BATON ROUGE, La. -- Charlie McClendon, who coached LSU's football team to a school-record 137 victories, died Friday after a long fight with cancer. He was 78.

		Sat, December 8 Charlie McClendon was a fine coach. I played against his LSU teams, and they were tough, well-coached, and seemed ready for anything we could throw at them. Players like Jerry Stovall, Fred Miller, and Dennis Gaubatz had long NFL careers, were team leaders, and were emblematic of the men produced by McClendon's program. I don't know what the American Football Coaches Association was before Charlie Mac took it over. I do know that under his guidance it took on the serious issues of ethics, rules, public relations, and faculty relations with a very serious commitment. I served on each of the aforementioned committees, and Charlie seemed to somehow get to everything. We felt that we were breaking new ground, especially in the crucial ethics issues, and that our leader was very serious about changing the substance and image of our profession. I believe he was successful, and that the strides made on his watch will be with us as long as our organization exists. I honestly believe coaches were made to tow the line through our organization's mechanisms in response to Charlie Mac's influence. Dorothy Faye, his wonderful wife, was always present, and with characteristic grace and beauty, always seemed to know what to say and do. They were a remarkable team. All of us who owe so much to the McClendons mourn Charlie with Dorothy Faye and their family. Our prayers are for their comfort, and for the moral fiber to continue his great work in the lives of young people. God bless you Charlie Mac. We will all miss you.

Family members said he died at his home in Baton Rouge.

McClendon coached at LSU from 1962-79, compiling a 137-59-7 record. The Tigers had only one losing season during his tenure, the longest for an LSU coach in the school's 108 years of football.

Despite his success, McClendon was forced out at LSU because he was unable to do two things the fans wanted -- win a national title and beat Alabama coach Bear Bryant. McClendon went 2-14 against Bryant's teams.

"That was a sore spot with a lot of people," McClendon said in an interview with The Associated Press last year. "But there weren't many people beating Bear in those days, especially with the kind of injuries we had."

McClendon played for Bryant at Kentucky and was an assistant coach for him at Virginia.

The Arkansas native known as "Charlie Mac" coached 17 of LSU's 40 first-team All Americans. He led the Tigers to 13 bowl games and the 1970 Southeastern Conference title.

That 1970 team went 9-3, and allowed only 574 yards rushing, 52.2 per game. McClendon was national coach of the year.

His 1969 team went 9-1 and scored almost 35 points a game while giving up just 384 yards rushing all season.

He twice was SEC coach of the year.

"You know a coach is great when all of his former players have so much respect for him," current LSU head coach Nick Saban said Friday. "I became a good friend with him. He'll be missed. I'm sorry that Charlie Mac won't be with us through this game."

After McClendon left LSU, he became the executive director of the Tangerine Bowl, the site of his last victory as LSU's coach.

He was president of the American Football Coaches Association and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986.

"Charlie McClendon was the embodiment of what a football coach should be," AFCA executive director Grant Teaff said Friday. "His dedication to his players and the coaches who worked under him was well-known. Those of us who had the pleasure of knowing Charlie will miss him tremendously."

McClendon is survived by his wife, Dorothy Faye, son Scott, daughter Dolores Kaye Alberty, and three grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements were pending.