to the hospital on Sept. 5, his 89th birthday, he went back home until this past Sunday when he
entered the Butterfly Wing of Baton Rouge General Hospital's hospice care.
Dietzel passed away yesterday morning with his son Steve, and two grandsons David and Paul at
his side. Dietzel's funeral service is scheduled for Friday at First United Methodist Church in
Baton Rouge. Visitation is from 9 to 11 a.m. with the funeral service following.
Coach Dietzel ran the Tigers' program from 1955 to 1961, registering a 46-24-3 record, leading
the club to a National Championship in 1958, fashioning a perfect 11-0 mark. Dietzel posted
an impressive 35-7-1 record in his last four seasons.
Dietzel's 1958 team set the standard for the Tigers' football program. He brought the vaunted "Chinese Bandits" defense. Dietzel served as the LSU athletic director from 1978 to 1982.
LSU coach Les Miles talked about Dietzel's passing.
"When I first got to LSU, I had several alumni outings that I had to take part in as the head coach and Paul Dietzel was always there. Anytime you arrive as the new guy and are getting the lay of the land, that man was as serving a person and supportive man as anybody that I've ever been around. He loved this school and he loved his association with our team. He will be missed. He was a very special man and Tiger Nation will miss him. I will miss him," said coach Miles.
No comments:
Post a Comment