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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Coach Cutcliffe Recommends Three More Assistants
6/21/1999 | Football
December 18, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss head coach David Cutcliffe has recommended the hiring of Tom Lavigne, Ron Middleton and Rick Petri to the Rebel football staff. The recommendations, made on Friday, are pending approval of the Board of Trustees, State Institutions of Higher Learning. Lavigne, Middleton and Petri join Art Kaufman, Richard Bisaccia, Marion Hobby, John Latina, Mike MacIntyre, Kurt Roper and Jerry Colquitt on the Ole Miss football staff.
"Tom Lavigne, Ron Middleton and Rick Petri are three excellent additions to our staff," said Cutcliffe. "They all are well respected among their peers and are outstanding individuals. I feel we have been able to put together a staff which cares about the student-athletes here at Ole Miss, and I know they all will represent the University of Mississippi in a first-class manner."
Lavigne comes to Ole Miss from Oklahoma State, where he served as an assistant since 1993. During his time on the Cowboys' staff, Lavigne coached the running backs and helped lead Oklahoma State to last year's Alamo Bowl. The 1997 Alamo Bowl appearance was the Cowboys' first since 1988. Prior to arriving at Oklahoma State, Lavigne served as defensive backs coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State during the 1992-93 season. Lavigne also worked as an assistant at Grambling State during the 1981-82 season, serving as defensive backs coach. Between his two stints on the collegiate level, Lavigne coached at four high schools in Louisiana.
A graduate of Grambling State, Lavigne earned All-Conference and All-America honors as a defensive back for the Tigers. Lavigne has also completed more than 30 hours toward his master's degree at the University of New Orleans.
Middleton joins the Rebel staff after spending the last two seasons (1997 and 1998) at Troy State. While at Troy State, Middleton's coaching responsibilities included tight ends, tackles and special teams. Prior to his time at Troy State, Middleton worked in the business world, holding the post of vice president of American Communications.
A 1985 graduate of Auburn, Middleton played tight end for the Tigers. He was named the team's Offensive MVP in 1984 and 1985, and also earned All-Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll accolades. Following his collegiate days, Middleton had a long, successful career in the National Football League (NFL). He began his professional career with the Atlanta Falcons in 1986 and also played with the Cleveland Browns (1989), Washington Redskins (1988, 1990-94), Los Angeles Rams (1994) and San Diego Chargers (1995). He was a member of the 1991 Washington Redskins team that won the Super Bowl over Buffalo. Middleton earned his Master's of Education in Sports and Fitness Management from Troy State.
Petri returns to the Ole Miss staff after serving as an assistant for the Rebels from 1989-92. During his first stint with the Rebels, Petri coached the defensive line and helped lead Ole Miss to the 1989 Liberty Bowl and the 1991 Gator Bowl. After the 1991 season at Ole Miss, Petri moved on to Louisiana Tech, where he coached the defensive line for the 1992 campaign. Petri also coached at Miami (Fla.) from 1993-96 and South Carolina from 1996-98. He served as defensive line coach for the Hurricanes, and was the defensive ends coach for the Gamecocks.
Petri is a 1976 graduate of the University of Missouri-Rolla with a degree in Engineering Managment. He also earned a Master's of Science in Physical Education from Pittsburgh State University in 1979.
The Rebels (6-5) return to action on Dec. 31 when they meet Texas Tech (7-4) in the 1998 Sanford Independence Bowl. Game time is 7:30 p.m. (CT). The contest will be televised by ESPN.
