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 . Playing career . After graduation from West Monroe High School in West Monroe , Louisiana , Stovall went to LSU , succeeding Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon as the Tigers ' running back . His 57 - yard run in 1961 helped LSU defeat arch rival Ole Miss by a score of 10 - 7 in a major upset . Stovall was named an All - American running back and won the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy in 1962 and was the runner - up for the 1962 Heisman Trophy . He finished 89 votes behind Oregon State ' s Terry Baker . In 2010 , Stovall was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . 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 . Coaching career . 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 . 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 director Bob Brodhead was approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors on December 2 , 1983 , despite an impassioned plea from former Governor John McKeithen , who had been appointed to the board by then - Governor Dave Treen , for Stovall to keep his job . Administration . 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 .