Kelly Orgeron gained public attention primarily through her marriage to Edward James Orgeron Jr, better known as Ed Orgeron; at least, that’s what many would think.
Kelly’s life before meeting Ed Orgeron had encompassed a previous marriage, from which she had Tyler.
She met Ed Orgeron when he was a part of the Syracuse coaching staff. Their connection was initiated by a mutual friend who set them up on a blind date. The couple’s relationship evolved swiftly, and they got engaged.
After 23 years of marriage, Kelly and Ed Orgeron decided to part ways. According to sources, the couple separated on February 24, 2020, and have since divorced. Kelly Orgeron, the former spouse of a well-known football coach, attracted media attention that has underscored her resilience in the face of personal challenges, including health issues.
Post-divorce, there have been reports that Ed Orgeron started dating someone new, Bailie Lauderdale, in 2022.
Life is full of difficulties, but these struggles have defined Kelly’s story. Raised in a middle-class family in Lake City, Arkansas, Kelly has been fighting all her life. She is a survivor, having overcome cancer, and her determination has made her stand out. This is her story.
Profile Summary
| Name | Kelly Orgeron |
| Date | December 30, 1964 |
| Age | 59 years old |
| Gender | Female |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | white |
| Ex-Spouse | Ed Orgeron |
| Occupation | Ex Sportscaster, Homemaker |
| Children | Tyler Spotts-Orgeron Cody Orgeron Parker Orgeron |
Kelly Orgeron Biography
Kelly Orgeron, née Owens, was born in Lake City, Arkansas, on December 30, 1964, into a middle-class, Christian family. Raised alongside her siblings Scott, Russ, and Misty by parents Bobby, a farmer, and Janis, a beauty salon worker, she experienced a close-knit family environment in a small city of about 2,000 residents.
From a young age, Kelly demonstrated athletic prowess despite facing health challenges. She played basketball for Lake City High School, overcoming scoliosis with a metal rod in her back after years in a full-torso cast. Her sporting interests extended beyond basketball; Kelly excelled in tennis, winning USTA state championships in Arkansas and Louisiana and inspiring one of her sons to pursue the sport.
During her youth, Kelly engaged in various activities, including sports and beauty pageants.
After completing her education at a local high school, she graduated from Louisiana State University.
Kelly founded the Kelly Orgeron Foundation, which provides scholarships to students from low-income families. Her commitment to philanthropy matches her support for her husband, Ed Orgeron’s, coaching career.
Ed Orgeron And Kelly Owens’s Relationship
Let’s discuss how Ed and Kelly met and more details about their relationship.
Kelly and Ed Orgeron’s relationship began in 1996, sparked by a blind date in Memphis, Tennessee, arranged by a mutual friend during the Liberty Bowl.
At that time, Ed was coaching Syracuse’s defensive line, a position he found himself in following a pivotal game loss that rerouted the team from the Orange Bowl to the Liberty Bowl. Kelly, then a waitress in Baton Rouge and living in Lake City, Arkansas, made the journey to meet Ed, marking the start of their connection.
Their meeting was fortuitous, influenced by the outcomes of football games, and facilitated by their friend’s encouragement. Ed nicknamed Bébé from his childhood in south Louisiana, and Kelly, a native of Arkansas, found common ground despite their distinct backgrounds.
By 1997, Kelly and Ed married, blending their lives and families, including Tyler, Kelly’s son from a previous marriage, who was three years old at the time of their wedding. The couple went on to have two more children.
Throughout their marriage, which has spanned over two decades, Kelly transitioned from teaching to dedicating her time to her family and philanthropic efforts within the community.
Kelly Orgeron’s Previous Marriage
Brian Spotts was married to Kelly Orgeron before she was married to former LSU football coach Ed Orgeron.
Their relationship gained public attention due to the subsequent legal battles and controversies surrounding their divorce.
Spotts, a businessman and entrepreneur, and Orgeron were married in a private ceremony. However, their marriage faced challenges from the beginning, with allegations of infidelity and incompatibility surfacing soon after. The couple eventually filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.
The divorce proceedings between Spotts and Orgeron were not publicized.
Kelly Orgeron Career
Raised in Lake City, Arkansas, Kelly battled scoliosis, a condition that led to her wearing a Milwaukee brace for three years during her adolescence. This full-torso body cast did not deter her from playing basketball in high school.
Despite adapting her basketball techniques to accommodate the brace, Kelly’s potential in sports was curtailed by her condition. She wore braces 22 hours a day for three years until surgeons inserted a rod into her back at age 15, initiating a long series of medical interventions.
Kelly’s journey took a perilous turn with a surgical error that caused a severe infection, threatening her life and underscoring the inherent risks of her ongoing battle with scoliosis. The mishap led to emergency surgeries and a prolonged recovery.
Kelly Orgeron Children
During their union, Kelly and Ed Orgeron raised three children together, Cody and Parker, and Kelly’s son Tyler from her prior marriage.
Ed Orgeron embraced Tyler as his own and reportedly developed a close bond. Kelly’s life with Ed was closely entwined with the college football world due to Ed’s career. Though not much is publicly known about her professional life, Kelly has been described as a working-class individual.
Tyler Spotts-Orgeron is an offensive analyst at Tulane Green Wave football. He was the offensive analyst at LSU football from June 2010 to July 2022.
Cody and Parker Orgeron both played football at McNeese State University.
Kelly Orgeron Medical Condition
Kelly Orgeron experienced a life-threatening medical emergency, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
From an early age, Kelly faced the realities of scoliosis, a condition that led her to wear a Milwaukee brace for 22 hours a day over three years. Despite the immobilizing brace, which connected metal rods from her waist to a chin rest to treat spinal curvature, Kelly didn’t let this hinder her spirit. She adapted her basketball shot mechanics and continued to play sports around the hardwood for the Lake City High School Catfish.
Her battles didn’t end in childhood. As an adult, Kelly underwent surgery to have metal rods, a dozen screws, and two hooks inserted along her spine, from neck to tailbone, a result of her scoliosis. This procedure significantly impacted her daily life, making simple tasks like tying shoes a challenge that required the assistance of her now ex-husband, Ed Orgeron, the LSU football coach.
Kelly’s medical challenges intensified when a surgical mishap during a procedure intended to insert supporting rods and screws into her lumbar spine and hips led to a punctured colon. This error resulted in a two-month ordeal so severe that, at one point, Kelly wished for death over the pain and complications that followed. Her condition became critical, leading to emergency surgery where doctors warned her husband that she might not survive. Despite the dire prognosis, Kelly’s fighting spirit shone through, a characteristic that her family knows all too well.
Kelly’s resilience was not just physical but also mental. She battled depression for nearly three decades, a struggle that she believes began with the death of her father. Her depression was only fully realized after the passing of her mother and father-in-law in 2012, leading her to seek healing at a Christian ministry in Jacksonville, Florida. She called that place her “prayer rehab.” She spent about ten days there in 2013 to treat depression she believes developed nearly 30 years prior, with the death of her father.”
Her condition is hereditary, and her son Tyler inherited scoliosis from her. Tyler’s condition required surgery in 2009, where doctors inserted steel rods, metal hooks, and screws to correct a significant spinal curvature.