L.C. graduated from Colbert County High School in Leighton. He was captain of the football and was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball. He was also named to the first team defensive squad of All-Time Colbert County football players. .Following  high school he attended East Mississippi Junior College and was named selected as one of the best lineman in Mississippi junior college football by the Meridian Star. He is a member of the East Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. After two years of junior college football L.C. was awarded a scholarship to Mississippi State in 1953 becoming the first Colbert County athlete to play football in the Southeastern Conference.