My favorites:
Trent Taylor
Dixon
X Woods
Kentrell Brice
Hunter Lee
My favorites:
Trent Taylor
Dixon
X Woods
Kentrell Brice
Hunter Lee
Glad to see someone mention Matt Dunigan. Granted, his time at Tech wasn't spectacular. But he is in the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame and his name is all over the CFL record books. I saw a Twitter post within the past week about Dunigan's 713 yard passing game back in 1994. A record that will probably never be broken.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...266208361.html
A linebacker (last name Blackshire??) on the 1978 team did something I had never before nor since. The Dawgs were playing NLULM in Monroe. Tech was not playing very well and NLU players were getting bold. Anyway, this guy made a tackle on the NLU sideline and some backup player did something. The LB stood up and started looking around for the guy. I kid you not! The NLU sideline opened up a pathway for a TECH player to get to their own teammate. The LB started walking toward the guy who was back-pedaling. The Tech LB walked a good 5 yards down the NLU bench before a referee stepped in and directed him back to the field. As a huge TECH fan and future Tech student sitting in the NLULM student section (friends at NLULM got me in on a borrowed student ID) it was very hard to contain myself. I wish there was video of that somewhere.
I would give Carlos Henderson the Kick Return spot over Larry Anderson. Henderson's 2016 season holds a stat advantage over Anderson's 1977 season
In 2016, Carols Henderson had 25 Kick Returns, for 805 yards and a 32.2 yd average and 2 Kick returns for TD.
In 1977, Larry Anderson had 14 Kick Returns for 435 yards and a 31.1 yd average and 2 Kick returns for TD.
I checked before posting. Livias was a great punt and kick returner over a longer period of time --over all 4 years. But he never returned 2 kickoffs for TD's in a single season, and his AVERAGE Return per kick wasn't as high as Henderson's or Anderson's. However, Livas had one (1) kick return for a TD in EACH of his 4 years.....something that neither Henderson or Anderson accomplished. Here's Livas' stat table:
Kick & Punt Returns
Kick return stats are on the left, while punt return stats are on the right:
- * indicates bowl stats included
- Share & more
(From L to R, games played, # returns, total return yardage, avg per return, TD's)
Louisiana Tech WAC FR RB 12
17 448 26.4 1 7 49 7.0 0 Louisiana Tech WAC SO WR 13
32 826 25.8 1 16 245 15.3 2 Louisiana Tech WAC JR WR 12
23 622 27.0 1 8 107 13.4 1 Louisiana Tech WAC SR WR 10
35 862 24.6 1 12 186 15.5 1 Louisiana Tech 107
2758 25.8 4 43 587 13.7 4
So, Livas had 4 Punt Returns for TD, and 4 Kick Returns for TD --for a total of 8 TD returns-- over a 4-year period. WOW! No doubt, Livas was successful over a longer period of time.
Last edited by HogDawg; 07-17-2017 at 04:32 PM.
I like Dixon and Moats as best (don't really recall Cooper) but doesn't Porter have the single game rushing record for us? Maybe he only had it until Dixon came along. I also liked Joe Smith. I Smith's ability to go into a pile and come out the other side.
Speaking of Jimmy Blackshire....the article below is cropped from an Alexandria Daily Town Talk newspaper article. Dateline, Aug 19, 1979. Apparently the biggest loser in LA Tech history, former Head football coach Larry Beightol --who was hired from Arkansas in 1979 and fired before he even finished the season-- gave 2-time All Conference Jimmy Blackshire's job to a kid named Marshall Cawley who had transferred from Arkansas to LA Tech at the same time Beightol showed up. For some reason, Beightol thought it was a good idea to play favorites, and run off some of his best players. This included Blackshire, who had been LA Tech's leading tackler the past 3 seasons.
Can you imagine taking over a LA Tech team that had been to the last two Independence Bowls, and immediately running off your teams leading tackler the last 3 seasons? THAT'S INSANE!!
Anyway, according to this article, Beightol also ran off some other good players from LA Tech, including starting QB Keith Thibodeaux, who was MVP of the Indy Bowl in Tech's 1977 win over Louisville, and who also played baseball for Tech. The article says Beightol also benched starting LB Tony Tademy in favor of a senior walk-on. Here's my question: After 3 years of sitting on the bench, did the walk-on just suddenly get better than Tony Tademy when Beightol showed up?
I think it's important to remember that these dismissed players were successful, 2-time Indy Bowl starters, who had great football careers playing for LA Tech legendary coach Maxie Lambright. It's no wonder that clown Beightol was on his heels losing as soon as he arrived, and lost his job after a 1-8 start. He gutted his own football team from the day he arrived. What a fool.
One last thing: I remember this team having a lot of injuries. That happpens when you have a coach who doesn't now what he's doing.
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https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/215268456/C-6 Town Talk, Alexandria-Pineville, La., Sunday, August 19, 1979 Cowley 'Chases Off- Tech Star Blackshire this summer and was listed as a second teamer when Blackshire is the second Tech star to depart the squad since spring practice. Starting quarterback Keith Thibodeaux, who will be a senior this fall, missed the spring drills because he was playing baseball and was dismissed from the squad when he refused to show up for special training sessions with the coaches, Prince said. Blackshire, a native of Bossier City, had been Tech's leading tackier for the past three years. He was All-Louisiana and All-Southland Conference. Tech's other starting linebacker from last year, Tony Tademy of Jacksonville, Ark., was also beaten out of a starting position in the spring by senior Rick Reggio, a walkon from New Orleans. Blackshire suffered a shoulder separation earlier two-a-day practices began Wednesday. Before Ihurs-day's second practice, he told Beightol he was quitting the team. "He indicated no bitterness to me about anything," Beightol said of Blackshire's announcement. "He just said the desire was gone and he wasn't enjoying the game. Obviously we are disappointed with his decision but we wish him well." Another possible starter, senior tight end Adam Short of Baton Rouge, also left the team and gave no reason for his departure. "It's not easy out there and I realize that," said Beightol. "We always hate to see any young man leave but that is everyone's choice to make." Cawley, a 6-2, 220-pound junior, performed well in a team scrimmage Saturday, said Prince. But the sad news for Tech fans is that all-Southland Conference running back George Yates suffered a shoulder separation during the scrimmage and will be out for "four to six weeks," said Prince. Yates" injury means that Tech has only one starter in its offensive backfield with college game experience, fullback Jessie Clark, last season's Southland Conference 'Freshman of the Year.' Huey Sloan has a broken foot and senior fullback Joe Mack Johnson is out for the season with a knee injury. 1 Blackshire, according to an announcement Saturday by Beightol, quit the team last Thursday because "he had lost his desire to play football." By Bob Tompkins Town Talk Sports Writer Marhsall Cawley of Pineville appears to be one the reasons Jimmy Blackshire, an Associated Press honorable mention All-American linebacker last year, has quit the Louisiana Tech football team. Cawley, the former Pineville High School star who transferred last year to Tech from the University of 'Arkansas (former employer of Tech's new head coach Larry Beightol). beat out Blackshire for the starting strong side linebacker position during spring training. "No doubt about it, he earned the starting position, based on what the coaches saw in the spring," Tech's sports information director Keith Prince said about Cawley Saturday. "He had a real good spring and we are very pleased with him so far."
I'd have Matt Dunigan as one of my QBs.
At WR, in addition to Troy Edwards, who is the best Tech has ever had at WR, I'd have one of the following: Billy Ryckman, Bobby Slaughter, or Trent Taylor as our go-to possession receiver, and someone like Carlos Henderson, "Touchdown" Eddie Brown, and/or a James Jordan who is big and could make plays like a TE can.
Top two RBs, are Dixon and Moats, after that, consider Jason Davis, Jason Cooper, Joe Smith, and maybe Mike Richardson, Derrick Douglas. John Henry White, and others.
At LBs: Eldonta Osborne, Glenell Sanders, and Tank Landry
At DBs: Douglas Evans, Larry Anderson,
At DEs: Fred Dean and Walter Johnson (not sure opponents could keep their QBs upright)
Punter: David Lee or Ryan Allen (can't go wrong with either guy)
I agree most with the above post! Very thorough list over a decent time period! You definitely nailed the LB's!!
Jason Davis, actually. 302 against ULL in 1990. KD had 232 against Idaho, good for 9th on the all time list. Porter doesn't have a game in the top 10, he was just a super consistent player for us. I'd like to see what he could've done without Patrick Jackson ahead of him on the depth chart for a couple years.
Anderson had a TD every 7 returns (14% TD ratio) vs. Henderson 1 TD every 12.5 returns (8% TD ratio). I'll trade the extra yard in average for almost double the chance to go the distance.
Anderson also had 2 punt return TD's the same year, so I could have had him for both rolls.
On hindsight, I would take Doug Evans over Anderson for DB and would add Jordan Mills to my OL to give me a complete line.
Unless I have a favorite, I usually find myself rooting for the underdog in a competitive contest, and in that light the 'little guy' or guy who had to make his own path. With those parameters, my favorite players have actually been more recent - Hunter Lee and Tent Taylor. Both fought for all they got and nothing seemed to given them. Seemed to be stand up men on and off the field.