Gaynell Tinsley Gaynell Charles " Gus " Tinsley ( February 1 , 1915 – July 24 , 2002 ) was an American football end and coach . He was a consensus All - American for Louisiana State in 1935 and 1936 and an All - NFL selection while playing for the Chicago Cardinals in 1937 and 1938 . During his three years in the NFL , Tinsley set or tied NFL single - season records with 674 receiving yards in 1937 and 41 pass receptions in 1938 . He later served as the head football coach at LSU from 1948 – 1954 . College football All - American . Tinsley was born in Ruple , Louisiana and raised in Homer , Louisiana in the northern part of the state . He attended Louisiana State University where he played football and baseball and was selected as the captain of both teams . He was considered one of the greatest receivers in college football , earning consensus All - American honors in both 1935 and 1936 . As a junior in 1935 , Tinsley was named as a first - team All - American by the Associated Press , United Press , " Liberty Magazine " ( selected based on a poll of 1 , 521 varsity players in all parts of the country ) , " Collier ' s Weekly " , the Newspaper Editors Association , the International News Service , and the " New York Sun " . In 1936 , Tinsley repeated as a first - team All - American with each of these publications and also received the first - team designation from the Central Press Association ( selected by the captains of more than 50 college football teams at " important universities and colleges throughout the United States " ) , and the Walter Camp Football Foundation . Tinsley ' s profile at the College Football Hall of Fame describes him this way : " Tinsley was a magnificent athletic specimen , standing 6 - 0 , and weighing 196 - pounds , size he used equally well as a defensive stalwart who was a blocking master . " As a sophomore in 1934 , Tinsley had a 65 - yard pass reception ( thrown by halfback Abe Mickal ) against Southern Methodist University , which stood as a record for several years as " the longest pass in Southern football history . " Tinsley ' s coach at LSU , Bernie Moore , once said , " Tinsley could have made All - American at any position . He was so tough , he made blockers quit . He ' s the greatest lineman I ever saw . " Tinsley concluded his college career by playing in an annual game between the college all - stars and an NFL team . Tinsley scored the only points of the game on a 47 - yard touchdown pass from Sammy Baugh , as the college players defeated the Green Bay Packers , 6 - 0 . In 1993 , LSU selected its all - time team as part of the celebration of the centennial of LSU football . Tinsley was " the only unanimous choice " for LSU ' s " Early Years Team of the Century . " Upon his death in 2002 , LSU Sports described his contributions to the school ' s football teams of the mid - 1930s as follows : " Tinsley is widely considered to be among the finest athletes to ever play at LSU . The star end led the Tigers to their first two SEC titles and played in two Sugar Bowls . He earned All - SEC and All - American honors in 1935 - 36 for his ability to dominate a game on both sides of the ball . In 1936 , he was also second in balloting for national MVP honors . . . . At 6 - 3 , 215 pounds , Tinsley was considered to the prototype end of his era because of his mobility . " Professional football player . Tinsley was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals as the 12th overall pick in the 1937 NFL Draft . He played for the Cardinals for three years in 1937 , 1938 and 1940 . As a rookie in 1937 , Tinsley set an NFL record with 675 receiving yards , and had the longest reception in the NFL at 97 yards . He also ranked among the NFL ' s 1937 leaders in several categories , including 36 receptions ( 2nd in the NFL ) , 675 receiving yards ( 1st in the NFL ) , 677 total yards from scrimmage ( 2nd in the NFL ) , five receiving touchdowns ( 2nd in the NFL ) , 18 . 8 yards per reception ( 1st in the NFL ) and 61 . 4 receiving yards per game ( 1st in the NFL ) . At the end of the 1937 season , Tinsley was selected as a first - team all - NFL player by the United Press , the NFL , the New York Daily News , and Collyers Eye Magazine . In 1938 , Tinsley continued as one of the league ' s top receivers , and he was selected as a first - team NFL 1938 All - Pro player . His 41 receptions in 1938 tied the all - time NFL single - season record , and he once again had the longest pass reception in the 1938 NFL season at 98 yards . He also ranked among the 1938 league leaders with 516 receiving yards ( 2nd in the NFL ) and 46 . 9 yards per game ( 4th in the NFL ) . He was selected again selected as a first - team all - NFL player , this time receiving the honor from the Pro Football Writers , the NFL and Collyers Eye Magazine . When Tinsley retired , he ranked fourth in NFL history in pass receptions , despite having played only three seasons of professional football . Coaching career . After service in the U . S . Navy , Tinsley worked as a high school football coach in Haynesville , Louisiana . He then served as an assistant football coach at LSU through the 1947 season . In 1948 , LSU ' s long - time football coach , Bernie Moore , retired , and Tinsley was hired to replace his former mentor . In 1949 , Tinsley ' s team finished the regular season 8 – 2 and played in the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma . Tinsley ' s LSU teams never met with the same success they had achieved in 1949 . In seven years as head coach at LSU , Tinsley ' s teams compiled a record of 35 – 34 – 6 . Displeased with the team ' s performance , the LSU board of supervisors fired Tinsley in February 1955 , though they agreed to pay his salary of $ 12 , 500 per year for the two remaining years on his contract . After the vote to remove him , Tinsley said , " I have not made any future plans as yet , but I do know that I will continue to help LSU whenever and wherever I can . " Later years . Tinsley died in 2002 at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge , Louisiana , at age 87 .