October 25, 1969

Until recently I had no interest in sports blogs. In fact after I left college I had little interest in sports. Our daughter married a very nice man who is a big OSU Buckeye fan and over the last 10 years it got to be a male bonding thing with us.

I mentioned this part in another thread. After getting out of the Army in Feb. 1969 I enrolled in LSU in the Summer. I graduated in May 1972. When I got on campus I went to an orientation where Joe May, the track coach said he was short a couple of guys for the cross country team so I walked on and I stuck, I ran CC and some track for LSU until through the 1971 cross country season and it was a heck of a ride. I was also around the other teams, especially football since my main sport was a fall sport.

Before I get to real meat of this I think it is important to realize how good the 1969 Tigers were. I absolutely believe they were the best LSU team that didn't get a chance to play for a national championship. They averaged 35 points a game while allowing just 9. They allowed 39 yards per game rushing and 189 passing; just amazing stats especially for the time. Mike Hillman, the starting quarterback was probably the best qb at LSU ever up to that time. He completed 56% of his passes for 1180 yards. The second and third string quarterbacks, Buddy Lee and Butch Duhe weren't any slouches either and LSU completed 52% of their total passes for almost 1900 yards. Added to a formidable running game this gave the Tigers one of the most potent offenses in the country.

Before the Auburn game the coaches noticed that one of the Auburn cornerbacks loved to make tackles at the line of scrimmage and realized they might be able to take advantage of him. Coach McClendon believed in giving seniors who had payed their dues a reward. Jimmy Gilbert was the 4th string quarterback at the start of the season but McClendon gave him the chance to play tailback as well. Gilbert was the third leading rusher that year carrying the ball for 325 yards in 83 attempts that year so it was no surprise foe him to be dotting the "I" for LSU.

So LSU lined up in their base formation. Hamilton was to take the pass from Gilbert and Lonnie Myles, the walk on senior split end who would hold all the LSU receiving records at the end of the year was to decoy the other safety out of the play.

The LSU staff decided to run the halfback pass play from Gilbert to Andy Hamilton on first down when Auburn would expect it least, sure enough the Auburn cornerback bit on the run fake big time and it worked perfectly. Hamilton almost walked into the end zone just as planned.

I remember that play well, I was in the LSU student section half way up on the 25 yard line. I can remember almost being able to see the shock on that Auburn safety's face when he realized what was happening to him.

Sorry this is long, but it was one of the best football games I ever saw and if I'd gone to buy a coke I would have missed an iconic LSU play.