1959 LSU Tigers football team
| 1959 LSU Tigers football | |
|---|---|
Sugar Bowl, L 0–21 vs. Ole Miss | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 3 |
| AP | No. 3 |
| Record | 9–2 (5–1 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Tiger Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 Georgia $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 LSU | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Ole Miss # | 5 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Alabama | 4 | – | 1 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 3 | – | 2 | – | 2 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia Tech | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 3 | – | 4 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Florida | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tulane | 0 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AP Poll
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The 1959 LSU Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Louisiana State University (LSU) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifth year under head coach Paul Dietzel, the Tigers complied an overall record of 9–2, with a conference record of 5–1, and finished tied for second in the SEC.[1]
Preseason
The Tigers were a near unanimous pre-season favorite to repeat as national champions in 1959. Most of the players from the national championship team of 1958 were returning, including the All-American halfback Billy Cannon, who had come in third in the 1958 Heisman balloting.
Season
LSU had no real trouble in winning its first 6 games in 1959, though its offense was not as potent as 1958's. Its defense made up for it by being even stingier, allowing only 6 points in 6 games. In the 7th game of the season LSU faced its sternest test—undefeated
In the meantime Billy Cannon won the Heisman Trophy by one of the widest margins in the history of the trophy balloting at the time. The Tigers were invited to play in the Sugar Bowl, and their opponent was Ole Miss, in a rematch. At first Paul Dietzel, LSU's coach, was not anxious to replay the Rebels, but he was persuaded to do so by the athletic director, Jim Corbett. By the time January 1 came, three LSU star players were injured, including quarterback Warren Rabb, and halfbacks Wendell Harris and Johnny Robinson. The Tigers were soundly beaten by the Rebels, 21–0, and were outgained 373–74.
Following the Sugar Bowl, Cannon signed a professional contract with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League, which was scheduled to begin play in September 1960, spurning an offer from the National Football League's Los Angeles Rams.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 19 | Rice* | No. 1 | NBC | W 26–3 | 48,613 | [2] | |
| September 26 | No. 9 TCU* | No. 1 |
| W 10–0 | 65,694 | [3] | |
| October 3 | vs. Baylor* | No. 1 | W 22–0 | 32,308–35,455 | [4] | ||
| October 10 | Miami (FL)* | No. 1 |
| W 27–3 | 64,864 | [5] | |
| October 17 | at Kentucky | No. 1 | W 9–0 | 33,230 | [6] | ||
| October 24 | at Florida | No. 1 | W 9–0 | 47,578 | [7] | ||
| October 31 | No. 3 Ole Miss | No. 1 |
| W 7–3 | 67,327 | [8] | |
| November 7 | at No. 13 Tennessee | No. 1 | L 13–14 | 45,682 | [9] | ||
| November 14 | Mississippi State | No. 3 |
| W 27–0 | 63,272 | [10] | |
| November 21 | Tulane | No. 3 |
| W 14–6 | 65,057 | [11] | |
| January 1, 1960 | vs. No. 2 Ole Miss | No. 3 | NBC | L 0–21 | 81,141 | [12] | |
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References
- ^ "1959 LSU Fighting Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
- Newspapers.com.
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Additional sources
- The Fighting Tigers: Seventy-Five Years of LSU Football by Peter Finney, LSU Press, Baton Rouge, 1968