There was a countdown to “D-Day” in the Baton Rouge State-Times newspaper for a month before LSU’s 1966 season opener against South Carolina.

As Paul Dietzel amusingly observed, the “D” wasn’t for DeWitt Clinton, the 19th Century politician who built the Erie Canal. The “D” was for him and his return to Tiger Stadium in his very first game as the Gamecocks’ coach.

Dietzel marched from LSU to Army after leading the Tigers to victory in 1962 Orange Bowl and the 1961 SEC title. The feeling of being jilted never left smoldering Tiger fans, who bitterly remembered Dietzel saying he would never coach anywhere else after leading LSU to the 1958 national championship.

For Dietzel’s successor and former assistant, Charles McClendon, the game was a must win after coaching for four years in the sh

See Full Page