Football Hall of Fame

Mike LaHood first attracted football attention when he was named to the Mid-State 10's honorable mention list as a Spalding junior lineman in 1962. The next year he was a first team all-conference choice.

Playing his college ball at the University of Wyoming, he first played in the 1967 Sun Bowl, a 28-20 win for Wyoming over Florida State. The next year Wyoming moved up a step to the Sugar Bowl where on January 1, 1968, Louisiana State nipped the Cowboys, 20-13. "But we were on LSU's 5-yard line when the game ended," recalled LaHood at the time of his induction.

"We had our 20th reunion of that team recently, about 30 players showed up and we went over a play-by-play of that game."

LaHood was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams for the 1968 season, but didn't break into the NFL until 1969 because of a six-month National Guard service call. He played the 1969 season with the Rams, was with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1970 and back with the Rams for the 1971-72 seasons.

"We had a strike in 1970," he recalled, "and it was then I was traded to St. Louis."

After the 1972 season, he moved to the Canadian Football League and played with the British Columbia Lions in 1973-74 before retiring from the game.

He was coaching Junior Football League players in Brimfield, Ill., at the time of his induction.