LSU Athletes On Fields of Valor


Michael B. Stupka

Colonel, U.S. Army

LSU Football and ROTC: Preparation for the U.S. Military

A football letterman and member of the Go Team on LSU’s 1958 National Championship team and a Distinguished Military Graduate in Army ROTC, Colonel Michael B. Stupka was a leader on any field where he played or served.

In 1960, with a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology and a commission in the U.S. Army through LSU ROTC, Stupka began his military career at Fort Bliss, Texas. He would later serve in Korea and Vietnam.

  • Missiles, Intelligence and More

Michael Stupka was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, U.S. Army Air Defense Center, Ft. Bliss, Texas, in 1973. He then served as missile intelligence officer, Guided Missiles Office of Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence; organizational policy planner, J-5 Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Army planner, Office of Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, The Pentagon.

  • Serving Often Involves Moving

Another move in 1985 found Stupka as the executive officer to Commander in Chief U.S. Readiness Command/U.S. Special Operations Command, MacDill AFB, Florida. He was chief, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe and assigned to the Pentagon from 1988 to 1990, when he retired from active duty.

  • Transition from Active Duty to Civilian Service

Stupka was the military analyst for AP Radio News Network for Desert Shield, Desert Storm and the first Iraq War and was a guest lecturer at U.S. Army War College. In 2004, he received the Bill Wade Unsung Hero Award from the All-American Football Foundation.

Stupka’s military recognitions include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star and the Air Medal. He was a member of Cadets of the Ole War Skule, Tiger Athletic Foundatio  and the “L” Club and served on its board of directors from 1995 to 2000. In 2002, he became president of Advanced Management Concepts, Inc.

Colonel Michael Stupka passed away in 2019.