Well Ed, I haven’t had a chance to read all the posts in this thread. I’m an old Tiger and I have attended games in Tiger Stadium since the 50’s. I don’t know if any of this helps, but here goes- The tailgating is always a highlight that everyone mentions. But for a kid, the thing that probably makes the biggest impression is Mike the Tiger in his habitat between Tiger Stadium and the Assembly Center. A live Tiger on Campus year round and you can see him just about any time. In the old days of platoon football we had the Chinese Bandits. They were very popular and I remember the families coming to games – men and boys in tiger skin pants and vest, ladies and girls in tiger skin dresses and all of them wearing those straw Chinese coolie hats. If you are not tailgating, most folks who are will invite you to join in. If you are meeting friends from out of town for the game you meet at Mike the Tiger’s habitat a few hours before kickoff. This insures time to eat and drink a little, see the team march down Victory Hill to the stadium and then watch the Golden Band for Tigerland march down Victory Hill and play some LSU standards. The fans get really excited and kids love it. You want to be in the stadium for the pre-game – the band on the field playing Hold that Tiger – repeating the opening four bars to each corner of the stadium - most of us get a little misty just thinking about it. Mike the Tiger comes into the stadium in his trailer with the cheerleaders on top and circles the field – parking the trailer near the visiting team entrance. I once saw a Tulane player make the mistake of walking over to the trailer – when he got close Mike jumped at him and roared, the player fell down trying to back away – the crowd loved it – if I recall that was a game when we put 60+ on Tulane. I had the pleasure of having a press box pass in the early 70’s for a game against Notre Dame that LSU won. We beat the pretty soundly. In the fourth quarter reporters were trying to find out the last time Notre Dame had been shut out – but they did eventually score. But before they finally scored, Notre Dame had at least two or three 1st and goals and thought they could make it and never tried a field goal. They never scored in those tries and each time after the ball was turned over to LSU on downs you really could not hear yourself – even in the press box – it was that loud. I hope this helps. Even if it doesn’t, thanks for a chance to remember and share some great memories of LSU games. ldskule: ldskule: ldskule: ldskule:
Okay, somebody asked about politicians and facilities involved in Tiger athletics. This is a broad summary that I think is pretty unexaggerated and a fair summary. Huey Long was probably the most rabid LSU fan of all the politicians (though James Carville now does an admirable job of being a blind follower of the purple and gold). Long thought LSU should have the best and be the best of everything. So he did things like hire Robert Penn Warren to start the Southern Review and the LSU Press (for works of serious literature, criticism, etc), which was the first (and still may be the only) University Press to win a Pulitizer Prize. Along with this passion he hired Dana X Bible to coach LSU to a national championship (which Bible never did). But he thought Bible was a little conservative and he tried to call plays on the sideline and give pregame pep talks. He also led the Tiger Band on the field at halftime and wrote fight songs for LSU. When Long wanted to enlarge the stadium, the student body was expanding and the legislature felt that funds were more desperately needed for additional dorms. Well Huey Long built the dorms as the legislative budget required, but he built them in a funny curved and angle-roofed layout that just happened to be perfect for setting seats on top for stadium expansion. At least through the late 80's-early 90's the dorm rooms that constituted the stadium support were still in use. One season when LSU was scheduled to play Tennessee, Long felt that a strong Louisiana presence in Knoxville was needed. So, using powers he was familiar with from his days on the Railroad Commission he ordered a railroad to set aside a train for transporting students to Knoxville. When he felt the rates being charged were too high he reached an "understanding" with the railroad tha led them to lower the rates. Then he set up a system through some banks to "loan" LSU students money to ride the train to the game and pay for meals. Finally when LSU and Texas A&M were recruiting the same star player, the player indicated he preferred Texas A&M. At Long's direction the State Police kidnapped the player and held him in a hotel and the governor's mansion until he "saw the light" and signed to play for LSU.
1. The Food and fellowship, this is a time when race, creed, sex, doesnt matter its one of the most intergrated times during a weekend. 2. Just being in that stadium give you goose bumps, I took my wife home for the first time since we have been married (1 yr). We drove through BR that friday oft he Arkansas game, she took so many pictures she was just amazed at the stadium, she went to UCF, so she didnt have quite the experience I had. 3. I use live on Alaska Ln as a student, so i would walk up the street on game days and hit all the tailgates, while I had a case of Miller Light, getting food and conversation from tailgaters. 4.There is no place in the world like Louisiana, so much culture, food, traditions, people, history, essence, music, football, sports, parties. The list goes on and on. 5. Going to LSU is the greatest experience of my life. :geaux:
Some years ago Playboy Magazine did an article on the best tailgating universities. At the end of its article it had this postscript (Not an exact quote but very close.) "Readers will note that LSU was not on our list of best tailgating universities. That is because our editors decided to limit choices to amateurs, and when it comes to tailgating LSU fans are strictly professionals."
The noise in Tiger Stadium on Saturday night is legendary and led a sportscaster to name it "Deaf Valley." But a print guy did not hear it correctly and referred to it as "Death Valley" instead. The name stuck. Personally, I like Deaf Valley better. If it is hard to win in Tiger Stadium that is because of the noise level and fan intimidation (friendly) which can be horrendous. Before the game any visiting fans will be treated as royalty. All they have to do is drop by a tailgate party and they will be treated to the best culinary delights on the planet. But once they get into the stadium it is all business.
I KNOW!!! And I SOOO wish I could take any credit at all for it but it is a shortened version of lustiger327"s article from the Va Tech game on tigerreport.com. This is my favorite (in its entireity, my signature wasn't long enough to put it in) and the fan experience (that is what that segment was called right 327?) of the Gator game was my second, and third was his opinion after the Tulane game (that one was so funny I cried I laughed so hard!)
There is a certain pride that is beyond anything I've been around...I've lived amongst the Buckeyes, Gators, Hurricanes, Seminoles and Longhorns and Tiger fans are one of a kind. We run down another fan with LSU car flags or bumper stickers...honk at each other...stick our heads out the window and scream "Geaux Tigahhhs!"..I have been chased down in airports, shopping malls, car dealerships, bars/resturants,salons, and even on the other side of the world in Kuala Lumper, Malaysia.....hell some guy chased me down at Best Buy the day after Thanksgiving to show me his LSU tie b/c I had my jersey on...and when we meet these so called strangers, we become immediate friends b/c of the common bond we share...the love of Louisiana, LSU and Tiger athletics and a good tailgate!!
