutout ever. Nebraska finished the season ranked 14th. Under Pelini, Nebraska was #1 in NCAA scoring and pass efficiency defense.

2010 Season

The Cornhuskers started the 2010 season ranked #8. They were expected to compete for the Big 12 title. After some losses, they dropped in the rankings. They still won the Big 12 North title. In the 2010 Big 12 Championship Game, Nebraska lost to Oklahoma. Nebraska also lost the 2010 Holiday Bowl to the Washington Huskies.

2011 Season

Nebraska started 2011 with four wins. They then lost to the Wisconsin Badgers in their first Big Ten Conference game. Nebraska then won three games in a row. This included a big comeback win against Ohio State. They later lost to Northwestern. They won against #12 Penn State. Nebraska lost the 2012 Capital One Bowl to the South Carolina Gamecocks.

2012 Season

The Cornhuskers started 2012 ranked #17. After a loss to UCLA, they won most of their games. They won their first Big Ten Legends Division title. This earned them a spot in the 2012 Big Ten Football Championship Game. They lost this game to Wisconsin. In the 2013 Capital One Bowl, they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs.

2013 Season

The Cornhuskers began 2013 ranked #18. They faced many injuries, including their starting quarterback. Nebraska finished the regular season with an 8–4 record. They then defeated Georgia in the Gator Bowl. Nebraska finished the 2013 season with a 9–4 record. This was Pelini's sixth straight season with nine or more wins.

2014 Season

The Cornhuskers started the 2014 season ranked #22. They finished tied for second in their division with a 9–3 record. They were ranked 25th in the nation.

Leaving Nebraska

On November 30, 2014, Pelini was fired by Nebraska. He left the program with a 67–27 record. He had won at least 9 games every season. However, Nebraska never won a conference title under him.

Youngstown State Coach

Pelini was hired by Youngstown State in December 2014. In 2015, the Penguins had a 5–6 record. In 2016, they improved to 12–4. They reached the FCS Championship game but lost. For the next three seasons, the Penguins had records of 6–5, 4–7, and 6–6.

Through his last season in 2019, Pelini had a 33–28 record at Youngstown State. In 2021, the NCAA found that Youngstown State had some rule violations during Pelini's time there.

LSU Tigers Defensive Coordinator (Second Time)

On January 27, 2020, Pelini became LSU's defensive coordinator again. In his first game back, his defense gave up a lot of passing yards. The next week, they played much better. However, in his third game, his defense gave up many yards and points. Pelini was dismissed from this position on December 21, 2020.

Head Coaching Record

Images for kids

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  Bo Pelini along the sideline (Nebraska vs. Rutgers, 2014).

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  Bo Pelini talking to an official (Nebraska vs. Rutgers, 2014).

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  Bo Pelini with arms crossed (Nebraska vs. Rutgers, 2014).

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  Bo Pelini with players during a timeout (Nebraska vs. Rutgers, 2014).