LSU Gymnastics

2015 LSU Gymnastics Virtual Guide

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The following nine individuals are the only athletes to have their jerseys retired by LSU. Men's basketball has retired the No. 23 for Pete Maravich, No. 50 for Bob Pettit, Jr., No. 33 for Shaquille O'Neal and No. 40 for Rudy Macklin. Women's basketball retired the No. 33 for Seimone Augustus. Football's only two retired jerseys are the No. 20 worn by Billy Cannon and the No. 37 worn by Tommy Casanova. Baseball retired the No. 15 in honor of longtime coach and former athletics director Skip Bertman and the No. 19 for Ben McDonald. Casanova, Macklin and McDonald joined the prestigious list in May 2009. Augustus became the first woman in LSU Athletics history to have her jersey retired in January 2010. Tommy Casanova (left), Seimone Augustus (middle) and Rudy Macklin (right) were the last LSU greats to have their jerseys retired during the 2009-10 athletic year. 50 Bob Pettit Pettit led LSU to its first NCAA Final Four in 1953 and he later became the first player in NBA history to exceed the 20,000-plus point barrier. Pettit is a member of the NBA Hall of Fame, and in 1997, he was named as one of the top 50 players in NBA history. 23 Pete Maravich "Pistol Pete," Maravich still holds the NCAA record for career points with 3,667 and for career scoring average with 44.2 points a game. He was selected the National Player of the Year in 1970 after leading the Tigers to the NIT Final Four. He scored 50-plus points an amazing 28 times. He went on to a 10-year professional career and was selected as one of the NBA's 50 greatest players in 1997. 20 Billy Cannon One of the true legends of college football in the South, Billy Cannon was the 1959 Heisman Trophy winner and helped the Tigers to the 1958 national title. Cannon's most memorable performance came in 1959 against Ole Miss when No. 1 LSU trailed No. 3 Ole Miss 3-0 in the fourth quarter. He fielded a punt, broke seven tackles and returned it 89 yards for the 7-3 victory. He went on to a successful 11-year professional career. 33 Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille O'Neal was the first pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. He was named MVP of the league in 2000 and was a three-time NBA Finals MVP after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to three World Championships. At LSU, O'Neal averaged 21.6 points and 13.6 rebounds for his career, and in 1991, he was named the World's Amateur Athlete of the Year as well as SEC Athlete of the Year and National Player of the Year. In 1997, he was named as one of the top 50 players in NBA history. 15 Skip Bertman A legend in the college baseball ranks, Skip Bertman created a dynasty at LSU, guiding the Tigers to five national titles in a 10-year stretch from 1991-2000. He also coached the United States to a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and was an assistant on the gold medal-winning U.S. squad in Seoul, Korea, in 1988. Bertman retired from coaching following the 2001 season and served as LSU's athletics director for seven years. Bertman was inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. 40 Rudy Macklin Rudy Macklin was a two-time basketball All-Ameri- can selection during his Tiger career from 1976-81 during which time he became LSU's all-time leading rebounder with 1,276 boards and the second- leading scorer in school history behind only the legendary Pete Maravich with 2,080 points. He led the Tigers to two Elite Eight appearances and the 1981 Final Four in Philadelphia. He still holds the school single game rebound record with 32, a mark like some of the great records in any sport that may never be broken. LSU GREATS

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