LSU football has had hundreds of All-SEC players, scores of All-Americans and multiple Heisman Trophy winners. Yet retiring a jersey is an honor LSU gives only in exceptional cases.

As of August 2026, LSU has four football jerseys already retired, with Bert Jones’ No. 7 approved for retirement later this season.

LSU Football Retired Jerseys

No. 20 — Billy Cannon — HB — retired 1959
No. 37 — Tommy Casanova — DB/HB/Returner — retired 2009
No. 21 — Jerry Stovall — HB/DB/Returner — retired 2018
No. 4 — Charles Alexander — RB — retired 2025
No. 7 — Bert Jones — QB — scheduled for retirement Nov. 14, 2026

There is one important thing to understand before looking at the players.

Billy Cannon’s No. 20 is different from all the others.

Retired Jersey vs. Retired Number

LSU officially refers to Cannon, Casanova, Stovall, Alexander and Jones as having retired jerseys.

But only Billy Cannon’s No. 20 has been removed from circulation.

That means no LSU football player can wear No. 20 again.

Casanova’s No. 37, Stovall’s No. 21 and Alexander’s No. 4 can still be worn by current Tigers. The same will apply to Bert Jones’ No. 7 after his jersey retirement ceremony.

Those numbers honor the legendary player whose name and number are displayed permanently in Tiger Stadium, but LSU does not prevent another player from wearing the number.

Cannon is the exception.

LSU specifically calls No. 20 the only retired number in football program history.

The easiest way to remember it is this:

A retired jersey honors the player.

Billy Cannon’s retirement honors the player and permanently removes his number.

How Does an LSU Player Get a Jersey Retired?

LSU makes the standard intentionally difficult.

A player must have completed his LSU career at least five years before he can be nominated. His accomplishments must go beyond the requirements for simply being elected to the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame.

LSU says the career should include truly unusual or unique achievement. A Heisman Trophy or National Player of the Year award is the type of accomplishment LSU specifically identifies as worthy of consideration.

A former athlete may also qualify because of an extraordinary impact on the popularity of the sport or meaningful positive change within LSU Athletics.

Finally, the LSU Athletic Hall of Fame Committee must approve the retirement unanimously.

That explains why the list is so short.

No. 20 — Billy Cannon

If one player represents the beginning of LSU football as a national power, it is Billy Cannon.

Cannon starred for LSU from 1957 through 1959 and helped lead the Tigers to the 1958 national championship. He earned All-America honors in both 1958 and 1959.

Then came his senior season.

On Halloween night in 1959, No. 1 LSU faced No. 3 Ole Miss in Tiger Stadium. LSU trailed 3-0 when Cannon fielded a punt and broke loose for an 89-yard touchdown return.

He broke seven tackles on the play.

LSU won 7-3.

The Halloween Run became one of the most famous plays in college football history, and Cannon went on to win the 1959 Heisman Trophy.

LSU announced the retirement of his No. 20 on December 12, 1959.

Unlike every LSU football jersey retired under the modern system, No. 20 remains unavailable.

Nobody else gets to wear it.

No. 37 — Tommy Casanova

Tommy Casanova may have been the most versatile great player LSU has ever produced.

He starred from 1969 through 1971 and played defensive back, halfback and return specialist.

Casanova remains the only player in LSU football history to earn first-team All-America honors three times.

He also earned All-SEC recognition in all three seasons.

His versatility was on full display against Ole Miss in 1970 when he returned punts 61 and 73 yards for touchdowns in LSU’s 61-17 victory. That season LSU won the SEC championship.

Casanova later entered the College Football Hall of Fame.

LSU retired his No. 37 jersey on October 10, 2009.

His name and number are honored permanently in Tiger Stadium, but No. 37 remains available for other LSU players.

No. 21 — Jerry Stovall

Jerry Stovall was one of LSU’s great all-around football players.

He played halfback and defensive back and also returned kicks and punts while handling punting duties.

His greatest season came in 1962.

Stovall earned All-America honors, was named SEC Most Valuable Player and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Only Oregon State quarterback Terry Baker finished ahead of him.

Stovall later played nine seasons in the NFL before returning to LSU as an assistant coach. He became LSU’s head coach in 1980 following the death of Bo Rein.

LSU retired Stovall’s No. 21 jersey during the Georgia game on October 13, 2018.

Like Casanova’s 37, the number remains available for future Tigers.

No. 4 — Charles Alexander

Before LSU fans watched Kevin Faulk, Leonard Fournette and generations of great Tiger running backs, there was Charles Alexander.

“Alexander the Great” starred from 1975 through 1978.

He finished his LSU career with 4,035 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns on 855 carries.

At the time, those were LSU career records.

Alexander became the first running back in SEC history to surpass 4,000 career rushing yards.

His 1977 season was extraordinary. He rushed for 1,686 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 153.3 rushing yards per game.

Alexander earned first-team All-America honors in both 1977 and 1978 and finished his LSU career having established 27 school records.

LSU retired his No. 4 jersey during the Florida game on September 13, 2025.

No. 4 can still be worn by LSU players.

The honor belongs to Alexander, but the number remains in circulation.

No. 7 — Bert Jones

Bert Jones is the newest LSU legend to receive the honor.

His No. 7 has been approved for retirement and will officially be honored at halftime of LSU’s game against Texas on November 14, 2026.

Jones quarterbacked LSU from 1970 through 1972.

He compiled a 26-6-1 record as LSU’s starting quarterback and helped lead the Tigers to the 1970 SEC championship.

His greatest season came in 1972.

Jones became LSU’s first consensus All-America quarterback while throwing for a then-school-record 1,446 yards and 14 touchdowns.

The Sporting News named him National Player of the Year, and Jones finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

He ended his LSU career as the school record holder in passing yards with 3,255, attempts with 418, completions with 220 and touchdown passes with 28.

Jones and Tommy Casanova were also LSU teammates and roommates.

When Jones’ name and No. 7 go onto the Tiger Stadium façade, he will literally join his former roommate among LSU football’s most honored players.

No. 7 will remain available to future LSU players.

That means LSU can continue its modern No. 7 playmaker tradition even after Jones’ jersey is retired.

Why Aren’t More LSU Greats on the List?

Because a retired jersey is not supposed to be a list of every great player.

It is a level above ordinary recognition.

A player can be an LSU All-American.

He can become an LSU Hall of Famer.

He can have a great NFL career.

None of those accomplishments automatically results in a retired jersey.

LSU wants the honor reserved for careers that were historically unusual even by LSU standards.

That is why the list remains so small.

LSU Retired Jerseys in One Minute

Billy Cannon — No. 20
1959 Heisman Trophy winner, 1958 national champion and author of the Halloween Run. His is the only LSU football number permanently removed from circulation.

Tommy Casanova — No. 37
LSU’s only three-time first-team All-American and one of the most versatile players in program history.

Jerry Stovall — No. 21
1962 All-American, SEC MVP and Heisman Trophy runner-up who later became LSU’s head coach.

Charles Alexander — No. 4
Two-time first-team All-American and the first SEC running back to surpass 4,000 career rushing yards.

Bert Jones — No. 7
LSU’s first consensus All-America quarterback, 1972 Sporting News National Player of the Year and fourth-place Heisman finisher. His jersey will be retired November 14, 2026.

The One Number Nobody Can Wear

So when LSU says a jersey is retired, it does not normally mean the number disappears.

The player’s name and jersey number become permanently honored as part of LSU football history, while the number can still be assigned to another Tiger.

Billy Cannon is the exception.

No. 37 can be worn again.

No. 21 can be worn again.

No. 4 can be worn again.

No. 7 can be worn again.

But No. 20 belongs to Billy Cannon forever.

That is what makes Cannon’s place in LSU football history unique.