Greg Laffere begins his third season as Offensive Coordiantor coach at Ave Maria University after previously spending 5 seasons at Florida International University.
During his tenure at FIU Laffere’s offensive lines helped pave the way for the Golden Panthers’ first two winning seasons in school history. Also they set numerous school records for rushing yards gained in a season as well as in a single game. He was an integral part in the team’s success in capturing their first ever bowl win at the 2010 Little Caesar’s Bowl played in Detroit Michigan. Prior to his tenure at FIU Laffere served as the offensive Line Coach at Division 1 FCS power Illinois State University.
At Illinois State, Laffere's front five paved the way for Redbird All-American running back Pierre Rembert in 2006. Rembert set the Illinois State program record for rushing yards in a season with 1,743 yards and scored 16 rushing touchdowns.
Laffere's line was also a key component in helping Illinois State to its second-highest finish ever, a No. 8 ranking in the final Division I-AA poll, and a No. 8 ranking among I-AA offenses.
In 2005, Laffere guided two of the league's top offensive linemen in Stafford Davis and Mike Stegeman. Davis was a consensus all-American and first team all-conference selection after moving to center from guard. Stegeman earned second team all-league honors.
Laffere's playing career included two years at the University of Miami (Fla.), where he started 16 games on the offensive line. As a senior at Miami, Laffere was part of an offensive line that only allowed eight sacks in 340 passing plays on the season. He also helped anchor an offense that totaled a school-record 469 points, while averaging a Big East-best 460.8 yards of total offense per game in 2000. Afterwards, he was named the winner of Miami's Unsung Hero Award presented annually by the Hurricane coaching staff.
Following his playing career, Laffere left football for over a year before returning as the defensive line coach at Kilgore Junior College during the 2002-03 seasons. He then returned to UM as a graduate assistant in 2004, coaching the offensive line until he moved on to Illinois State.
A native of Basehor, Kan., Laffere earned his bachelor's of liberal arts and sciences in 2001, from Miami, and is married to the former Stacy Stacks. The couple has a seven year old daughter, Selbe, a three year old son named Cole and a one year old son named Reese.
