How did the name Chinese bandits (LSU's defense) come about and what was the time era? I remember a little about it but not the facts. Thanks. Go BUCKS !!!!! :911:
The unit was called the Chinese Bandits because it was small, quick, fearless, and created a lot of turnovers.
"PD" is obviously Pual Dietzel. I believe that the Chinese Bandits actually may have been part of a comic strip or cartoon. Not sure about that. AFCA: Name a couple of the highlights of your career as a coach? PD: I think that after you've coached a long time, you always remember the losses. You just don't remember the wins. The losses are etched in your mind. Back in 1958, we found out we couldn't play one team against Ole Miss's three teams, so we inaugurated a three-team system. We had our best 11 athletes play that first half of each quarter, and then we would platoon between our offensive specialists, which were the "Go" team, and the defensive team, which were the "Chinese Bandits." Since we always wore white jerseys, we called the first team the "White" team, and since the other colors of LSU were purple and gold, our second team, the "Gold" team, became the "Go" team. The "Chinese Bandits" was a term I picked up when I was Sid Gillman's line coach at Cincinnati. Well, when I became head coach at LSU, we were struggling to catch up with some of the other people in the SEC, but in 1958, with the three-team system, we started to win and eventually won the national title. The Chinese Bandits were our third team, but they gave me such a thrill because they were not big or fast, but they thought they were really good, and we never tried to change their mind. At the end of the year, our best team defensively had allowed our opponents about 2.9 yards per carry. The Bandits had allowed less than two yards a carry, which is really amazing. The Bandits played about a fourth of the game, and the "Go" team about a fourth, and the white team, our starting team, played one half of the game. I never have gotten over the fact that those Bandits taught me what Napoleon said a long time ago: "It is morale over material, three to one." He was right http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FIH/is_10_75/ai_n17213162
They were the 2nd string defense. LSU had 3 teams. The White team was the 1st string offense and defense, the Gold team was the 2nd string offense and the Bandits as I said was the 2nd string defense. At the ripe age of 6 is when I fell in love with LSU and it was because of the Chinese Bandits and of course Billy Cannon.
I'd be more interested to know the last time anyone has heard anyone refer to LSU's defense as the "Chinese Bandits." I think that when we upset #1 Florida (Steve Spurrier) during the Dinardo years people talked about how he used a "Bandit" package or something like that, but I can't remember exactly. But I myself have never heard anyone refer to a modern LSU defense as the "Chinese bandits." I just know we have the old Chinese Bandit song that we still play for big defense stops (but we also use modern songs as well).
