Jerry Lane Stovall(born April 30, 1941), nicknamed "Mr. Everything",is an American formerfootballplayer, coach, and college athletics administrator. He playedcollege footballfor theLSU Tigers,where he was a unanimous selection to the1962 College Football All-America Teamas ahalfback.Stovall played professionally as asafetyandpunterin theNational Football League(NFL) with theSt. Louis Cardinalsfrom 1963 to 1971. Stovall served as the head football coach at his alma mater, LSU, from 1980 to 1983, compiling a record of 22–21–2 in four seasons and leading the1982 teamto an appearance in the1983 Orange Bowl.He was theathletic directoratLouisiana Tech Universityfrom 1990 to 1993. He is the only player in LSU history to be named a unanimous All-American (1962), be selected to the college football hall of fame (2010), be selected as a first round pick (1963), and to be selected to the pro bowl (1966, 1967, and 1969).
 Stovall (No. 21) returning a kickoff for LSU in 1962 | |||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Safety Punter | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born: | April 30, 1941 West Monroe, Louisiana,U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school: | West Monroe | ||||||||||||||||||
| College: | LSU(1960–1962) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1963/ round: 1 / pick:2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| AFL draft: | 1963/ round: 1 / pick: 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
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| As a coach: | |||||||||||||||||||
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| As an administrator: | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||||||||||||
| Career: | 22–21–2 (.511) | ||||||||||||||||||
Early life and college
editBorn and raised inWest Monroe, Louisiana,Stovall graduated fromWest Monroe High Schoolin 1959. He playedcollege footballatLouisiana State University(LSU) inBaton Rouge,succeedingHeisman TrophywinnerBilly Cannonas the Tigers'halfback.Stovall served a multitude of roles for the Tigers, includingrunning back,defensive back,return specialist,andpunter.[1]His primary position was left halfback, which in the days ofone-platoonfootball was both a running back and defensive back.
His 57-yard run in 1961 helped LSU defeat arch-rivalOle Missby a score of 10–7 in a major upset.[2]
Stovall was a unanimous choice for theAll-Americateam of1962at halfback. He won theWalter Camp Memorial Trophyas the nation's best back,[3]was namedSEC Player of the Year,and was the runner-up for theHeisman Trophy.He finished 89 votes behind Oregon State'sTerry Baker.
Professional career
editStovall was the second overall pick in the1963 NFL draft,selected by theSt. Louis Cardinals.He was also the third overall pick of the1963 American Football League draft.The Cardinals converted him to full-timedefensive back.He was regarded as one of the top rookies in the league in1963.[4]During his nine seasons with St. Louis, Stovall had 18 interceptions in 97 games, and was selected to thePro Bowlafter the 1966, 1967, and 1969 seasons.
Coaching career
editAfter his NFL career, Stovall became a college football assistant coach. He eventually returned to LSU, as an assistant for head coachCharlie McClendon.Stovall became LSU's head coach as an emergency hire after new head coachBo Reindied when his plane depressurized and disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean.
In Stovall's four years with the Tigers (1980–1983), LSU finished 7–4, 3–7–1, 8–3–1, and 4–7. Only one of Stovall's teams appeared in the finalAP Poll:the 1982 team. That team finished the season ranked No. 11 after it beat No. 4Florida,No. 8Alabama,and No. 7Florida Stateand earned a spot in theOrange Bowl,where LSU lost, 21–20, to a No. 3Nebraskateam led byTom Osborne.As a result of his performance in 1982, Stovall was named thenational coach of the year by the Walter Camp Football Foundation,as well as theSEC Coach of the Year.[5]
In 1983, Stovall's success of 1982 came unraveled. The Tigers went 0–6 in the SEC, including a 45–26 loss at home toMississippi State,leaving Stovall 0–4 for his career against the Bulldogs.
Stovall had a 2–2 record againstTulane.To date, the Tigers have only lost to Tulane on two other occasions since 1948, both under McClendon. After the Tigers had secured the Orange Bowl berth in 1982, they suffered their only home loss to Tulane since 1948. The Tigers have won 18 in a row in the series since but has only played the Green Wave six times since 1994, typically winning by comfortable margins.
Stovall's dismissal by athletic directorBob Brodheadwas approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors on December 2, 1983.
Administration
editAfter his head coaching stint at LSU, Stovall went on to take a job in banking before becoming athletic director atLouisiana Tech Universityfrom 1990 to 1994. Afterwards, Stovall became the president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation, an organization dedicated to securing sporting events for the Baton Rouge area.[6]
Head coaching record
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
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| LSU Tigers(Southeastern Conference)(1980–1983) | |||||||||
| 1980 | LSU | 7–4 | 4–2 | T–4th | |||||
| 1981 | LSU | 3–7–1 | 1–4–1 | 8th | |||||
| 1982 | LSU | 8–3–1 | 4–1–1 | 2nd | LOrange | 11 | 11 | ||
| 1983 | LSU | 4–7 | 0–6 | T–9th | |||||
| LSU: | 22–21–2 | 9–13–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 22–21–2 | ||||||||
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References
edit- ^Slavich, Mark (November 4, 2010)."In Focus: Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry Stovall".LSUsports.net.Archived fromthe originalon September 14, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 1,2016.
- ^Hilburn, Chet (2012).The Mystique of Tiger Stadium: 25 Greatest Games: The Ascension of LSU Football.Bloomington, Indiana: WestBow Press. p. 35.ISBN9781449752699.
- ^"Jerry Stovall Wins Walter Camp Trophy".The Post-Crescent.Associated Press. January 7, 1963. p. 9.RetrievedApril 2,2017– via Newspapers.com.
- ^"Kickoff".Ocala Star-Banner.October 13, 1963.RetrievedSeptember 1,2016.
- ^"LSU says Stovall still coach".The Pantagraph.Associated Press. November 28, 1983. p. 14.RetrievedApril 2,2017– via Newspapers.com.
- ^"College".Santa Cruz Sentinel.July 2, 1994. p. 34.RetrievedApril 2,2017– via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Jerry Stovallat theCollege Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics fromNFL.com·Pro Football Reference