BATON ROUGE, La., Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Former Louisiana State football coach Charlie McClendon passed away Wednesday night at his home following a long battle with cancer. He was 78.
McClendon was the winningest coach in LSU history, posting a 137-59-7 record from 1962-1979, leading the Tigers to 16 winning seasons and 13 bowl appearances. He was named national Coach of
the Year in 1970 and earned two Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year honors.
McClendon served as president of the American Football Coaches Association from 1982-1994 and received the organization's Amos Alonzo Stagg Award in 1992.
"Charlie McClendon was the embodiment of what a football coach should be," AFCA Executive Director Grant Teaff said. "His dedication to his players and coaches who worked under him was well-known.
"Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing Charlie will miss him tremendously."
McClendon began his coaching career under Bear Bryant at Kentucky in 1950. He spent two years at Kentucky and one at Vanderbilt before joining the staff at LSU in 1953.
