Abe Mickal dazzles college football fans in the 1930s with his miraculous passing skills, earning the nickname “Miracle Mickal” as he leads the LSU Tigers to unforgettable victories.
Football Bio
July 9, 1912 – Talia, Lebanon – The famous LSU halfback from 1933 through the 1935 season, Abe Mickal, was born.
This player performed so many amazing plays in extreme situations that he was dubbed “the Miracle.”
The National Football Foundation’s bio on Abe says that most of his wondrous plays were made while passing the football. In that era, it was not a passer-friendly ball like today; it had a much wider girth and was fondly called the “melon ball,” not very friendly to the forward pass at all.
Miracle Mickal, though, developed a style that became very effective in tossing this big leather egg down the field. The NFF tells us that in 1933, Abe 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 in leading the Tigers to a 23-4-5 record.
Abe Mickal was a halfback from LSU who was selected into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1967.
Abe Mickal cements his legacy as one of the greatest passers in early Southern football history. He overcomes the physical limitations of the era’s “melon ball” to deliver game-tying and game-winning bombs down the field. His connection with Gaynell Tinsley remains a legendary chapter in LSU lore, and his induction into multiple halls of fame ensures that the “Miracle” of Baton Rouge will never be forgotten.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- College Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1967.
- Second-Team All-American: 1935.
- 3Ă— All-SEC Selection: First-Team in 1934, and Second-Team in 1933 and 1935.
- LSU Athletic Hall of Fame: Inducted as a charter member in 1937.
- Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame: Inducted member.
- Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame: Inducted in 1985.
- College All-Star Team: Served as co-captain and quarterback in a 7-6 win over the Chicago Bears in 1936.
- SEC Champion: 1935.