Jerry Stovall

Jerry Lane Stovall was born on 30 April 1941 in West Monroe, Louisiana, and grew into one of the most complete football players in LSU history. At West Monroe High School he was an all-state athlete who graduated in 1959. He arrived in Baton Rouge on what he later recalled as the last of 52 scholarships that year. Paul Dietzel once called him "that skinny little runt from West Monroe." Stovall nearly left after packing his bags and telephoning his father, William Stovall; he stayed, and by his sophomore season he was already rushing, returning kicks, playing defense, and punting in the same game.

In the one-platoon era he was literally everywhere. As LSU's left halfback he succeeded Heisman winner Billy Cannon and also lined up as a defensive back, returner, and punter. In 1961 a 57-yard run helped spark a 10-7 upset of No. 2 Ole Miss. In 1962 he returned a Georgia Tech kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown and starred in a 23-0 win over Florida. He finished his LSU career with about 1,081 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, roughly 450-462 receiving yards, nearly 700 return yards, seven interceptions, and a then-school single-season punting average mark of 42.1. In 1962 he was a unanimous All-American, SEC Player of the Year / conference MVP, winner of the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy as the nation's outstanding back, and Heisman Trophy runner-up, finishing 89 points behind Oregon State's Terry Baker (618 to 707 in classic tallies). LSU closed his college career with a 13-0 Cotton Bowl win over Texas in January 1963; Stovall sealed it with an interception on Texas's final drive. Teammates and coaches nicknamed him "Mr. Everything." Charles McClendon later called him "the most complete football player I've ever seen."

The St. Louis Cardinals took him second overall in the 1963 NFL Draft (the AFL's New York Jets took him third overall). Converted to full-time safety, he played nine seasons (1963-1971), totaling 18 interceptions, two defensive touchdowns, and six fumble recoveries in 97 games, with Pro Bowl selections in 1966, 1967, and 1969 and All-Pro recognition including a second-team All-Pro nod in 1966. He also punted when needed (career 40.2 average on 87 NFL punts per Pro-Football-Reference).

After the NFL he joined Dietzel's staff at South Carolina, then returned to LSU (1974-1978) as an assistant under McClendon, helping recruit future Hall of Famer Charles Alexander. He left the sideline briefly to lead the LSU Varsity Club (a Tiger Athletic Foundation predecessor), saying he did not want to be a head coach anywhere but LSU. In January 1980, after newly hired coach Bo Rein died when his plane depressurized and disappeared over the Atlantic, athletic director Dietzel made Stovall an emergency hire. "Jerry Stovall is LSU through-and-through," Dietzel said. Stovall told the press he would give up any job, even his right arm, if it meant Rein could return.

As head coach (1980-1983) he went 22-21-2. The 1982 team finished 8-3-1, beat ranked Florida, Alabama, and Florida State, reached the Orange Bowl (a 21-20 loss to Nebraska), finished No. 11 in the AP poll, and earned Stovall Walter Camp and SEC Coach of the Year honors. A 4-7, 0-6 SEC season in 1983 led athletic director Bob Brodhead to recommend dismissal; the LSU Board of Supervisors approved it on 2 December 1983. Players had carried Stovall off the field after the final Tulane win. Years later he attended Brodhead's funeral when few LSU figures did, a story retold as evidence of his character.

He worked in banking, then served as athletic director at Louisiana Tech (1990-1994). For more than two decades he was president and CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation, helping bring hundreds of events and millions in economic impact to the capital city. He was inducted into the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame (1977), Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1981), and College Football Hall of Fame (2010). LSU retired his No. 21 on 13 October 2018.

He married West Monroe sweetheart Judy in February 1962 after his junior season; they lived in married-student housing during his senior year and marked 63 years together. They raised two children, Jay and Jodi. A devout Christian, Stovall was a longtime Bible study instructor and a member of the Malachi Men of First Presbyterian Church, ministering to men at Angola State Penitentiary. Asked late in life how he wished to be remembered, he said he hoped someone would say he was a man of God and not ashamed of it.

Jerry Stovall died in Baton Rouge on 31 August 2026 at age 85. LSU and the AP did not disclose a cause. Visitation and funeral services were held Friday 4 September 2026 at First Presbyterian Church on North Boulevard in Baton Rouge (visitation 10:00-11:30 a.m.; service 11:30 a.m.), with arrangements by Rabenhorst Funeral Home.