BATON ROUGE — Charles McClendon, the winningest coach in LSU football history, died early Friday morning in his Baton Rouge home after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 78 years old.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Faye; his daughter, Dee; his son, Scott; and three grandsons, Brannon, Bret and Ben.
Funeral Arrangements for Former LSU Coach Charles McClendon
Sunday, December 9
Visitation at Rabenhorst Funeral Home in Baton Rouge
825 Government Street
3-7 p.m.
Monday, December 10
Visitation and Memorial Service at University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge
203 Leeward Drive
Visitation: 10-11 a.m.
Memorial Service: 11 a.m.
*In lieu of flowers, the McClendon family asks that donations be sent to the Charles McClendon Scholarship Fund, 212 University Highlands Court, Baton Rouge, LA 70808.
*Coach McClendon’s burial will take place on Tuesday morning in Stephens, Ark., the hometown of his wife, Dorothy Faye.
McClendon was the winningest coach in LSU football history, as in 18 seasons (1962-79) at the helm of the Fighting Tiger program, he directed his teams to a 137-59-7 (.692) mark and 13 bowl appearances.
McClendon, who played for Paul Bear Bryant as a tight end at Kentucky in 1949 and 50, came to LSU in 1953 as an assistant coach, and he helped lead the Tigers to the 1958 national championship. He was elevated to head coach after the 1961 season, when Paul Dietzel left for West Point to coach Army.
McClendon was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1969 and 1970, and he was voted National Coach of the Year in 1970 after leading the Tigers to a 9-3 overall mark and the conference championship.
McClendon produced 16 winning seasons at LSU, and his players earned 21 first-team all-America and 56 first-team all-SEC honors during his tenure. His teams compiled six 9-win seasons, and 11 of his LSU squads won at least eight games.
After leaving LSU, McClendon became executive director of the Tangerine (now Florida Citrus) Bowl from 1980-81, and he served as executive director of the American Football Coaches Association from 1982-94. In recent years, he administered a scholarship fund for the children of former LSU football players.
McClendon, a native of Lewisville, Ark., was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame in 1986, and he is a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. He was presented in January, 2001, with a Lifetime Achievement Award in conjunction with the Paul Bear Bryant Coach of the Year ceremony.
Charles McClendon‘s LSU Record
Overall SEC
Year Record Record Bowl Opponent (Score)
1962 9-1-1 5-1-0 Cotton Texas (W, 13-0)
1963 7-4-0 4-2-0 Bluebonnet Baylor (L, 7-14)
1964 8-2-1 4-2-1 Sugar Syracuse (W, 13-10)
1965 8-3-0 3-3-0 Cotton Arkansas (W, 14-7)
1966 5-4-1 3-3-0
1967 7-3-1 3-2-1 Sugar Wyoming (W, 20-13)
1968 8-3-0 4-2-0 Peach Florida State (W, 31-27)
1969 9-1-0 4-1-0
1970 9-3 5-0-0 Orange Nebraska (L, 12-17)
1971 9-3 3-2-0 Sun Iowa State (W, 33-15)
1972 9-2-1 4-1-1 Bluebonnet Tennessee (L, 17-24)
1973 9-3 5-1-0 Orange Penn State (L, 9-16)
1974 5-5-1 2-4-0
1975 5-6-0 2-4-0
1976 7-3-1 3-3-0
1977 8-4-0 4-2-0 Sun Stanford (L, 14-24)
1978 8-4-0 3-3-0 Liberty Missouri (L, 15-20)
1979 7-5-0 4-2-0 Tangerine Wake Forest (W, 34-10)