By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Dalton Hilliard thought he was in trouble the week of LSU’s season opener against Oregon State on Sept. 18, 1982, when he was called into the office of head coach Jerry Stovall.
“I really did think I did something wrong, or something took place I didn’t know about,” Hilliard said on Tiger Rag Radio Tuesday night – a day after Stovall passed away at age 85 in Baton Rouge.
But Stovall had good news for the freshman running back from Patterson High in Patterson off the lower Atchafalaya River near Thibodaux.
“He brought me in and told me I would be starting,” Hilliard said. “I was very surprised. Very few people know that story.”
Hilliard said he started pre-season camp “about seventh” on the depth chart at tailback behind the much more highly recruited Garry James of West Jefferson High in New Orleans whom USC wanted in addition to returning backs Jesse Myles and Gene Lang, among others.
Stovall knew a good running back when he saw one. He was one of the best in LSU history from 1960-62 while also returning kicks and was a consensus All-American and runner-up for the Heisman Trophy his senior year before becoming the second player picked in the 1961 NFL Draft by St. Louis, where he became an All-Pro defensive back.
And Stovall understood players.
“He asked me what would make me feel comfortable going into the season opener,” Hilliard explained. “I asked him if I could wear number 21. That was my number in high school and throughout junior high. I had been given number 26. So, he made that happen for me, and that was something very pleasing, very relaxing and made me feel comfortable about the situation.”
Little did Hilliard know at the time that 21 was Stovall’s number. That was No. 21 who dashed 98 yards with the second half kickoff at No. 5 Georgia Tech on Oct. 6, 1962, on CBS afternoon television to give the Tigers a 10-7 win in a 9-1-1 season with a 13-0 win over No. 4 Texas in the Cotton Bowl. Stovall helped lead LSU to a 10-1 season and SEC championship at 6-0 in 1961 with a 25-7 win over No. 7 Colorado in the Orange Bowl as a junior.
Stovall’s No. 21 almost made people forget about the No. 20 worn by Billy Cannon, who led LSU to the national championship in 1958 and won the Heisman in 1959.
“He never told me that was his number,” Hilliard said. “He basically let me find that out on my own. That was how coach Stovall was. He’s one of those guys who never put pressure on anyone. He just gave you the tools and information or advice to succeed.”
And soon Hilliard did just that and had LSU fans “Doing The Dalton” as the smallish back (5-foot-8, 180 pounds) without a lot of speed, but the crafty moves and twists and cuts that defenders struggled to stop or even get a hold of at times.
Hilliard rushed 18 times for 133 yards and three touchdowns as LSU romped Oregon State, 45-7, in that season opener of 1982, and he was off. Two weeks later, the unranked Tigers shocked No. 4 Florida in Gainesville, 24-13, as Hilliard rushed for 132 yards on 26 carries with an 11-yard touchdown and caught four passes for 80 yards with a 41-yard touchdown from quarterback Alan Risher.
“I had a great time my freshman year,” Hilliard said.
Hilliard finished with 901 yards on 193 carries and 11 touchdowns while catching 31 passes for 368 yards and another five scores.
Playing against No. 7 Florida State on Nov. 20 for the right to go to the Orange Bowl, Hilliard gained 183 yards on 36 carries with a 28-yard touchdown run and a 46-yard TD catch with two other scores in a 55-21 rout. And fans threw oranges onto the Tiger Stadium field.
By the time LSU’s Orange Bowl media guide under the headline “Proud Tradition Reborn” with Hilliard wearing No. 21 in 1982 and Stovall in 1962 on the cover together came out, Hilliard knew he had Stovall’s number
Stovall was fired after a disappointing 4-7 season in 1983, but Hilliard went on to gain 1,268 yards in 1984 and 1,134 in 1985 under coach Bill Arnsparger before the Saints took him in the second round of the 1986 NFL Draft. He played eight years and became a member of the Saints’ and Louisiana Sports Halls of Fame.
Before Stovall and his No. 21 were placed in Tiger Stadium’s ring of honor in the south end zone rafters in 2018, he called Hilliard.
“Hey, Dalton, that’s our number,” he told him.
“I really appreciated him calling me and letting me know personally as an individual who also wore number 21,” Hilliard said. “He knew that I played the game with the same type of attitude that he had – giving every effort you can each play, each game and really being a team player. The atmosphere that he provided as a coach really molded me in that same direction as him.”
Hilliard also remembers the hard work Stovall put the Tigers through.
“No matter how things went good or bad, he always had that same attitude,” Hilliard said. “He was always upbeat, always inspiring.”
Even when Stovall practiced the Tigers in the heat of August on the Ponderosa, the nickname for LSU’s practice fields.
“And this guy would be out there and he’d be telling us, ‘Think snow,'” Hilliard said laughing as most LSU players had never seen snow.
“He’s saying, ‘When we’re on the Ponderosa, think snow, baby,'” Hilliard said. “That’s what his attitude was. No matter how things were, he was very positive throughout his whole tenure.”
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