Hive Question Re: LSU

bellyseries

Dodd-Like
Joined
Dec 28, 2001
Messages
4,229
"Question for older GT/SEC fans: 1950s LSU teams.....





Posted by Ramblin Buzz on January 14, 2002 at 19:59:31: from 64.12.106.43
[The LSU]
....defense was referred to as the Chinese Bandits. Why? What was the reason for this? Dodd faced those LSU teams (50s & early 60s) quite a bit and I am just wondering why that era LSU squads were called by that name.

As i recall, the Chinese Bandits were really the third-stringers, who gave themsellves that name as a kind of wry joke. The coach was Paul Dietzel, a real promoter, remiscent of whatsisname who was at WF and Texas and is now at some Southwest school. He picked up their nickname and used it to build a real esprit de corps for the Bandits. They would come in, as a group (this must have been shortly after free-substitution began) and would play like maniacs for a few downs, at which point the rested Ist team D would return.
Dietzel left LSU for Army (!) Times have changed. at Army he installed the C. Bandits as a regular part of the Army game plan. One year Navy came out for the Army-navy game with real Chinese writing on their helmets that said "Beat Army". You could tell it took the wind out of Army and Navy did beat them.

Dietzel was not successful at Army, the game was changing and the service acads were beginning a long decline. South Carolina hired him in one of their first attempts to turn Gamecock football into something. No more chinese bandits tho, navy had ended that. Ithink he may have been AD over there for a while. It was the most ink a SC hire got til Holtz.
 

bugboy

Damn Good Rat
Joined
Dec 2, 2001
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Dietzel had a great deal at LSU during the late 50s and early 60s. Unfortunately, he didn't have the foresight to see the fall of the service academies. Had he stayed at LSU, he could have really built something. They were powerful during his era. The coach that followed him, Charley McLendon was also successful, but never won the SEC...I don't think...maybe he won once. Cholly Mac was forced out after 1979 and then they started the coaching merry-go-round.
 
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