1959 LSU Tigers football team

Last updated

1959 LSU Tigers football
Old LSU Logo 50s.jpg
Sugar Bowl, L 0–21 vs. Ole Miss
Conference Southeastern Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 3
APNo. 3
Record9–2 (5–1 SEC)
Head coach
Home stadium Tiger Stadium
Seasons
←  1958
1960  →
1959 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L TW L T
No. 5 Georgia $ 7 –0 –010 –1 –0
No. 3 LSU 5 –1 –09 –2 –0
No. 2 Ole Miss # 5 –1 –010 –1 –0
No. 10 Alabama 4 –1 –27 –2 –2
Auburn 4 –3 –07 –3 –0
Vanderbilt 3 –2 –25 –3 –2
Georgia Tech 3 –3 –06 –5 –0
Tennessee 3 –4 –15 –4 –1
No. 19 Florida 2 –4 –05 –4 –1
Kentucky 1 –6 –04 –6 –0
Tulane 0 –5 –13 –6 –1
Mississippi State 0 –7 –02 –7 –0
  • $ – Conference champion
  • # Berryman, Billingsley, Dunkel, Sagarin national champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1959 LSU Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Louisiana State University (LSU) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth year under head coach Paul Dietzel, the Tigers complied an overall record of 9–2, with a conference record of 5–1, and finished tied for second in the SEC. [1]

Contents

Preseason

The Tigers were a near unanimous pre-season favorite to repeat as national champions in 1959. Most of the players from the national championship team of 1958 were returning, including the All-American halfback Billy Cannon, who had come in third in the 1958 Heisman balloting.

Season

LSU had no real trouble in winning its first 6 games in 1959, though its offense was not as potent as 1958's. Its defense made up for it by being even stingier, allowing only 6 points in 6 games. In the 7th game of the season LSU faced its sternest test—undefeated Ole Miss on Halloween in Tiger Stadium. That game between No. 1 LSU and No. 3 Ole Miss was touted as 1959's "Game of the Year." Ole Miss held a 3–0 lead until the 4th quarter, often punting on first down due to the very wet conditions on the field. With about 10 minutes left in the game, Ole Miss punted and Billy Cannon took the punt at the LSU 11. Cannon charted a course along the Ole Miss sidelines, weaving between Rebel defenders, eluding tacklers, and racing towards the goal line for an 89 yard punt return touchdown. Ole Miss then started a determined drive and marched down to the two yard line where it was 4th and goal with 18 seconds left. Ole Miss quarterback Doug Elmore was stopped at the one by Cannon and his teammates to ensure the 7–3 victory. However, the next week, LSU lost its next SEC game against Tennessee at Knoxville, 14–13, when Cannon's attempt at a 2 pt conversion failed. The loss not only cost LSU a shot as repeating as national champion, it also denied them the SEC championship, which went to the Georgia Bulldogs, and ended a 19-game win streak—the longest in school history—that started in the last game of 1957. The Tigers defeated Mississippi State and Tulane to finish the season 9–1, and they were ranked No. 3 in the nation behind No. 1 Syracuse and No. 2 Ole Miss.

In the meantime Billy Cannon won the Heisman Trophy by one of the widest margins in the history of the trophy balloting at the time. The Tigers were invited to play in the Sugar Bowl, and their opponent was Ole Miss, in a rematch. At first Paul Dietzel, LSU's coach, was not anxious to replay the Rebels, but he was persuaded to do so by the athletic director, Jim Corbett. By the time January 1 came, three LSU star players were injured, including quarterback Warren Rabb, and halfbacks Wendell Harris and Johnny Robinson. The Tigers were soundly beaten by the Rebels, 21–0, and were outgained 373–74.

Following the Sugar Bowl, Cannon signed a professional contract with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League, which was scheduled to begin play in September 1960, spurning an offer from the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 19 Rice *No. 1
 NBC W 26–348,613 [2]
September 26No. 9 TCU *No. 1
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA
W 10–065,694 [3]
October 3vs. Baylor *No. 1
W 22–032,308 [4]
October 10 Miami (FL) *No. 1
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA
W 27–364,864 [5]
October 17at Kentucky No. 1
W 9–033,230 [6]
October 24at Florida No. 1
W 9–047,578 [7]
October 31No. 3 Ole Miss Dagger-14-plain.pngNo. 1
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)
W 7–367,327 [8]
November 7at No. 13 Tennessee No. 1
L 13–1445,682 [9]
November 14 Mississippi State No. 3
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)
W 27–063,272 [10]
November 21 Tulane No. 3
W 14–665,057 [11]
January 1, 1960vs. No. 2 Ole MissNo. 3
NBCL 0–2181,141 [12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Dagger-14-plain.pngHomecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

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The Chinese Bandits were the backup defensive unit on coach Paul Dietzel's LSU Tigers football teams, most notably the 1958 and 1959 teams. The name was also used briefly by the Army Cadets football team during Dietzel's coaching tenure at the U.S. Military Academy. At LSU, they made up the third unit of Dietzel's "three-platoon system." While they lacked experience and talent, the Bandits were notable for their tenacity and toughness. The unit was hugely popular among fans, and has since become part of LSU sports lore.

The LSU Tigers football team represents Louisiana State University in the sport of American football. The university has fielded a team every year since it began play in 1893, except in 1918 due to World War I. It has competed in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) since 1933, and in the conference's Western division since 1992. Previously, LSU was a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) from 1896 to 1921 and the Southern Conference (SoCon) from 1922 to 1932. There have been 32 head coaches for the team, starting with Charles E. Coates in 1893. Since 2022, the head coach of the Tigers is Brian Kelly. LSU has played 1,221 games in its 123 seasons of play, and has compiled an all-time record of 772 wins, 405 losses, and 47 ties as of the end of the 2016 season.

References

  1. ↑ "1959 LSU Fighting Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Surprising Owls had LSU worried". Waco Tribune-Herald. September 20, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "LSU trims TCU in air". Victoria Advocate. September 27, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "35,000 watch LSU Tigers romp over Baylor, 22 to 0". The Shreveport Times. October 4, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "LSU starts slow, gains win No. 4". Lincoln Sunday Journal and Star. October 11, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "LSU shades Cats, 9–0". Arizona Daily Star. October 18, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Cannon carries LSU past Florida, 9–0". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 25, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Billy Cannon's 89-yard punt return gives LSU 7–3 victory over Ole Miss in 'Game of Year'". The Daily Advertiser. November 1, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Vols end long LSU spurt". The Montana Standard. November 8, 1959. Retrieved March 31, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "LSU routs Maroons". Monroe Morning World. November 15, 1959. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Cannon's 45-yard touchdown run boosts Bengals to 14–6 win, Sugar Bowl invite". The Daily Advertiser. November 22, 1959. Retrieved September 19, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Ole Miss slaughters LSU, 21–0, in Sugar Bowl". The Knoxville Journal. January 2, 1960. Retrieved October 8, 2023– via Newspapers.com.

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