[1] Heard was an early pioneer in the establishment of legal and honest athletic grants-in-aid and oversaw LSU's entry into the Southeastern Conference as a charter member in 1933.
In addition, he is the "father" of night football games at Louisiana State University and was a force behind three expansions of Tiger Stadium raising seating capacity from 12,000 to 67,500.
Heard sold Smith on the idea that the president could have his dormitories in the stadium simply by raising the stands on both sides and extending them to each goal line.
His persuasion of the state legislature to again enlarge Tiger Stadium was against the wishes of his boss, LSU president Troy H. Middleton, who badly wanted a new library built.
[5] Heard grew up in Pitkin, Louisiana and left high school to join the U.S. Navy during World War I.
He served two years in the mine laying service before being discharged and returning to high school.
[6] At LSU, he joined Pi Alpha Omega local fraternity and caught the attention of Mike Donahue who made him an assistant student manager in 1924.