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LSU’s fall surprise turned heads and it hit the main target better than he would’ve expected. When the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee gave it a unanimous thumbs up, this Tigers’ great had no clue it was even in the works. So it’s a pleasant surprise for this 67-year-old whose name is etched in both the College Football and LSU Hall of Fame.
LSU is retiring former RB sensation Charles Alexander’s No. 4 jersey. And Matt Moscona got the honor to host the 67-year-old legend on his latest episode on After Further Review: LSU on May 23 where he walked fans through how he processed his emotions during that phone call. “I wasn’t really ready for it. Wasn’t expecting the call. Didn’t even know they had a bite or anything,” Alexander said. “And one of the assistant ADs called me and told me the news and I just elated. I was happy. Shocked because I didn’t even know it was being voted on.” He went on to say that he’s been receiving calls all day with messages of congratulations on his achievement.
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Charles Alexander was a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist playing college football at LSU. He was a first-year All-American RB in 1977 and 1978 and was also the first SEC RB to gain 4,000 career rushing yards. The Galveston, Texas native finished his Tigers career with a total of 4,035 rushing yards. He is also a College Football Hall of Famer, the eighth LSU player to be inducted. And he even compared the hype of today’s achievement from his 2012 HoF ceremony saying how fast and far social media is helping the news travel. He was also inducted into LSU Sports HoF in 1989 and Louisiana Sports HoF in 1993.
But Charles Alexander revealed his real emotion when he said, “I’m truly humbled by this. Playing at LSU those four years, I never dreamed that one day my jersey would be retired and be on display in Tiger Stadium. To get that phone call telling me that my jersey was going to be retired is something I will never forget. I wasn’t expecting the call, but it’s truly an honor and one of my proudest moments.” His No. 4 jersey will join No. 20 (Billy Cannon), No. 21 (Jerry Stovall), and No. 37 (Tommy Casanova) in Tiger Stadium this fall.
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LSU’s Alexander the Great gets his flowers
Fans call him Alexander the Great, and he truly lived by that name. They worshipped him in the late ‘70s, and for good reason. Charles Alexander’s resumer is the stuff of Tiger lore. This is a man who broke 27 school records. He still holds the LSU record for rushing attempts in a single game (43) and in a season (311). Consider this. He had 20 games where he rushed over 100 yards. And he still couldn’t believe this was happening. Such humility! He also had two games where he recorded 200+ yards. Both in 1977. His LSU single-game rushing record with 237 yards against Oregon. And that 43 carry-record? That was against Wyoming where he dropped 231 yards.
After LSU, Charles Alexander went No. 12 overall in the 1979 NFL Draft to the Cincinnati Bengals where he played seven seasons. Played in Super Bowl XVI, rushed for 2,645 yards and 13 TDs across 102 regular season games in the league. But you know? He also came back to LSU after his rookie season to get his sociology degree in 1980. And after his retirement, he was back in Baton Rouge spending four years as an advisor in LSU’s Academic Center for Student-Athletes and another six years for the Tiger Athletic Foundation as a development officer. This man’s a Tiger through and through!
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So yeah, No. 4 isn’t just a jersey. It’s a legacy. It’s bruises, broken tackles, fourth quarters, and Tiger pride. And now, it’s going to where it belongs — up in the rafters.
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