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Six jersey numbers LSU should retire soon
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- Six jersey numbers LSU should retire soon
Last week the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee announced that former Tiger quarterback Bert Jones will have his No. 7 jersey retired this season when LSU hosts Texas on November 14.
Usually when an announcement like this happens, many fans wonder "who's next?" LSU has no shortage of legends across a handful of sports. LSU has a rich history in football, baseball, and basketball. Just in recent years, we've seen LSU win national championships in football, baseball, and women's basketball.
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Here are six numbers that LSU ought to retire across football, baseball, and basketball.
Football
Kevin Faulk's No. 3
Faulk may not have collected the individual accolades that Billy Cannon did or possessed the pure athletic ability that Leonard Fournette had, but it's Faulk's name that still sits atop LSU's all-time rushing yardage and touchdown list. Faulk's 4,557 yards and 46 touchdowns are not just the most in LSU history, but they still rank top-3 in SEC history. Faulk was a three-time All-SEC selection, was an AP All-American in 1996 and may be the single most important recruit in program history. With LSU down in the dumps during the Curley Hallman era, the best Louisiana prospects weren't staying home. That was until Faulk bucked the trend and made it cool for Louisiana kids to stay home and wear the purple and gold.
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Jayden Daniels' No. 5
The second-most decorated player in program history and LSU's third Heisman winner, it's just a matter of "when" Jayden Daniels has his number retired, not "if." It's more or less been retired already by LSU football as no one has worn the No. 5 jersey since Daniels left Baton Rouge following the 2023 season. Now it's just a matter of whenever the LSU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee decides to officially retire the number.
Joe Burrow's No. 9
Burrow's No. 9 should have been retired the moment the clock hit zero in LSU's national championship win over Clemson. I understand that the Hall of Fame committee has bylaws and requirements for retiring a jersey--most notably a player must be five years removed from LSU before being nominated--but an exception should have been made for the greatest, most decorated player in program history. Like Daniels, nobody has worn No. 9 since Burrow left LSU, and it will remain that way from now until eternity. Billy Cannon is the only player in program history to have his number permanently retired to where no future player will wear No. 20. Burrow and Daniels ought to have that distinction as well.
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Glenn Dorsey's No. 72
Dorsey is the most decorated defensive player in LSU history and it's well past time his No. 72 hangs in the south end zone. Dorsey was a two-time All-American, was one of the faces of LSU's 2007 national championship team, and as a senior won the Nagurski, Lombardi, Outland, Lott, and Bednarik awards. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020, and now he needs his No. 72 retired by his alma mater.
Baseball
Dylan Crews' No. 3
For those of us who weren't around or old enough to remember watching Ben McDonald, Todd Walker or Eddie Furniss, Dylan Crews is the greatest player in LSU's storied history. He's certainly the best player to wear the purple and gold this century. Crews left LSU as a national champion, a Golden Spikes Award winner, and a two-time SEC Player of the Year.
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Women's Basketball
Angel Reese's No. 10
There are only two retired numbers in LSU's women's basketball history: Seimone Augustus' No. 33 and Sylvia Fowles No. 34, Angel Reese's 10 needs to join them in the PMAC rafters. Reese may have only been a Tiger for two years, but she led the conference in scoring and rebounding both times, was the SEC's Player of the Year in 2024, and did something that neither Augustus nor Fowles ever did: win a national championship. Reese was the best player for LSU's first and only national championship-winning team, and that alone should earn her immortality.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Six jersey numbers LSU should retire soon
