LSU greats not with us any longer

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1943- Alex Box, who came to LSU in 1938 and majored in petroleum
engineering. He also played football and baseball, served as vice president
of the junior class in engineering and was a member of several professional
societies. A letterman on the 1942 baseball team, Box was killed the
following year while fighting in North Africa during World War II. In 1943,
LSU's baseball stadium was named for Alex Box

1967- Trey Prather, QB who played one season at LSU, joined the Marines and
died in DaNang Vietnam soon afterward. PFC Prather was killed in action
after stepping on a land mine. To the best of my knowledge, he's the only
LSU player to have done so. Terry Bradshaw was Prather's backup QB at
Woodlawn High School in Shreveport. Rumor has it that Bradshaw went to
Louisiana Tech because he figured he'd be in the same boat at LSU (Prather
was 2nd string himself), and that he purposely failed his SAT so as to not
be admitted. So far as I know, this is just a rumor. I don't know if it's
blown out of proportion, let alone true at all. There are varying degrees of
the rumor, the worst of which says he flunked the SAT 3 times. Bradshaw
blames it on his ADD. But in 1979, an employee at the Registrar's Office at
LSU told one of my co-workers that Bradshaw flunked the SAT because he was
'just plain stupid'. Bradshaw's account of the story is here:
LINK

1970- Tigers quarterback Herman "Butch" Duhe, Jr., died at age 21. Duhe
was well-conditioned and ran 4 miles daily, despite being
bothered by severe headaches. He complained of headaches one Monday while
standing on the sidelines at practice. The next day, as the headaches
persisted, he was hospitalized. In three hours, he died of a brain
hemorrhage. I'm pretty sure he was related to A. J. Duhe, who played
linebacker for the Miami Dolphins 1977-84.

1976- Former LSU QB Carl Otis Trimble drowned. He was tubing in the
Tangipahoa River when he got tangled in a trot line. He was LSU's first
black QB, and in his mid-20s when he died.

1977- January 6th, former LSU quarterback/ infielder Mike Miley was killed
in Baton Rouge when he failed to negotiate a turn in his sports car. Miley
was supposed to be the starting shortstop for the California Angels the
following season after spending most of the previous 2 years in the minor
leagues. He was the first LSU baseball player ever chosen in the first round
of a Major League
draft, June 1974. In 1971, he had been chosen in the first round by the
Cincinnati Reds out of East Jefferson High School (my old HS) in Metairie,
LA. Miley instead opted to attend LSU, where he excelled in baseball and
football. He was almost 24 when he died.

1980- Head Coach Bo Rein, age 34, was killed in mysterious plane crash on
January 10th. Coaching record at LSU: 0-0-0. He had just been hired to
replace legendary coach Charles McClendon. Speculation is that the
circumstances surrounding the plane crash are similar to those that killed
golfer Payne Stewart, even though the NTSB never determined the cause of the
crash. In what was supposed to be a short flight from Shreveport to Baton
Rouge, Rein's plane climbed to an altitude of 41,000' and crashed into the
Atlantic Ocean off the Virginia coast. Loss of cabin pressure is believed to
be the culprit, but no debris of the Cessna Conquest was ever found.

1988- January 5th, "Pistol" Pete Maravich dies after a pick-up basketball
game at a gym in Pasadena, CA. His last words: "I feel great." Maravich is
College Basketball's all-time leading scorer, and NBA Hall of Famer. He was
40 years old.

1988- Basketball star Don Redden, age 24, died of a heart attack March 8th.
Redden helped lead LSU to the 1986 Final Four. Redden's death came just two
months after legendary LSU basketball player Pete Maravich also died from
heart troubles. I think Redden played some semi-pro hoops in the Continental
Basketball Association.

1989- Former Tiger offensive lineman Ralph Norwood, 23, is killed in an auto
accident in Atlanta. A rookie offensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons at
the time, he was returning from a Thanksgiving party.

1992- On June 23rd, All-American offensive guard Eric Andolsek was killed
when hit by a truck while trimming weeds around his mailbox in front of his
home near Thibodaux, LA. He played Center for the Detroit Lions of the NFL.
He was 25.

1993- Or was it '94? Former LSU linebacker Toby Caston, age 30, was killed
in an auto accident. Like Andolsek, Caston was playing for the Detroit Lions
at the time of his death (bookend deaths?), and played previously for the
Houston Oilers. I know he played in 9 games during the '93 season, but I'm
not sure exactly when he died.

1994- Former All-American QB Pat Screen was found dead of an alcohol and
drug overdose in a French Quarter hotel room, September 12th. Screen
directed the Tigers to victories in the 1965 Sugar Bowl and 1966 Cotton
Bowl. He also served 2 terms as Mayor of Baton Rouge in the 1980s, during
which time he battled addictions to alcohol and cocaine. I'm not making this
up! I estimate he was 50 years old, though his date of birth is not listed.
He graduated from Jesuit High School (New Orleans) in 1962.

1997- In July, former LSU Pitcher Robbie Smith, a 4-year veteran of the
Florida Highway Patrol was killed in Miami, age 34. A man slammed his car
into the back of Smith's parked police cruiser on I-95. He served on the
Tri-County DUI Task Force for 18 months before his death. Smith pitched in
the Minnesota Twins organization from 1985-89.

1998- LSU offensive lineman Naeshall Menard, age 19, died of self-inflicted
gunshot wounds.

2000- Former LSU defensive back Chris Beard died at age 24 from apparent
suffocation. Beard played for the Louisiana Bayou Beast of the Professional
Indoor Football League, and was paralyzed after an injury. A friend bought
him a puppy to keep him company. A few weeks later, the dog jumped up in
Chris' lap while the nurse was out, disconnecting his breathing tube from an
oxygen tank.

2002- LSU 3rd baseman Wally Pontiff, age 21, died of a heart attack in July.
At the time of his death, he was contemplating whether to return to LSU for
his senior year, or sign with the Oakland A's, who drafted Pontiff in the
21st round. He was an Academic All-American as well, and destined for
medical school.

2003- Former LSU QB David Woodley died May 6th of liver failure in
Shreveport, LA. He was 44. He played pro football for the Dolphins and
Steelers. He was the youngest QB ever to start in a Super Bowl. (Super Bowl
XVII for the Miami Dolphins, a 27-17 loss to the Washington Redskins.) He
also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

2003- Jeff Boss, LSU's Equipment Manager for the past 23 years, dies of
brain cancer October 27. If you watched the Sugar Bowl, you may have noticed
the small 'JB' decals on LSU's helmets

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Hokie.

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Mdomingue - excellent summary of deceased Athletic Stars of LSU. My only comment...Terry Bradshaw is NOT stupid. That "heresay" could have been avoided from your summary.

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