1980 LSU Tigers football team

The 1980 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University (LSU) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Jerry Stovall, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 7–4, with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, and finished tied for fourth in the SEC.[1]

1980 LSU Tigers football
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
Record7–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorGeorge Belu (2nd season)
Defensive coordinatorGreg Williams (2nd season)
Home stadiumTiger Stadium
Seasons
← 1979
1981 →
1980 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Georgia $ 6 0 0 12 0 0
No. 19 Mississippi State 5 1 0 9 3 0
No. 6 Alabama 5 1 0 10 2 0
LSU 4 2 0 7 4 0
Florida 4 2 0 8 4 0
Tennessee 3 3 0 5 6 0
Ole Miss 2 4 0 3 8 0
Kentucky 1 5 0 3 8 0
Auburn 0 6 0 5 6 0
Vanderbilt 0 6 0 2 9 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Bo Rein was hired November 30, 1979 after four seasons at North Carolina State as the successor to Charles McClendon, who compiled a 137–59–7 record in 18 seasons. Rein's tenure was cut short after only 42 days when he died in a plane crash January 10, 1980. Jerry Stovall, a former LSU All-American and nine-year National Football League veteran with the St. Louis Cardinals, was approved as Rein's successor approximately 36 hours after the plane crash.

LSU was tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference following a Nov. 1 victory over Ole Miss, but subsequent one-sided road losses to Alabama and Mississippi State led bowls to snub the Tigers. LSU ended on a high note by drubbing bowl-bound Tulane.

As of 2021, this is the last LSU team to finish with a winning record and not be invited to a bowl.

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 6No. 13 Florida State*L 0–1677,535[2]
September 13Kansas State*
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA
W 21–075,405[3]
September 20Colorado*
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA
W 23–2074,999[4]
September 27at Rice*L 7–1741,000[5]
October 4at No. 19 FloridaW 24–759,299[6]
October 11Auburn 
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)
W 21–1776,094[7]
October 18at KentuckyW 17–1057,800[8]
November 1Ole Miss
  • Tiger Stadium
  • Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)
W 38–1671,422[9]
November 8at No. 6 AlabamaL 7–2860,210[10]
November 15at No. 19 Mississippi StateL 31–5548,863[11]
November 22Tulane*
W 24–769,248[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[13]

Roster

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1980 LSU Tigers football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
QB 7 Alan Risher So
WR 21 Tracy Porter Sr
WR 32 Orlando McDaniel Jr
RB 47 Hokie Gajan Sr
TE 89 Greg LaFleur Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
CB 4 Chris Hutchinson So
CB 10 Frank Killeen So
CB 11 James Britt Jr
S 22 Chris Williams Sr
NG 60 George Atyieh Sr
LB 51 Albert Richardson So
DE 70 Leonard Marshall So
LB 94 Lyman White Sr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 5 David Johnston Jr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
  • George Belu – Offensive coordinator/offensive line
  • Bob Gatling – Quarterbacks
  • Darrel Moody – Running backs
  • Stephen Regan – Wide receivers
  • Otis WashingtonOffensive line
  • Greg Williams – Defensive coordinator/defensive backs
  • Pete JenkinsDefensive line
  • Bishop HarrisOutside linebackers
  • Bobby MorrisonInside linebackers

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  •   Injured
  •   Redshirt

Roster

References

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  1. ^ "1980 LSU Fighting Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "Seminole defense whitewashes LSU". The Opelika-Auburn News. September 7, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Louisiana State stymies Kansas State 21–0". The Kansas City Star. September 14, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Johnston field goal lifts Tigers by Buffaloes". The Daily Advertiser. September 21, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Rice upsets LSU, 17–7". The Odessa American. September 28, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "LSU feasts on Gator gumbo". Daily World. October 5, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Soph fires LSU by Auburn, 21–17". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 12, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Tigers overcome bobbles, bumbles as Cats crumble". Sunday Herald-Leader. October 19, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "LSU, fans get pokes at Rebs". The Commercial Appeal. November 2, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "'Relentless' Tide covers LSU, 28–7". The Shreveport Times. November 9, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Third quarter explosion blows Maroons by LSU". The Crowley Post-Signal. November 16, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "LSU rides Wave to 24–7 victory". Daily World. November 23, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "1980 Season". tigerdroppings.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022.