Louisiana State University offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger had a great deal to cheer about during the first half of the Tigers’ College Football Playoff semifinal game against Oklahoma Saturday. But no one would blame Ensminger for his mind being far away from football.
About 90 minutes before the kickoff to the 2019 Peach Bowl, The Daily Advertiser reported that Ensminger lost his daughter-in-law, Carley McCord, in a plane crash in Lafayette, Louisiana. The small passenger plane was bound for Atlanta and crashed into an open field in Lafayette, killing five, including McCord, the wife of Ensminger’s son, Steve Ensminger Jr.
LSU Coach Ed Orgeron extended his prayers to Ensminger’s family. Ensminger continued to coach the Tigers’ offense during their game with Oklahoma, which they led 49-14 at halftime.
“We heard the news. I told coach Ensminger, ‘Our thoughts and our prayers are out to him,” Orgeron told ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the SEC Network. “There’s not much we can say. Obviously, Steve, his wife, and his family are very distraught. But Steve’s a Tiger, and he’s a man, and he knows how to handle things.”
McCord was a sports reporter, The Daily Advertiser reported. It also reported that LSU Sports Information Director Michael Bonnette confirmed that Orgeron was the one to deliver the news to Ensminger.
ESPN.com reported that the eight-passenger plane crashed into the parking lot of a post office about 1 mile from the Lafayette Regional Airport. Prayers poured into Ensminger Jr.’s Facebook page, including from rival schools.
