re: Where does Paul Dietzel rank amongst LSU football coaches?

McClendon played a more difficult schedule than Dietzel.
After Dietzel left, LSU started playing Ole Miss and Alabama on consecutive Saturdays. That was at a time when Ole Miss was one of top teams in the SEC. A horrible stretch of injuries to star qb's -- Pat Screen's shoulder seperation in 1963 and knee injury in 1964 plus knee injuries to Nelson Stokley in 1965 and 1966 --had LSU playing the most difficult part of their schedule with a No. 2 qb.

Talk to some of the players on the 1959 team. Many of them felt that Dietzel should have gone for the first down (and touchdown) on two drives deep in Tennessee territory. LSU tried and missed two field goals instead. They say it was a sideline meltdown equal that of Miles in Oxford.

1. Miles
2. Saban
3. Arnsparger
4. McClendon
5. Biff Jones
6. Paul Dietzel
7. Bernie Moore (1935 and 1936 teams may have been equal to LSU's 1958 and 1959 teams in talent)