Guess who’s turning 100 this fall?
Tiger Stadium.
That’s me. Betcha didn’t know I could talk, did you?
I’m pretty chatty on a football Saturday, but you can never hear me over 102,321 mostly alcohol-fueled fans.
I question our head coaches a lot. I remember when Les Miles coached here. It seemed like every game, I’d start a sentence with “What in the hell is Les Miles doing. . .”
Like in the 2007 game vs. Auburn. LSU was well in range for a game-winning field goal with eight seconds left. That’s when I said, “What the hell is Les Miles doing throwing for the end zone?” Demetrius Byrd caught a 22-yard TD pass with one second left for a 30-24 LSU victory.
I’m like any other old guy. My waistline has vastly expanded from when I was born in November 1924. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve had some cosmetic work done over the years, such as this summer’s installation of new video boards you can view from Mars, new speaker towers that reach Defcon 1 level and new LED lights for in-game light shows.
Truthfully, I’m not much for bells and whistles. To me, the show is always the Tigers. They create the noise and the passion, not recorded songs on a soundtrack. They’re why they are 451-156-18 in my Cajun cathedral of pigskin.
I’m exceptionally excited this season because four of seven games I’m hosting are first-time visitors – Nicholls State, UCLA, South Alabama and Oklahoma, one of SEC’s two new members.
Just last week, Oklahoma starting quarterback Jackson Arnold said the stadium he’s looking forward most to visit for the first time is me.
“Never played there, never been there at night, so I’m super pumped about it,” Arnold said.
Jackson, I appreciate the respect and your anticipation. But I’ll do everything to make your life a living hell for three hours.
I can be the loudest place on the planet, like when the crowd noise registered on a seismograph on the LSU campus when Eddie Fuller caught the game-winning TD vs. Auburn in 1988.
My favorite quote about me was from South Carolina receiver Bruce Ellington. He said, “It was barely so loud I couldn’t read the signals (from the sideline). My eyes were vibrating.”
I really LOVE that.
Something else that makes me unique is I am one of three major college programs (Florida State and Washington State are the others) that have old-school H-style uprights anchored two goalposts rather than one.
My goalposts have been torn down a few times by our fans celebrating a monumental victory, like our only home win ever vs. a No. 1 ranked team in 1997 vs. defending national champion Florida.
I was told late in that game LSU’s game operation manager John Symank went to athletic director Joe Dean’s press box suite with concerns students would rush the field and tear down the goalposts when the game ended.
“WE’RE GONNA BEAT THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE COUNTRY,” Dean roared. “I WANT THEM TO TEAR THE DAMNED THINGS DOWN.”
I’ve hosted visiting teams that included 13 Heisman Trophy winners, 8 eventual national champions, 4 future Super Bowl MVPs and 12 future NFL No. 1 overall draft picks.
The list of memories runs deep.
I’ve seen a grown man (LSU QB/DB Y.A. Tittle) get his belt buckle ripped off when he made an interception vs. Ole Miss in 1947 and attempted to hold up his pants while running. Ole Miss defender Barney Poole later said, “I was never told how to tackle a guy with his pants down.”
I’ve seen a dapperly dressed head coach (Ole Miss’ Johnny Vaught) with two huge mud spots on his suit pants after he sunk to his knees in the mud when LSU’s Billy Cannon ran past him on his famous Halloween Night 1959 game-winning 89-yard punt return.
Twice, I hosted the head coaching debuts of Paul Dietzel in 1955 (as LSU’s coach) and in 1966 (as South Carolina’s coach). Guess which game he was welcomed with a crescendo of boos?
I saw an LSU receiver (Carlos Carson) catch five TD passes in his college starting debut in 1977 vs. Rice on an offense that would finish the season with just 12 TD passes.
I witnessed a Tigers’ center (T-Bob Hebert) win a football game in 2010 by prematurely snapping the ball over the head of his quarterback just before time expired ending the game drawing a too many men on the field penalty from Tennessee’s defense. LSU scored the game-winning TD on the extra play it received due to UT’s penalty.
I teared up watching my season-ticket holders greet each other with extended hugs and tears of relief at my rescheduled Monday night 2005 season opener vs. Tennessee following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita hitting South Louisiana in a 26-day span.
I saw LSU’s perfect 15-0 national championship team average 48.3 points in six home games. A year ago, I was dazzled when LSU’s eventual Heisman winner Jayden Daniels’ torched Florida in a 52-35 win with his SEC record 606 yards total offense.
Starting my 100th year, I’m hoping for the only wacky thing I have yet to see.
The Tigers win with a drop-kick field goal as time expires.
Hey, it COULD happen.
Contact Ron at ronhigginsmedia@gmail.com