Education
He finished 89 votes behind Oregon State"s Terry Baker.
He finished 89 votes behind Oregon State"s Terry Baker.
He played college football at Louisiana State University (Louisiana State University), where he was an consensus selection to the 1962 College Football All-America Team as a halfback. Stovall played professionally as a defensive back and punter in the National Football League (NFL) with the Saint Louis Cardinals from 1963 to 1971. Stovall served as the head football coach at his alma mater, Louisiana State University, from 1980 to 1983, compiling a record of 22–21–2 in four seasons and leading the 1982 team to an appearance in the 1983 Orange Bowl.
He was the athletic director at Louisiana Technical University from 1990 to 1993.
His 57-yard run in 1961 helped Louisiana State University defeat arch rival Ole Mission by a score of 10–7 in a major upset. In 2010, Stovall was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Stovall was the second overall pick in the 1963 NFL draft, selected by the Saint Louis Cardinals. He was also the third overall pick of the 1963 American Football League draft.
The Cardinals converted him to full-time defensive back.
During his nine seasons with Saint Louis, Stovall had 18 interceptions in 97 games, and was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1966, 1967, and 1969 seasons. After his NFL career, Stovall became a college football assistant coach. He eventually returned to Louisiana State University, as an assistant for head coach Charlie McClendon.
Stovall became Louisiana State University"s head coach as an emergency hire after new head coach Bo Rein died when his plane depressurized and disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean.
In Stovall"s four years with the Tigers (1980–1983), Louisiana State University finished 7–4, 3–7–1, 8–3–1, and 4–7. Only one of Stovall"s teams appeared in the final Associated Press Poll: the 1982 team
That team finished the season ranked #11 after it beat #4 Florida, #8 Alabama, and #7 Florida State and earned a spot in the Orange Bowl, where Louisiana State University lost, 21–20, to a #3 Nebraska team led by Tom Osborne. In 1983, Stovall"s success of 1982 came unraveled.
The Tigers went 0–6 in the Securities and Exchange Commission, including a 45–26 loss at home to Mississippi State, leaving Stovall 0–4 for his career against the Bulldogs.
Stovall had a 2–2 record against Tulane. To date, the Tigers have only lost to Tulane on two other occasions since 1948, both under McClendon. After the Tigers had secured the Orange Bowl berth in 1982, they suffered their only home loss to Tulane since 1948.
Stovall"s dismissal by athletic director Bob Brodhead was approved by the Louisiana State University Board of Supervisors on December 2, 1983.
After his head coaching stint at Louisiana State University, Stovall went on to take a job in banking before becoming athletic director at Louisiana Technical University from 1990 to 1993. Afterwards, Stovall became the president and Chief Executive Officer of the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation, an organization dedicated to securing sporting events for the Baton Rouge area.