Lou Agase

Who was Lou Agase?

Lou Agase was a Gridiron football player and coach of Assyrian ancestry.

Agase played tight end and offensive tackle for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team 1944-1947. He was a member of the Illini team that won the 1947 Rose Bowl. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 131st pick of the 1948 NFL Draft, but never played a game for the team.

During the 1948-1949 and 1949-1950 school years, Agase was a teacher at Paxton High School in Paxton, Illinois. He coached football and track for the Mustangs and also started the school's first wrestling team. His two-year coaching record in football was 9-7.

On July 30, 1950, Agase returned to Illinois as an assistant coach. In 1955, he moved to Michigan State, where he was the Spartan's defensive line coach. During Mr. Agase’s tenure as an assistant, MSU's football team won the Rose Bowl in 1956. On December 4, 1959, Agase was named head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, replacing Steve Owen. After finishing the prior season in last place, Agase coached the Argonauts to the Eastern Finals in 1960 and 1961. He was fired three games into the 1962 season and replaced by assistant coach Nobby Wirkowski.