Former LSU defensive lineman Tommy Clapp gave his son, redshirt freshman guard William Clapp, a Southeastern Conference history lesson on numerous occasions, discussing the times when Tommy and the mid-1980s Tigers squared off with league competition on Saturdays.
One story that stood out in William’s mind was of 1987, when the No. 7 Tigers hosted an early October meeting with the No. 19 University of Florida, which was led by now-NFL Hall-of-Famer Emmitt Smith.
LSU came from behind to squeak out a 13-10 victory to remain unbeaten, which was largely due to its defense. But Smith, who had 190 yards and a touchdown, still had his way with Tommy and the LSU tacklers.
“My dad was like, ‘When we played Emmitt Smith, that dude was a freak,’” William said. “He was like, ‘The whole week, we were game planning for this dude.’ They were talking about some freshman who was a freak. My dad said he lived up to the hype.”
William saw Tommy’s film, who was a senior team captain in 1987, desperately trying to bring down Smith. Luckily, the younger Clapp doesn’t have to worry about bringing down LSU’s version of a modern-day SEC freak. The first-year starter is helping pave the way for the national leader in rushing yards per game, sophomore running back Leonard Fournette.
At one point, the New Orleans-native watched on the sideline as Fournette torched the Brother Martin High School defense when William was a Crusader and Fournette played at St. Augustine High School.
“My junior year, he had like six carries for 200 yards on us,” William said. “I remember it was the first quarter, and they were already up 35-0. I was like, ‘Alright, well, we gave it a good try.’ He’s been like that since high school. I’m not shocked at anything he’s been doing in college.”
Fournette can thank William and the offensive line for many of the long scampers he’s recorded this season, allowing the tailback to get second level. Despite the offensive line being the culprit of a handful of penalties against Syracuse University, it opened a hole with crushing blocks on Fournette’s 62-yard scoring burst late in the third quarter.
On that play, William drove his man into the Carrier Dome turf, similar to what the 6-foot-5, 303-pound lineman did with his three younger brothers in the Clapp household. With wrestling matches that resulted in holes in the wall, broken doors and smash windows, the four siblings took roughhousing to a new level.
The Clapp brothers made sure to have their fill of milk, too.
“It was a physical house — a lot of bloody noses, like 12 gallons of milk a week,” William said. “My mom shopped at the restaurant depot. My parents made it work somehow. I’m just trying to pay for my own food right now with a scholarship check. I’m like, ‘How did they support four boys?’”
As the first to follow in his father’s footsteps, William has been around the LSU football tradition for quite a while, referring to many of Tommy’s teammates as “uncle.”
Now, he’s carving out his own legacy, but he said he’s thankful for the lessons his father and his teammates taught him.
“They text me all the time, tell me that they’re rooting for me,” William said. “I’m really thankful to have all of their wisdom from my dad and all of them. They’ve been through this. Having them there for me is really great.”