re: For the old-timers...when did Cholly Mac first get on the hot seat?

My first game was in 1965 when we beat Tulane 62-0. I was seventeen. I do remember those years sitting in the south end zone starting in 1971 up until now. We won some great games, but we never left the stadium with the great feeling that we were "on our way." Bert Jones sharing playing time was no plus for Charlie McClendon. The two qb system insured that everyone was critical because someone always wanted the other guy playing. Couple all these things to "three yards and a cloud of dust" lackluster offense seemingly run by guys who refused to change, and you had the recipe for dissension and criticism. A very critical game in this thread would have to be the LSU-USC game. That game took a lot out of the Tigers. Here are a few of the USC players and you will get an idea of how good they were.

Marcus Allen
Jeff Fisher
Ronnie Lott
Charles White
Bruce Matthews
Dennis Smith
Chip Banks
Anthony Munoz
Keith Van Horne
Joey Browner

Go here for a quick read of the game. LINK

And after we got rid of Cholly Mac, we had some momentary successes in a few seasons, but we got Archer, Hallman, and Dinardo. During the 80s and 90s, it was incredibly painful to watch. Be careful what you wish for. I think of this often when I hear about "Miles is the worst coach I have ever seen." Before every game we should put the "highlights" of our losses from those two decades up on the big screen for the fans to reminisce about.

Charlie McClendon proved to me to be a better person than we probably all imagined. He was a gentleman, and he was respected by many in the coaching ranks. He looked to have a better life after LSU than he had while here. He served as the executive director of the American Football Coaches Association for many years. I do regret being as critical of him as I was.