LaVern Earl "Torgy" Torgeson (February 28, 1929 – March 20, 2015) was an American football player and coach.
Torgeson played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons, principally as a linebacker, for the Detroit Lions from 1951 to 1954 and for the Washington Redskins from 1955 to 1957.
[1] After retiring as a player, Torgeson worked for 35 years from 1959 to 1993 as an assistant coach in the NFL.
His coaching positions included stints with the Washington Redskins (1959–1961, 1971–1977, 1981–1993), Pittsburgh Steelers (1962–1968), and Los Angeles Rams (1969–1970, 1978–1980).
[14] In September 1959, Toregson announced that he was retiring as a player and had been hired as an assistant coach with the Redskins.
[17] During seven seasons under Allen and Torgeson, the Redskins compiled a 67–30–1 record; they won the conference title in 1972 (but lost Super Bowl VII to the Miami Dolphins in January 1973).
[19][20] Torgeson remained with the Rams under newly-promoted head coach Ray Malavasi for three years, through the 1980 season.
They compiled a 12–4 record in 1978, won the NFC championship in 1979 (but lost Super Bowl XIV in January 1980), and were 11–5 in 1980.