Tim Lappano

Tim Lappano
Biographical details
Born	1957 (age 66–67)
Playing career
1975–1979	Idaho
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1981	Joel E. Ferris HS (WA) (assistant)
1982–1985	Idaho (RB)
1986	Wyoming (RB)
1987–1990	Washington State (RB)
1991	Washington State (OC)
1992–1995	California (AHC/RB)
1996	Wyoming (WR)
1997	Purdue (co-OC/WR)
1998	Seattle Seahawks (RB)
1999–2002	Oregon State (OC/QB)
2003–2004	San Francisco 49ers (RB)
2005–2008	Washington (OC/QB)
2009–2011	Detroit Lions (TE)
2012–2013	Detroit Lions (WR)
2014–2016	Georgia State (WR)
2016	Georgia State (interim HC)
2019	Salt Lake Stallions (OC)
Head coaching record
Overall	1–1

Tim Lappano is an American football coach, most recently the offensive coordinator for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football. He has coached a variety of positions at both the collegiate and professional levels, such as coaching Brandon Pettigrew as the tight ends coach and Calvin Johnson as the wide receivers coach of the Detroit Lions through the 2013 season.

Playing career

From Spokane, Washington, Lappano played high school football at Gonzaga Prep and graduated in 1975.^[1]^[2]^[3] He set numerous records as a Bullpup and the school retired his number 32.^[4]

A running back, he played college football for the Idaho Vandals of the Big Sky Conference from 1975 through 1979, and set a league record for freshman, averaging over eight yards per carry.^[4]^[5] A hamstring injury in prior to his junior year hampered his output in 1977 and he was redshirted under new head coach Jerry Davitch in 1978.^[2]^[6] Recurring headaches in 1979 limited his playing time as a senior.^[4] Lappano graduated from the University of Idaho in Moscow in 1983.

Lappano's first collegiate coaching position was at his alma mater under head coach Dennis Erickson, whom he followed to Wyoming and back to the Palouse at Washington State and stayed in Pullman under new head coach Mike Price in 1989.^[7] When Joe Tiller left to become head coach at Wyoming, Lappano succeeded him as offensive coordinator at WSU in 1991,^[8] and guided quarterback Drew Bledsoe and running back Steve Broussard. He left for California under new head coach Keith Gilbertson in 1992, then coached under Tiller for two seasons at Wyoming and Purdue. Lappano later coached under Erickson in the NFL at Seattle and San Francisco and in the Pac-10 at Oregon State. He also worked under Tyrone Willingham for four seasons at Washington in Seattle.

In 2018, Lappano joined the Salt Lake Stallions of the newly-formed Alliance of American Football as the offensive coordinator.^[9]


Year	Team	Overall	Conference
Georgia State Panthers (Sun Belt Conference) (2016)
2016	Georgia State	1–1	1–1
Georgia State:		1–1	1–1
Total:		1–1

^ "Tim Lappano Swab choice". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). November 6, 1974. p. 12.
^ ^a ^b Killen, John (September 25, 1979). "'Italian Stallion' back in UI stable". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
^ "Cochampions dominate Chronicle all-city team". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). November 16, 1974. p. 10.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gerheim, Earl (October 25, 1979). "He rushed through pain". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 29.
^ Payne, Bob (September 10, 1976). "Idaho goes with Tuttle". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 29.
^ Stewart, Chuck (September 8, 1978). "Idaho back is sidelined". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 25.
^ "Cougars sign Diedrick, retain Lappano". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). March 22, 1989. p. D1.
^ "Lappano promoted". Idahonian. (Moscow). March 30, 1991. p. 3D.
^ Gantt, Darin (June 26, 2018). "Alliance of American Football filling in coordinator jobs". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved October 26, 2018.