1958 LSU National Champion team member looks back, and forward

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - LSU‘s National Championship run brought memories flooding back to a member of the Tigers first National Championship team. The Metairie man says in spite of the great memories, the 1958 team would not hold a candle to the Tiger team squaring off against Clemson.

Former LSU guard Herb Lacassagne loves to look back on his 1958 Tiger team, which won lsu’s first National Championship, and he’s hoping the Tigers win another.

“We went from being a nobody to national celebrities,” said Lacassagne.

He was a red shirt freshman back in 1958, and calls it the ride of his life.

“Baton Rouge opened up to us, we got free shows, and free food...they’d buy you a fifteen cent hotdog,” said Lacassagne.

He attended high school at Holy Cross, says the game has changed considerably.

"The physical size of the game, the boys are tremendous now," he said.

"It's a different ball game...from what we had, no hair, no tattoos, no earrrings, we just played ball," he said.

Unlike this season, when LSU was on TV every weekend, Lacassagne says during the 1958 National Championship run, few saw just how good a team that included Heisman trophy winner Billy Cannon, really was.

“We just kept on winning, they said they didn’t have a game televised that year.”

And he says 52 years ago, there was no such thing as a National Championship trophy.

“You got a certificate, and we appreciated it back then.”

Lacassagne wants to clear up what he calls a misconception about the 1958 National Championship year. He says the season did in fact end, after LSU beat Clemson in that year’s sugar bowl, by a score of 7-0. But the former guard says back in those days National Champions were declared after the last regular season game, which in 1958 was a 62-0 victory over Tulane.

“After that game was over, that Tuesday we were declared National Champions by the AP poll,” he said.

Lacassagne, says he and his former teammates still get together on occasion but their numbers are dwindling. Billy Cannon, and Jim Taylor both recently passed. And last year only 16 of the original 59 members showed up for a reunion in Baton Rouge.

He says he has one wish for the current Tiger team.

“Enjoy what you’re doing, but remember you’re trying to succeed, this team, no gris gris, is the greatest LSU team I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Lacassagne, who now stays close to his walker, says he won’t be attending the LSU- Clemson game but his family will be represented.

And though he would love to see the Tigers win he says as far as he’s concerned this season has already been remarkable.

"It's been a helluva ride," he said.

Lacassagne played on the same team with Billy Cannon, who until Joe Burrow who won the Heisman this year, was LSU’s only other Heisman trophy winner.

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