Much too young at 62...enjoyed watching him play!
https://www.melanconfuneralhome.net/...eph-thibodeaux
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Much too young at 62...enjoyed watching him play!
https://www.melanconfuneralhome.net/...eph-thibodeaux
Wow, hate to hear that.
Dude was a great athlete.
I hate to hear this too. Keith Thibodeaux was a great dual sport athlete for Louisiana Tech. He played QB for Maxie Lambright's Bulldogs (Lambright's last QB) and also pitched for the Tech baseball team. He was a star in both sports. As a sophomore, Thibodeaux QB'ed LA Tech to a 24-14 victory over Louisville in the 1977 Independence Bowl. Tech led the game 24-7 at halftime, after Thibodeaux passed for over 237 yds just in the 1st half. It was an Indy Bowl passing record, and Thibodeaux was also named the "Offensive MVP" of that Indy Bowl game. A year later, in the 1978 Independence Bowl, Thibodeaux QB'ed the Dog's again, but this time in a 35-13 loss to East Carolina.
Thibodeaux had several dominating performances in baseball too. He had a great arm. In 1979 Thibodeaux pitched in 12 games for the Bulldogs, and finished the season with a record of 6-2. He was subsequently selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in Round 3 (75th overall) of the 1980 draft.
By 1979, Thibodeaux and the new LA Tech football coaching staff and Tech HC Larry Beightol didn't see eye to eye on much, and Thibodeaux either left the team on his own accord, or he was dismissed from the team, depending on who you talk to. What we do know is, with the QB duties being split between Mark Buchanan, Eric Barkley and a young Matt Dunigan, Beightol's Bulldogs finished 1-9, and Beightol was fired just before the season ending game against ULM. Baseball Coach Pat Patterson coached the Dogs to a 13-10 victory in that season's last game.
For the last several years I've been trying to find out what happened to Keith Thibodeaux, and it was downright impossible. There's about a thousand "Keith Thibodeaux's" in south Louisiana, and nobody I talked to at Louisiana Tech knew anything about him. I'm very sorry to hear of his passing. His obit doesn't say what caused his death. But 62 yrs old is far too young to pass. Godspeed to Louisiana Tech's Keith Thibodeaux!
Thanks for this HD. He was a such a great athlete. I know you covered those teams and remember those days well.Quote:
Originally Posted by HogDawg
Tremendous QB and pitcher. Lots of games, FB and baseball, one could comment on, but I remember his dual with Lamar's ace, Craig Fish (I think that was his name) with the conference baseball title on the line. The season before it had come down to a single winner-take-all game and Fish had pitched a gem as Lamar beat us for the title and the NCAA bid. The following year it was Tech vs. Lamar again, and it boiled down to another one game for the marbles. It was the two aces, Fish vs. Thibodeaux. Through 7 innings it was 0-0. That meant Fish had pitched 16 straight shutout innings against the Dawgs going back to the previous year in a championship game. KT kept it going retiring the Cards in the top of the 8th. Then finally, the Dawgs broke through, scoring 5 runs off of Fish. KT struggled just a little as Lamar pushed across 2 runs in the 9th, but he got that final out for a complete game 5-2 win and Tech was conference champs!
We lost a great one...
As I recall it, didn't he beat out Craig Bradshaw for the starting job at QB and that's why Craig transferred to Utah St?
Yes. As you can see from the attached stat link below, Craig Bradshaw threw for 143 yds in LA Tech's 1977 football season. He transferred to Utah State before the 1978 season. Craig Bradshaw was not an overwhelming success at Utah State either.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lotsudo
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb...radshaw-1.html
I remember sitting on the steps in front of Hutchison talking to Rick Reggio when Craig was running out of the dorm and jumped in a car...a Camaro as I recall it...and Reggio said, Hey Bradshaw where are you going? Craig said, "going to help a teacher grade a test...how do you think I'm passing?"
Keith Thibodeaux.
Stud.
Probably the most underrated all around best athlete in Tech Athletics history...
He and Mike Green (along with many others) shared some of the same habits that distanced them from the Tech Elite.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwayne From Minden
Mainly left handed cigarettes and hot blondes.....Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
LOL.Quote:
Originally Posted by PawDawg
Bobby Wyatt and Lanky Wells are two others that immediately came to mind.
You score 1 out of two.Quote:
Originally Posted by glm47