title: A. L. Swanson
text: # A. L. Swanson
  
  Arthur Leonard "Red" Swanson Sr. (April 19, 1905 – November 4, 1987) was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach at Southeastern Louisiana College—now known as Southeastern Louisiana University—from 1931 to 1937 and at Southwestern Louisiana Institute of Liberal and Technical Learning—now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette—in 1950 compiling career college football coaching record of 46–21–4.
  
  From 1943 to 1945 he served as head coach of the LSU Tigers baseball team. His record as LSU's baseball coach was 28–23 and led the 1943 team to a Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship. During the 1944–45 LSU Tigers basketball season, he served as head coach for the final six games, compiling a 4–2 record.
  
  Swanson's son, also nicknamed Red Swanson, was a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1957. The elder Swanson was married to Billie Hightower and died in 1987.
  
  ## Head coaching record
  
  ### Football
  
  | Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Southeastern Louisiana Lions (Independent) (1931–1937) ||||||
  | 1931 | Southeastern Louisiana | 2–2–2 | | |
  | 1932 | Southeastern Louisiana | 3–5 | | |
  | 1933 | Southeastern Louisiana | 7–3 | | |
  | 1934 | Southeastern Louisiana | 7–3 | | |
  | 1935 | Southeastern Louisiana | 7–2 | | |
  | 1936 | Southeastern Louisiana | 7–0–1 | | |
  | 1937 | Southeastern Louisiana | 8–2–1 | | |
  | Southeastern Louisiana: | Southeastern Louisiana: | 41–17–4 | | |
  | Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs (Gulf States Conference) (1950) ||||||
  | 1950 | Southwestern Louisiana | 5–4 | 2–3 | T–4th |
  | Southwestern Louisiana: | Southwestern Louisiana: | 5–4 | 2–3 | |
  | Total: | Total: | 46–21–4 | | |
  
  ### Basketball
  
  Statistics overview :
  
  | Season | Team | Overall | Conference |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | LSU Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (1944–1945) ||||||
  | 1944–45 | LSU | 4–2 | 0–1 |
  | LSU: | LSU: | 4–2 (.667) | 0–1 (.000) |
  | Total: | Total: | 4–2 (.667) | |
  
  ### Baseball
  
  Statistics overview :
  
  | Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | LSU Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (1943–1945) ||||||
  | 1943 | LSU | 13–8 | 11–3 | 1st |
  | 1944 | LSU | 4–8 | | |
  | 1945 | LSU | 11–7 | | |
  | LSU: | LSU: | 28–23–0 (.549) | 11–3 (.786) | |
  | Total: | Total: | 28–23–0 (.549) | | |
  | National champion   Postseason invitational champion   Conference regular season champion   Conference regular season and conference tournament champion  Division regular season champion  Division regular season and conference tournament champion  Conference tournament champion ||||||
  