From Obie to Oregon: A’lique Terry’s Full-Circle Moment at the Orange Bowl
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - A’lique Terry’s journey to the Orange Bowl is more than just a coaching milestone-it’s a homecoming wrapped in heart, hustle, and a little bit of mascot history.
Before he was Oregon’s offensive line coach, before he was shaping one of the most physical units in college football, Terry was just a kid from Hialeah trying to find his way in the game. And yes, that included donning the oversized orange suit as Obie, the Orange Bowl’s beloved mascot. Fast forward to today, and Terry is back where it all started-this time, not as a costumed intern, but as a key figure in Oregon’s push for a national title.
“God is real, man,” Terry said Tuesday at Hard Rock Stadium during media day for the College Football Playoff quarterfinal between Oregon and Texas Tech. “You couldn’t write this any better.”
He’s not wrong. This is the kind of story that doesn’t just come full circle-it spins like a highlight reel.
Terry’s path wasn’t easy. He played college ball at Wake Forest, but concussion issues forced him to medically retire-an abrupt and painful end to his playing days.
But rather than stepping away from the sport, Terry leaned in. He started coaching at Wake as a quality control assistant in 2018, learning the ropes from the ground up.
Then came a pivotal opportunity. Mario Cristobal, another Miami native and then the head coach at Oregon, brought Terry on as a graduate assistant in 2019.
That move paired him with offensive line coach Alex Mirabal-yet another South Florida connection, and someone who would become a key mentor. Both Cristobal and Mirabal are now back in Miami, coaching at the University of Miami, but their influence on Terry remains.
From there, Terry’s résumé started to grow. He had a stint at Hawaii, spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, and eventually found his way back to Eugene when Dan Lanning took over the Ducks. Now, he’s guiding Oregon’s offensive line into one of the biggest games in program history-and doing it in the same stadium where he once worked the concession stands just to be part of the Orange Bowl atmosphere.
“He’s a great story,” said Orange Bowl CEO Eric Poms. And he really is.
Terry’s roots in South Florida run deep. He grew up playing in the area’s ultra-competitive high school football scene, where talent is as rich as the humidity.
His father is a longtime high school coach in the region, so football was always part of the family fabric. And even before he wore the Obie costume, Terry had a front-row seat to what the Orange Bowl meant-not just to the city, but to the sport.
Now, he’s living it from the other side.
This isn’t just Oregon’s first trip to the Orange Bowl-it’s Terry’s first as a coach. And if the Ducks can keep their momentum rolling, there’s a chance he’ll be back at Hard Rock Stadium in a few weeks for the national championship game.
“Oregon’s first time in this game and I get to be here for it,” Terry said. “I’m just grateful. Extremely grateful.”
It’s not often you see a story like this unfold on a stage this big. From mascot to mentor, from intern to impact coach, A’lique Terry is proof that sometimes the football gods really do have a sense of poetic timing.