Debate: These four faces belong on the LSU Tigers Mount Rushmore
By John Fye
It’s not a secret that in Baton Rouge, football is king. Thus, no LSU Tigers Mount Rushmore is complete without a face from Tigers football history. Of course, selecting which LSU football legend must be carved into the mountain is no easy task.
Among the countless legends, one stands above the rest. That is the first LSU football legend, Billy Cannon.
LSU Tigers Mount Rushmore Face No. 1: Billy Cannon
Billy Cannon was the Joe Burrow to LSU football before Joe Burrow was born. Cannon was the superstar of his time and the face of the Tigers’ football program as it crossed the championship-caliber threshold.
Indeed, Cannon’s performance in 1958 led to the event that enshrines him on the LSU Tigers Mount Rushmore.
Cannon played two-way football during his three-year LSU career. In ’58, he rushed for 686 yards and ten touchdowns. He also caught nine passes for 168 yards and a touchdown.
The Baton Rouge native led LSU to an 11-0 record, including a 7-0 win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. As a result, the Tigers finished atop the Associated Press and Coaches polls for its first national championship in college football. The feat is more impressive considering LSU ended the 1957 season with a 5-5 record.
Cannon wasn’t done. In 1959, the running back brought LSU its first Heisman Trophy in program history.
For these reasons, Billy Cannon is the first face carved into the LSU Tigers Mount Rushmore. Keep reading to find out the face that is to Cannon’s left.