Tommy Casanova Returns to Tiger Stadium to Receive LSU Football’s Highest Honor 

Of all the elite athletes to suit up for LSU and dig their cleats into the gridiron of Death Valley, only one jersey, Billy Cannon’s No. 20, has been honored in the stands of Tiger Stadium -- until now.

Tommy Casanova, LSU’s only three-time All-American, joins Cannon tonight along the Tiger Stadium facade, serving as a beacon on the field where dreams come true and legends are born.

Every legend begins somewhere.

For Casanova, it started in his rural hometown of Crowley, La., where he played prep football at Notre Dame High School.

“Crowley was a small agricultural town, and we didn’t have much else to do for fun other than sports,” Casanova explained.

After high school graduation, Casanova considered college options.

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“I was only recruited by three schools to play ball after I graduated,” Casanova said. “I picked Tulane, even though they weren’t recruiting me because I was young, idealistic and had family in the New Orleans area.”

Nelson Stokley, LSU senior quarterback and a friend of Casanova’s from Crowley, then posed an unforgettable question.

“Stokley said to me, ‘You are insane for thinking to go to Tulane.  Why don’t you come to LSU and play with us?’” Casanova recalled.

That question would cause a ripple effect that left neither the LSU football program nor Casanova’s life the same.

In 1968, Casanova entered LSU and played freshman football for the Baby Bengals and coach Mel Didier.

“There was no question that when the time got there I’d be ready for varsity ball,” Casanova said. “Coach Didier made Charlie Mac look like Mother Theresa.”

The evolving athlete impressed coaches and fans alike with his speed, creating a buzz for his much awaited arrival to the varsity squad. 

In 1969, Casanova emerged as a complete athlete able to play virtually any position, and the sophomore posed only one problem for head coach Charlie McClendon -- where to play him?

There seemed to be nothing the multi-talented Casanova could not do. Originally, he played both offense and defense and would soon develop into a punt returner as well.

His sophomore season, McClendon used Casanova as a cornerback, a move that would prove pivotal in LSU’s regular-season matchup against Auburn. 

During the LSU-Auburn clash of 1969, the nation got its first glimpse of the future All-American.

“The game against Auburn was the first one I played in that was on TV,” Casanova recalled.

Viewers watched as Casanova made a tackle behind the line on a fourth-down play inside the LSU five-yard line in a team effort that resulted in a 21-20 LSU victory.

“The Auburn game was special to me because they were a top-10 team,” remembered Casanova.  “I think they might have been a better team man-for-man than we were, but we banded together as a team, and that is what made victory so satisfying.”

The Auburn performance left an impression, but a late-season loss to Ole Miss with Archie Manning left the Tigers with their only setback and without the coveted SEC title. Although the team finished at 9-1, LSU, in a unique set of circumstances, chose not to participate in either the Sun or Bluebonnet Bowls after the Cotton Bowl selected Notre Dame to play Texas instead of the Tigers.

At the beginning of Casanova’s junior season, Charlie Mac decided to place him at running back. LSU’s first test of the 1970 season was against Texas A&M. During the game, three Aggie defenders landed on Casanova, separating his right shoulder.

“I couldn’t lift my arm up enough to take handoffs,” Casanova recalled.

The 20-18 decision went to Texas A&M and McClendon’s decided to move Casanova back to the cornerback position.

In addition to football, Casanova also excelled in track. The additional sprinting only made Casanova more agile, and his sprinting ability would soon become Ole Miss’ nightmare.  

With the Orange Bowl hanging in the balance, and the success of the 1970 season hanging with it, Casanova had the game of his career, returning two punts for touchdowns and setting a school record and tying the NCAA record with returns of 61 and 73 yards, respectively.

“We beat Ole Miss like a drum that game,” Casanova said. “Archie Manning had broken his arm two weeks before, and he had a ridiculous cast. It seemed like everything went right for us that game and everything went wrong for them.  We weren’t that much better; it was just that the pieces fell into place.”

The 61-17 blowout earned the Tigers the bowl bid and secured the SEC Championship.

The Tigers faltered in the Orange Bowl against Nebraska, who finished ranked No. 1 in the final AP poll, but Casanova’s efforts caught the eyes of many, including Sports Illustrated.

Casanova graced the cover as the magazine’s choice for the nation’s top player in the 1971 college football issue and season preview.

He did not stop there. Casanova would end his career at LSU in 1971 with seven interceptions, 44 punt returns for 517 yards, and 72 rushes for 302 yards with five touchdowns.

A six-season career with the Cincinnati Bengals followed, where he simultaneously pursued his medical career in conjunction with his pro football career.

“Back then, we had to find jobs in the offseason,” Casanova said.  “I went to medical school instead.”

Upon receiving his degree, the Crowley native returned home to practice ophthalmology, a branch of medicine specializing in diseases and surgery of the visual pathways. He hadn’t seen the football field for the last time though.

The distinguished LSU alumnus stepped onto the Tiger Stadium surface once more prior to 1995 LSU-Florida game, only this time as a member of the National Football Foundation’s College Hall of Fame. Casanova was the first to receive the award from LSU since 1971 when Doc Fenton, a 1908 standout, received the honor.

“It was wonderful just to be on that field again,” recalled Casanova of being recognized in Tiger Stadium. “I have so many fond memories there.”

At the induction, Casanova met other members of the National Football Foundation’s College Hall of Fame, both past and present.

“I met John Lujack and Jay Berwanger and all the legends of football,” Casanova said in a 1995 LSU press release. “You realize what you’re being inducted into and it becomes a humbling experience. Berwanger was the first Heisman Trophy winner and the first person drafted into the NFL. It was marvelous, like a brotherhood.”  

Now, he returns to Tiger Stadium again -- this time never to leave. His name will forever be among the fans as his No. 37 takes its place with Cannon’s No. 20 as the only two LSU football jerseys to ever be retired.

“This recognition almost makes me uncomfortable, to be placed in a category alone with Billy Cannon, the essence of LSU football,” Casanova said.

But it’s a spot he’s earned, and Casanova’s presence will always be felt on the field where he once played and where new legends will be born.