Lindy Lauro: He Had Those Eagles In His Eyes



Lindy Lauro 1983

I was sorry to hear of Lindy Lauro's passing last Thursday. We struck up a brief friendship at Pitt in 1966 or '67 when I was an undergrad and he was taking a summer course. He was already a well respected Western Pennsylvania head football coach. Lindy was not a big man, but I could see why his boys would run through hell for him—and did. He was also one of the most competitive men I've ever met, but in a good way.


I once asked him what he looked for in a player “Was it size, speed, mobility?” He replied, “I look for those eagles in his eyes!”—in other words, that intangible drive to succeed. I've always remembered that, especially when I see a team of nobodies rise to unexpected heights, or a team of all-stars go down in flames. I'm 65 now and I've met a number of coach-types along the way, but he's the only one who seemed to be able to look past my disabilities and respect what was inside. And oh, yeah, he had “those eagles in his eyes!”