Hall of Fame
Position: Halfback
Years: 1933-1935
Place of Birth: Talia, Lebanon
Date of Birth: Jul 09, 1912
Place of Death: New Orleans, LA
Date of Death: Sep 20, 2001
Jersey Number: 84
Height: 5-10
Weight: 180
High School: McComb, MS (McComb HS)
They called him "Miracle" Abe Mickal, for it seemed the Louisiana State back was capable of pulling off the impossible, particularly when it came to passing the football. He was deadly accurate and had developed a long-bomb mastery which defied the difficulty it normally took to throw the football in those days. The ball was rounder than today's pigskin and much more difficult to grasp, much less throw with pin-point precision. Yet, Mickal displayed a unique touch, and in 1933 managed touchdown heaves of 48 and 57 yards. His 27-yard TD aerial that year provided a 7-7 tie with rival Vanderbilt. As a junior in 1934, Mickal and fellow Hall of Famer Gaynell Tinsley combined for one of Southern football's greatest aerial duos, each capturing All-America mention. When the two connected on a last-ditch 65-yard TD pass to tie Southern Methodist, 14-14, they set a record for the longest scoring pass ever in the South. The record stood for several years. The Fighting Tigers finished 7-2-2 for that 1934 campaign. All told, in 32 games at LSU, Mickal played an important role leading the Tigers to a 23-4-5 record.
