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Written by Rene Nadeau Tuesday, 03 November 2009 22:52
He departed the banks of the Mississippi River in Reserve, Louisiana as, arguably, the most talented athlete the area has ever produced.
Considering Timmy Byrd (quarterback at LSU and Southern Miss) Thomas Pittman (defensive lineman at Florida and major leaguer with the Montreal Expos organization), A.J. Duhe (defensive lineman at LSU and Miami Dolphins) were all from the same area , that says a mouthful.
Louis Lipps' humble beginnings and surroundings fueled an early sports career that showed tremendous promise at a young age. Football would be his ticket to success, but baseball was his first love.
"I loved the Big Red Machine (Cincinnati Reds) with Tom Seaver, Pete Rose, George Foster and Griffey, Sr," Louis said.
He was fast on the bases and was a good hitter along with his range in the outfield.
“I received a letter from the Phillies during my sophomore year in high school (at East St. John) to go to Delgado Junior College for a baseball clinic. I was excited," he recalled.
Lipps was a center fielder, third baseman and pitcher for East St. John.
"Baseball was my sport, my first love. Playing in Alex Box Stadium for the semifinals during my senior season was exciting."
Lipps’ father was a staunch supporter and a motivating presence.
" My dad was at every game, football, American Legion, everything. He kept me focused on doing things correctly. If I went 3 for 4 in baseball and pitched a two-hitter, he would ask me why didn't I go 4 for 4."
Louis wanted to be a two-sport athlete at the college of his choice, but it wasn't to be. "I couldn't work out the scheduling to allow for baseball. It couldn't be worked out with football," he said.
Two schools recruited the speedy athlete - Tulane and Southern Miss.
"Tulane showed a little interest, " he said , "but they were recruiting Wayne and Dwayne Smith. (Carver High School) . Roch Hontas was my host (at Tulane)."
East St. John offensive line coach Jerry Freeman had roomed with Southern Miss assistant coach, Jeff Bower. Freeman convinced the eventual head coach for the Golden Eagles to stop by the Reserve campus on his way to Hattiesburg from a recruiting stopover in Baton Rouge and take a look at his prized athlete.
"I ran two forties," Lipps recalled. That was enough for Bower. Two days later, Southern Miss head coach Bobby Collins called with an offer. Louis was a Golden Eagle.
Lipps' arrival at USM coincided with the team's immediate success. During his freshman season in 1980, the Eagles finished 9-3 and followed it up in1981 with a 9-2-1 record. The 1982 and 1983 seasons yielded identical 7-4 finishes.
Collins tabbed his team as the "Giant Killers." They traveled to face the big boys of college football (Alabama, Missouri, Auburn, Louisville and Florida State). In some instances, the rented "victims" became " victors" in contests that were supposed to be warm up games for the favorites.
"They took us out of their schedule," Lipps laughed. “We owned them. We had billboard material. 'They don't want you' coaches told us. It motivated us. We beat the crap out of Florida State (58-14 in 1982), Our quarterback Reggie Collier had just finished 9th in the Heisman voting the year before."
As most football fans know, Brett Favre would follow Lipps to Hattiesburg , arriving in 1987.
It didn't take long before NFL scouts began to take notice of Lipps who started to realize that his future in football had real possibilities.
I was a Saints fan growing up," he said. "I went to Clearview Shopping Center and ran into (Saints defensive tackle) Bob Pollard. He was the only player that I had ever had a chance to shake hands with. I would watch baseball above all, but I would always watch the Saints on TV."
Louis accepted an invitation to play in the 1984 Senior Bowl game. "The trainer at Southern Miss told me that if I played in the Senior Bowl, I would get drafted. I was one of 3 wide receivers (along with Alabama's Joey Jones and Jesse Bendross) . We had the San Diego Chargers coaching staff ( with ehad coach Don " Air " Coryell). We were tutored on how to run routes. Al Saunders was the Chargers receivers coach. He kept telling me all the positives I was doing in practice. Al kept telling me that I would go in the 2nd or 3rd round. He said 'if you do the things that you're supposed to do, good things will happen.' “
Lipps heeded Saunders' advice, and it paid dividends.
The 1984 NFL Draft was loaded with wide receiver talents, many of whom went in the 1st round. The New England Patriots took Nebraska's Irving Fryar with the very first pick in the draft. Philadelphia selected Penn State's Kenny Jackson with the 3rd choice in the opening round and the St. Louis Cardinals grabbed Tennessee's speedy receiver, Clyde Duncan with their pick.
Next up, the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 23rd pick overall. NFL Commissioner, Pete Rozelle made it official. Lipps was a first rounder, too.
Louis brought his down-home work ethic with him to training camp.
“I was a first rounder, but I was naive. I ran hard every play like I had to convince them that I could make the team."
The Steelers were a team with a family-like atmosphere. All of the veterans welcomed him with open arms from day one. There wasn't any separation such as the offense and defense. They played as one.
“Donnie Shell (safety) , Jack Lambert (Hall of Fame LB) and all the veterans would give me tips even though I was going to a take a veteran's job. John Stallworth (another Hall of Famer) took me under his wing and schooled me."
The most revered member of the Steelers' family was the owner, Art Rooney, affectionately known as ‘The Chief’.
“Mr. Rooney called my hotel room at the Downtown Hilton while we were working out a contract. Everyone knew him. He told me ‘You'll fit in here. You play hard and practice hard.' "
Somehow, Rooney may have felt Louis' love for baseball. The Chief had a box for all Pittsburgh Pirate home games. He would offer his box seats to Steeler players, Lipps was an appreciative recipient.
"Mr. Rooney would come down into the locker-room before each game to wish all of the Steeler players good luck. He would also come down after each game."
Louis was initially playing behind veteran Calvin Sweeney in preseason until he pulled a hamstring. It opened the door for the talented rookie.
Lipps caught passes from 8 different quarterbacks during his tenure in Steeltown, from the raucous, feisty Bubby Brister to the calm and serene Mark Malone.
It wasn't the dominating Steelers of the 1970's that Lipps had joined. "We never won more than 9 games in any one season," he said. " We had streaks but couldn't close it, couldn't get over the hump.”
The closest Lipps came to a Super Bowl was in that rookie year.
“We went to the AFC Championship game in 1984 and were only 9-7. We had 11 rookies on that team. We played the Miami Dolphins and lost (45-28) . We were 2 quarters away from the Super Bowl."
His first NFL catch came from a familiar name in Louisiana , former LSU signal caller David Woodley. It was an 80-yard touchdown grab.
"I started the opener against the Chiefs. (Woodley) said to just get by my man and he'll throw it up. I beat (Chiefs CB) Kevin Ross and went by (FS) Deron Cherry. We were in Pittsburgh, the stadium went nuts."
His rookie debut was a stunning success and one of the best by a wideout in league history. "I had 6 catches for 183 yards and 2 touchdowns."
Steelers coach Chuck Noll was a demanding individual with a track record of success.
“ It took me a few years to figure him out," he recalled. "(Noll) was such a perfectionist. He wanted everything done just right. If you did what he said, he was alright. He was a phenomenal judge on which buttons to push."
Lipps learned that the squeaky wheel gets the most attention. If you wanted the ball, you had to do some politicking.
"John Stallworth would come off the field and go right to Chuck Noll and offensive coordinator Tom Moore (now with the Indianapolis Colts). Chuck Noll was a running coach. Stallworth would tell the quarterback to throw him the ball. They threw to him a lot." 
Louis knew he had to speak up but got his fair share, enough to earn a pair of trips to the Pro Bowl.
"Marcus Allen was my buddy at the Pro Bowl. Now I'm sitting there hanging out with Walter Payton. It was a dream-come-true. It was a vacation for players that did well. My first year I made it as a punt returner, my second as a receiver. I was trying to juke everyone until the players told me to slow it down."
After 8 seasons in Pittsburgh, Lipps headed home for a final season with the New Orleans Saints in 1992.
“It was all Jim Finks. We were going to visit other teams, but he said 'You don't want to do that, you want to be here.' The wide receivers coach was Steve Walters. He was my biggest cheerleader."
But Louis was unable to capture the magic in New Orleans that he had enjoyed in Pittsburgh. "I was good friends with Pat Swilling and Rickey Jackson. They would both wonder why I wasn't playing."
Obviously, his fondest memory came from his days in Pittsburgh. "Being voted Steelers MVP from 1985-88. For the guys in the locker-room to say that I was the biggest contributor. That was huge."
And his biggest regret? The one that got away. “We got so close to the Super Bowl the first year and never duplicating that . We never had a chance to bring home the ring."
Louis moved back to Pittsburgh in 2000 and now works for Steel City Mortgage as a mortgage broker. His family includes his wife, Leah, and 3 step sons.
