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1980 LSU Tigers football
1980 LSU Tigers football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Record	7–4 (4–2 SEC)
Head coach	Jerry Stovall (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	George Belu (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Greg Williams (2nd season)
Home stadium	Tiger Stadium
	Seasons ← 1979 1981 →

1980 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 1 Georgia $	6	–	0	–	0	12	–	0	–	0
No. 19 Mississippi State	5	–	1	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
No. 6 Alabama	5	–	1	–	0	10	–	2	–	0
LSU	4	–	2	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Florida	4	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
Tennessee	3	–	3	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Ole Miss	2	–	4	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Kentucky	1	–	5	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Auburn	0	–	6	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Vanderbilt	0	–	6	–	0	2	–	9	–	0

$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The 1980 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University (LSU) as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 1980 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by first-year head coach Jerry Stovall, the Tigers compiled an overall record of 7–4, with a mark of 4–2 in conference play, and finished tied for fourth in the SEC.^[1]

Bo Rein was hired November 30, 1979 after four seasons at North Carolina State as the successor to Charles McClendon, who compiled a 137–59–7 record in 18 seasons. Rein's tenure was cut short after only 42 days when he died in a plane crash January 10, 1980.

Jerry Stovall, a former LSU All-American and nine-year National Football League veteran with the St. Louis Cardinals and previously an assistant coach under McClendon, was approved as Rein's successor approximately 36 hours after the plane crash.

LSU was tied for first place in the Southeastern Conference following a Nov. 1 victory over Ole Miss, but subsequent one-sided road losses to Alabama and Mississippi State, plus an ugly September loss to Rice, led bowls to snub the Tigers.

LSU ended on a high note by drubbing bowl-bound Tulane, the Tigers' only win vs. the Green Wave between 1979 and 1982.

As of 2024, this is the last LSU team to finish with a winning record and not be invited to a bowl.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 6	No. 13 Florida State*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	L 0–16	77,535	^[2]
September 13	Kansas State*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	W 21–0	75,405	^[3]
September 20	Colorado*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	W 23–20	74,999	^[4]
September 27	at Rice*	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	L 7–17	41,000	^[5]
October 4	at No. 19 Florida	Florida Field Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	W 24–7	59,299	^[6]
October 11	Auburn	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 21–17	76,094	^[7]
October 18	at Kentucky	Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, KY	W 17–10	57,800	^[8]
November 1	Ole Miss	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	W 38–16	71,422	^[9]
November 8	at No. 6 Alabama	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL (rivalry)	L 7–28	60,210	^[10]
November 15	at No. 19 Mississippi State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (rivalry)	L 31–55	48,863	^[11]
November 22	Tulane*	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (Battle for the Rag)	W 24–7	69,248	^[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[13]

Roster

1980 LSU Tigers football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`7`	Alan Risher	So
WR	`21`	Tracy Porter	Sr
WR	`32`	Orlando McDaniel	Jr
RB	`47`	Hokie Gajan	Sr
TE	`89`	Greg LaFleur	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
CB	`4`	Chris Hutchinson	So
CB	`10`	Frank Killeen	So
CB	`11`	James Britt	Jr
S	`22`	Chris Williams	Sr
NG	`60`	George Atyieh	Sr
LB	`51`	Albert Richardson	So
DE	`70`	Leonard Marshall	So
LB	`94`	Lyman White	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`5`	David Johnston	Jr

Head coach

Jerry Stovall

Coordinators/assistant coaches

George Belu – Offensive coordinator/offensive line
Bob Gatling – Quarterbacks
Darrel Moody – Running backs
Stephen Regan – Wide receivers
Otis Washington – Offensive line
Greg Williams – Defensive coordinator/defensive backs
Pete Jenkins – Defensive line
Bishop Harris – Outside linebackers
Bobby Morrison – Inside linebackers

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Roster

References

^ "1980 LSU Fighting Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
^ "Seminole defense whitewashes LSU". The Opelika-Auburn News. September 7, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Louisiana State stymies Kansas State 21–0". The Kansas City Star. September 14, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Johnston field goal lifts Tigers by Buffaloes". The Daily Advertiser. September 21, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Rice upsets LSU, 17–7". The Odessa American. September 28, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "LSU feasts on Gator gumbo". Daily World. October 5, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Soph fires LSU by Auburn, 21–17". The Knoxville News-Sentinel. October 12, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Tigers overcome bobbles, bumbles as Cats crumble". Sunday Herald-Leader. October 19, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "LSU, fans get pokes at Rebs". The Commercial Appeal. November 2, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "'Relentless' Tide covers LSU, 28–7". The Shreveport Times. November 9, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Third quarter explosion blows Maroons by LSU". The Crowley Post-Signal. November 16, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "LSU rides Wave to 24–7 victory". Daily World. November 23, 1980. Retrieved October 31, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1980 Season". tigerdroppings.com. Retrieved September 30, 2022.