One of the two LC athletes to win three letters during 1954-55, Eugene Southern lettered in football, track, and baseball.
As a sophomore, Southern was one of the Gulf States Conference's leading scorers with 36 points from the halfback position. He was also a member of the 440-yard relay team and the school's best broad jumper. A versatile athlete, Southern also excelled as one of LC's most reliable outfielders on the baseball diamond.
During his junior season, he was named Little All-America Honorable Mention for his performance with the 1955 football squad. That same year he also led the GSC in rushing at halfback with 638 yards. He led the conference in total offense with 982 yards, counting for almost half of LC's total yardage. He tallied 42 points for the season, the third best total in the conference.
As a senior, Southern moved from the halfback position to take over the quarterback duties. He rushed for 120 yards in the first two games of the 1956 season, but was injured in the third quarter of the second game. He missed the next five games but returned to the line-up against Southwestern in November. He turned in a brilliant performance scoring twice on electrifying runs and intercepting a pass at the LC five-yard line.
After receiving a master's degree in education, Southern returned to Louisiana College in 1963 as an assistant professor of physical education. In 1964 he led the Wildcats as head football coach and served in that capacity until 1967.
The Wildcat Athletic Association proudly inducted Eugene Southern as a charter member of the Louisiana College Sports Hall of Fame on February 22, 1992.
