Jerry Stovall

Jerry Lane Stovall  (born April 30, 1941) is a former All-American running back and head football coach for LSU. He was also a star defensive back in the NFL for the St. Louis Cardinals.

After graduating West Monroe High School, Stovall went to LSU, succeeding Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon as the Tigers' running back. Stovall was named an All-American at that position in 1962, and was the runner-up for the 1962 Heisman Trophy. He finished 89 votes behind Oregon State's Terry Baker. Stovall was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

Stovall was the second overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft, selected by the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals converted him to full-time defensive back. During his nine seasons with St. Louis, Stovall had 18 interceptions in 97 games, and was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1966, 1967, and 1969 seasons.

After his NFL career, Stovall became a college football assistant coach. He eventually returned to LSU, as an assistant for head coach Charlie McClendon. Stovall became LSU's head coach as an emergency hire after new head coach Bo Rein died 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 final AP Poll: the 1982 team. That team finished the season ranked #11 after it beat #4 Florida, #8 Alabama, and #7 Florida State and earned a spot in the Orange Bowl, where LSU lost, 21–20, to a #3 Nebraska team led by Tom Osborne. As a result of his performance in 1982, Stovall was named the National Coach of the Year by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

In 1983, Stovall's success of 1982 came unraveled. The Tigers went 0–6 in the SEC, including an embarrassing 45-26 loss at home to Mississippi State, leaving Stovall 0–4 for his career against the Bulldogs, who more often than not have been a doormat in the SEC.

Unfortunately, Stovall's tenure is most remembered for his 2–2 record against Tulane. To date, the Tigers have only lost to Tulane on two other occasions since 1948, both under McClendon. 1982 is the Tigers' only home loss to Tulane since 1948. LSU played Tulane annually until 1994 and has resumed the rivalry on a yearly basis beginning in 2006. The Tigers also beat the Green Wave in Baton Rouge in 1996 and 2001.

Stovall's dismissal by athletic director Bob Brodhead was approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors on December 2, 1983, despite an impassioned plea from former Louisiana Governor John McKeithen, who had been appointed to the board by then-Governor Dave Treen, for Stovall to keep his job.

After his head coaching stint at LSU, Stovall went on to take a job in banking before becoming athletic director at Louisiana Tech University from 1990 to 1993. 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.