| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 17, 1924 |
| Playing career | |
| 1947–1949 | Arizona State |
| Position(s) | Center, linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1951–1958 | Palo Verde |
| 1969–1965 | Stockton / San Joaquin Delta |
| 1966–1970 | Arizona State (assistant) |
| 1971–1978 | Arizona State (DC) |
| 1984 | Northern Arizona (assistant) |
| 1985–1989 | Northern Arizona |
| 1991 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (LB) |
| 1992 | Arkansas Miners (assistant) |
| 1994 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes |
| 1996 | Kiel Baltic Hurricanes |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 26–29 (college) 73–58–4 (junior college) |
| Bowls | 0–2 (junior college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3 SoCentral (1951–1952, 1955) 1 Big Eight (CA) (1959) | |
Lawrence "Lazo" Kentera (born April 17, 1924) is a former American football coach and player. He served as the head football coach at Northern Arizona University from 1985 to 1989, compiling a record of 26–29.[1] He spent many years as a defensive assistant at his alma mater, Arizona State University, under head coach Frank Kush.[2] Kentera was also the head football coach at two junior colleges, Palo Verde College in Blythe, California from 1951 to 1958 and San Joaquin Delta College—known as Stockton College until 1963—in Stockton, California from 1959 to 1965.[3][4][5]
Kentera was the linebackers coach for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1991, working under head coach Darryl Rogers. In 1992, he followed Rogers to serve as an assistant coach for the Arkansas Miners of the short-lived Professional Spring Football League (PSFL).[6] In 1994 and 1996, Kentera was the head coach of the Kiel Baltic Hurricanes in the German Football League, and from 2005 he was working in football in Serbia, the country in which he was born.
Assistant coaches on Kentera's staffs at Northern Arizona included four future National Football League (NFL) head coaches: Bill Callahan, Brad Childress, Marty Mornhinweg, and Andy Reid.[7]
- ^ "Kentera to receive Lifetime Award at N.F.F. Banquet". Arizona State University. February 26, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Larry Kentera, best known as a defensive specialist, hired at Northern Arizona". United Press International. November 14, 1984. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Balsamo, Kentera Sign As Coaches". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. April 29, 1951. p. 2, part IV. Retrieved May 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ "Kentera New SC Coach". Stockton Record. Stockton, California. April 14, 1959. p. 26. Retrieved May 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Remington, Ben (April 4, 1966). "Larry Kentera Leavng Delta For Ariz. State". Stockton Record. Stockton, California. p. 37. Retrieved May 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Drinnan, Gregg (January 25, 1992). "Brown trade rumor true—sort of". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. p. B3. Retrieved May 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Jones, Caleb (February 10, 2023). "Heavy limbs come from the NAU coaching tree, including Andy Reid, who leads Chiefs in Super Bowl 57". Cronkite News. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
