re: LSU v. Wake Forest 1979 Tangerine Bowl

That was my favorite Bowl Game as a GBFTL drummer.

We got a week in Orlando, free day at Disney World and a parade through the grounds.

1979. That was the year of the most intense game in Tiger Stadium history.

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Fantastic book

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Indeed, but many here have complained about it.

They picked it up expecting it to be some gung-ho rah-rah Geaux-Tigers book and it is anything but that.

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GBFTL drummer

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Rouse's favorite section the band.

My last game in the band-Wickes came in with 2 hour a day rehearsals and I decided I needed to try and graduate at some point. Great final game for me and Mac (who was my neighbor growing up)

Arnsparger and Saban were elite. I still wonder what might have been if we hadn't lost Bo Rein.

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The USC-LSU game is the first game broadcast by ESPN, you can see the ESPN banners on the replay.

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Broadcast on delay a few days later.ESPN didn't show live games until 1984.Of all teams,our first ESPN live football game was against Vanderbilt in '84.

It was shown live on ESPN, and they have changed the first game on EPSN about 4 different times now, ESPN does not even know their on history.

The game was blacked out in Louisiana and shown a few days later.

ESPN made a huge deal about this game in 1979.

Also remember ESPN broadcast USFL football live in 1983 and that is long after they started broadcasting college games.

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It was shown live on ESPN

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No,it wasn't.

I enrolled at LSU in 1980 and wasn't much of an LSU fan until I got there.So,I'm going on what I remember,heard before and after.

1974 seem to be the beginning of the end for McClendon.From 1967 through 1973, LSU had the second best winning percentage behind only Tennessee.Also, McClendon's winning percentage vs Bear wasn't very good. His two wins came in 1969 and 1970 against medicore Alabama teams. But a lot of other teams weren't beating Alabama,either.

1974 was the Year of the Veer.Athlon's had LSU to win the SEC that year.LSU started out #9 and moved to #7 after easily defeating Colorado who had been quite good for a while.Then lost at home 21-14 to A&M,who was on the uptick.LSU was fortunate to tie Rice in Houston the following week,10-10.

LSU later lost to Florida (who was quite good) for the first time since 1966, Kentucky for the first time since 1960 and Miss State for the first time since 1963.Alabama creamed LSU on national TV 30-0 in Birmingham.

5-5-1 was followed by 4-7 on the field. The 1976 team flirted with success,tying preseason #1 Nebraska and losing narrowly to top 10 Florida in Gainesville. But Kentucky and Alabama won again,plus Miss State as LSU went 6-4-1. Team was bowl eligible but not selected. (NCAA put State on probation and were handed retroactive wins vs them in '75 and '76.)

Big things were expect in '77. After an upset loss at Indiana, the offense put up 77 on Rice, beat then #9 Florida 36-14 and then finally put away Vandy in Nashville, 28-15 after trailing midway in the third 15-0. But Kentucky came to Baton Rouge the next week and creamed the Tigers, 33-13.Still ranked a few weeks later, LSU lost at home to Alabama 24-3 and then dropped the Sun Bowl to finish 8-4.

Can't help put think someone had to get the word out that 1978 was going to be crucial.Again, lots of expectations. But right out of the gate messed around at home vs a bad Indiana and even worse Wake Forest team.But seemed to get it together and left Gainesville 4-0 and #11.Georgia,the surprise of the SEC stunned the Tigers, 24-17 .But LSU hung in there and went to Birmingham to face #3 Alabama, 6-1 and #10.

LSU scored first to go up 7-0.It appeared LSU was going to lead 14-0 after a pick 6,but a phantom clipped wiped out a TD. Alabama would go on to win 31-10.Who knows what might have happened had LSU led 14-0.

Here is where LSU was LSU. A BOS meeting decided to can McClendon after the season.AD Paul Dietzel fought for Mac and got a concession for him to coach the 1979 season as he'd be President of the coaches association.State then won in Jackson and LSU kind of coasted in the last two games and lost to Missouri in the Liberty.

I'm sure I either left something out, mischaracterized something ,so now someone will roar in with the whole story.

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I'm sure I either left something out, mischaracterized something ,so now someone will roar in with the whole story.

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No you summed it up pretty well. I will say that McClendon's failure to notch even ONE win against a team that finished ranked in the final polls his last five seasons pretty much sealed his fate. Cholly Mac wasn't fired because he couldn't beat Bear Bryant as the legend goes. He was fired for losing to Tulane, Kentucky, and Indiana his last few seasons. And the idea that LSU suffered for 20 years between McClendon and Saban is a bunch of BS as well. On the contrary, the 1980's were pretty good for LSU......certainly better than Mac's last six years. The Tigers went to two Sugar Bowls and an Orange Bowl during the 1980's. Now one could argue that the 1990's were bad but that has nothing to do with McClendon being let go in 1979. Just my 2 cents.

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That UK game was my first ever in Tiger Stadium. I was 8. My grandad brought me. I remember the scoreboard referred to them as "Tucky" the entire game, which was funny to an 8 year old. By the end of the game, I figured they whupped us because we butchered their name.

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That 1977 Kentucky team was flat out loaded. Their QB was Derrick Ramsey who was 6'8" and was later a TE for the Raiders. They also had Jim Kovach at LB and he later played for the Saints. Kentucky went 10-1 and finished ranked #5 or #6 in the final AP poll but were unable to go to a bowl due to probation.