Charles McClendon (Paperback)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Charles Youmans McClendon (October 17, 1923 - December 6, 2001), also known as Charlie or "Cholly Mac," was an American football player and coach. He served at the head coach at Louisiana State University from 1962 to 1979. McClendon was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986. McClendon was born on October 17, 1923 in Lewisville, Arkansas. He played college football under Bear Bryant at the University of Kentucky. McClendon's first coaching job was as an assistant at Vanderbilt University in 1952. In 1953, he came to LSU as an assistant under head coach Gaynell Tinsley. He was retained as an assistant when Paul Dietzel took over the team in 1955. In 1958, McClendon helped Dietzel coach LSU to its first recognized national championship. At the end of the 1961 season, Dietzel left LSU and picked McClendon to be his successor. McClendon served as the LSU head coach for the next 18 years (1962-1979), the longest tenure of any football coach in LSU history.