Thirty Years Ago Today

It's funny you mention this, my neighbor was out walking his dog last night, here in Orlando, and stopped to talk about the upcoming Cap One bowl, and the subject of fan turnout came up. I told him that I was going to the game but wasn't sure how many LSU fans would actually show up. He said LSU fans travel well. He remembered them playing in that Tangerine bowl in '79 and was there and apparently the fans were out in force for Cholly Mac's last game. Hope we don't get outnumbered by Penn State.

I was a freshman that year we opened with Rice and lost late in the fourth quarter to USC. Drew Dossett was highly recruited out of Shreveport's Jesuit High and was playing for USC and was quoted that he felt like he would play against LSU because they would blow us out. He didn't see the field that night.

I was there.

A night or two before the game I was sitting on a stool in the hotel bar when I saw Mac walk by. I yelled "Coach Mac" and hurried in his direction to shake his hand. We shook, he looked at me in my intoxicated state and asked, "Are you ready to play, son."

True story.

quote:

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December 22, 1979. Cholly Mac's final game as Tiger head coach, a 34-10 victory over Wake Forest in the Tangerine Bowl (later to become the Citrus Bowl and later the CapOne Bowl).

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He was a great guy loved by all. Of course, the fans today would have run him out on a rail for being mediocre and not winning championships.