LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I-A college football. The team, currently coached by Les Miles, has consistently been one of the most successful programs in the nation since it began playing football in 1893. Past coaches include Paul Dietzel, Charles McClendon and Nick Saban. LSU's Tiger Stadium has a capacity of 92,600 and is the sixth largest on-campus stadium in the nation.[1] The Tigers played their first game against Tulane in 1893, in what was the beginning of a major rivalry.
| Year founded: 1893 | |||||
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| City | Baton Rouge, Louisiana | ||||
| Team Colors | Purple and gold | ||||
| Head Coach | Les Miles | ||||
| Home Stadium | Tiger Stadium | ||||
| League/Conference affiliations | |||||
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| Team history | |||||
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| National Championships (2)
1958, 2003 | |||||
| Conference Championships (12)
1896, 1908, 1932, 1935, 1936, 1958, 1961, 1970, 1986, 1988, 2001, 2003 | |||||
| SEC Western Division Championships (5)
1997, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 | |||||
National Championships
The NCAA's website states that "while the NCAA does not conduct a national championship in Division I-A football and is not involved in the selection process," it states that "a number of polling organizations provide a final ranking of Division I-A football teams at the end of each season." LSU officially claims only two national championships (1958 & 2003), however, the school has been recognized as national champions by polling organizations on 4 additional occasions: 1908, 1935, 1936 and 1962.[2]
Seasons
| LSU Tigers Football Seasons | |
| 1890s | 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 |
| 1900s | 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 |
| 1910s | 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 |
| 1920s | 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 |
| 1930s | 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 |
| 1940s | 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 |
| 1950s | 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 |
| 1960s | 1960 1961 1962 1963 1954 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 |
| 1970s | 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 |
| 1980s | 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 |
| 1990s | 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 |
| 2000s | 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 |
- The Tigers did not field a team in 1918.
Famous moments in LSU football history
Bluegrass Miracle (2002 @ Kentucky Wildcats)
Earthquake Game (1988 vs. Auburn Tigers)
Billy Cannon's Halloween Night Run (1959 vs. Ole Miss Rebels)
LSU Upsets #1 Florida (1997)
Sugar Bowl (2004) - LSU wins the BSC national championship (for the 2003 season) defeating the Oklahoma Sooners (21-14) at the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana; the location essentially made this a home game for the Tigers.
Rivals
LSU's traditional rival is Tulane University (in a series in which they battle each other for the Tiger Rag). However, after Tulane left the SEC and de-emphasized athletics, the rivalry has diminished. The two teams renewed the rivalry in 2006. LSU's traditional rival in the SEC is Ole Miss. This rivalry has declined for various reasons, including a perceived lack of competitiveness. Since the decline of the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry, LSU has not developed an intense football rivalry with a single school. LSU now has four primary football rivalries: Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and the Florida Gators.
- Arkansas - In 1992, Arkansas joined the SEC and began a yearly rivalry with the winner taking home the Golden Boot, a trophy in the shape of the states of Arkansas and Louisiana that resembles a boot. The game, played the day after Thanksgiving, is usually the last regular season game for each team and is broadcast on CBS. In 2002 the rivalry took on higher stakes as the winner of the game would go on to represent the Western Division of the SEC in the SEC Championship Game. Arkansas won the exciting game on a last second touchdown pass by Matt Jones.
- Auburn - In recent years, however, LSU's biggest rival has come in the form of the Auburn Tigers. The two share more than just a nickname, as they have both enjoyed success in the SEC's Western Division. Auburn or LSU have won at least a share of the SEC Western Division championship for five of the last six years.
- Alabama - Since 1992's conference alignment, LSU and Alabama have played every year. This has increased an existing rivalry between these two traditional football powerhouses.
- Florida - The expansion of the SEC in 1992 brought about scheduling changes which provided for LSU and Florida to play each other every year in what has become an exciting rivalry for fans of both sides.
Traditions
White Jerseys- Traditionally collegiate football teams wear colored uniforms at home games, and white jersey on the road. However, LSU nearly always wears white jerseys in Tiger Stadium, requesting visiting teams to wear their colored jerseys. For various reasons, LSU occasionally wears purple jerseys at home games.
Band Entrance
Chinese Bandits
Tailgating
Hall of Famers
The following LSU players and coaches are members of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Players
| Player | Position | Years | Induction |
|---|---|---|---|
Coaches
| Coach | Years | Induction |
|---|---|---|
All-Americans
The following players were selected as members of the College Football All-America Team.
Other Prominent Players
Head coaches
References
- ^ LSUSports.net Tiger Stadium
- ^ NCAA.org Past Division I-A Football National Champions