Myth/truth LSU football related, Peach Bowl in 1980, Indian Mounds death 84

I dug this up:

A 1984 Baton Rouge State Times article said the mounds were the site of a student fatality that year.

Reckless students often drove their vehicles over the mounds, seriously injuring one student in 1980 and killing student Elizabeth Smoak in November 1984, the article stated.


A plaque now stands on one of the mounds with Smoak's name engraved in it.

The administration quickly constructed pole barriers around the mounds and later assigned students in the Landscaping Department to landscape the area to prevent further damage to the mounds and possible injuries, the Baton Rouge State Times article stated.

LINK

ETA:

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It was Courtnay Elizabeth Smoak.......she was with Jimmy Goodrum.

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O-T Lounge


1984 siging class:

1984
HEAD COACH BILL ARNSPARGER
C Nacho Albergamo, Marrero, La.
DL Eric Andolsek, Thibodaux, La.
DB Willie Bryant, Ft.Walton, Fla.
OL Todd Coutee, Eunice, La.
WR Wendell Davis, Shreveport, La.
F Matt DeFrank, Ft.Walton, Fla.
OL Gerry Edgens, Baker, La.
OL Chris Feught, Lafayette, La.
WR Danny Fletcher, Ferriday, La.
OL Jimmy Goodrum, Central Lafourche, La.
QB Mickey Guidry, Marrero, La.
DL Mark Hall, Patterson, La.
LB Nicky Hazard, New Orleans, La.
LB Mike Hebert, New Orleans, La.
WR Glenn Holt, Miami, Fla.
RB Robert Knight, Baton Rouge, La.
RB Jamie Lawson, Central Lafourche, La.
K Ronnie Lewis, New Orleans, La.
DB Charles Mackey, Miami, Fla.
RB Sam Martin, New Orleans, La.
WR Mike Mayes, DeRidder, La.
OL Ralph Norwood, New Orleans, La.
LB Darrel Phillips, Franklin, La.
LB Mike Smith, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

LSU Sports.net

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I recall the Peach Bowl invited the 1980 team (Stovall’s first) to play with a 7-4 record and we turned it down?

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Don't think this is right. Not that Miami vs VPI in '80 was "must see TV." I don't think we received a bid. What surprised me was we played 7-3 Tulane who had gotten and accepted a Hall of Fame Bowl in Birmingham bid. Since going into the game LSU was 6-4 it seemed like a "winner" would get the bid but supposedly LSU had led the HOF bowl in '79 it would go,but chose the Tangerine instead.

The 80 team had hoped for an invite to any bowl and none came. The '69 Tigers, finished #7 nationally and did in fact turn down a Peach Bowl invite, the seniors choosing to stay at home after being snubbed by the Cotton in favor of Notre Dame. They'd played in the inaugural Peach the year before, clubbing Florida State. There was a coed killed on the Mound around '84.

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LSU turned down its Sun and Astro-Bluebonnet bowl invitation(s).

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Which was a shame because while those were certainly below "Big Four" status, LSU would have played Nebraska in the Sun or Houston in the Bluebonnet, both went on to destroy fellow SEC teams and finished strong in '69.

Texas and Royal had tried to talk Penn State and Paterno into that 1970 Cotton Bowl. LSU supposedly was invited to the Sugar before Ole Miss was but held out for the Cotton.The way polls were then the Ole Miss lost killed any shot of an NC even if LSU had beaten Texas in the Cotton.

my dad was a 'civic leader' of the bowl we had here from '82 to '90 or so. While they got left overs they were privy to all of the blood and guts and wheeling and dealing. Some pretty good stuff.

As for losing their last game, the very next year (1970) Colorado absolutely destroyed Air Force, 49-19 the week after the Sugar chose AFA.

And of course, we all know what the Orange Bowl committee endured at the 1982 regular season end.

Coming from a younger tiger fan (26) this is all pretty damn interesting

Courtney's brother, Sonny, played football for LSU a few years later.

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was pretty sure guy was never caught or charged?

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He definitely turned himself in. Don't remember the results though.