Something Nice - LSU They've hosted everything from Olympic events to the Rolling Stones, but that's not what they're famous for. What they're known for can be summed up in two words: SEC FOOTBALL. The football stadiums of the Southeastern Conference are cathedrals to the masses who claim Southern football to be a religion. To many, these venues are regarded as shrines. These places that were first introduced to us by parents or grandparents are now lovingly being introduced to our children. With reverence and passion we tell the stories of men named Cannon, Bryant, Sullivan and Tarkenton. We point out which endzone Steve Spurrier kicked the game winning field goal to beat Auburn back in 1966. Or we make a point of saying where we were sitting when Herschel Walker ran wild over Vanderbilt in 1980. Hundreds of memories like these rush through our minds each time we enter our school's stadium. With this year's edition of Something Nice I'll take you on a trip to each of the 12 SEC members campus stadiums. I'll try to tell you about the stadium's history, it's unique features and it's memorable games. I'll also take a look at how the Gators have fared over the years in each of the stadiums. As I said last year, now is the time for me to try to be nice to my SEC brethren. I'll try to extend an olive branch by writing about one of their most treasured possessions, their home field. So sit back and enjoy a voyage around the SEC, because once Labor Day rolls around, if you're not wearing orange and blue or don't have an alligator on your shirt, I might not be so nice. SOMETHING NICE '98 (Part 1) LSU "Encircling itself, high and in the air like a fortress abandoned during some particularly bloody age, towers the most ferocious address in Louisiana" - John Logue Tiger Stadium is magnificent (I told you this would be something nice)! I've never been to the Colosseum in Rome (mainly because they don't play college football there), but I have a feeling that Tiger Stadium would blow it away. Walking around the stadium you get the feeling that it's been there almost as long as that place in Rome, but in actuality it's only 75 years old. Prior to it's construction, the Tigers played on a spot that is now where the Louisiana State Capitol resides. In the early 20's the school realized it was getting to big for it's downtown Baton Rouge location and decided to move to a large tract of land south of the city. The University's first construction on the new land was a livestock judging pavilion. The second building was Tiger Stadium (LSU's priorities are all screwed up. The first building should have been the football stadium). The stadium, which consisted of East and West side stands, opened on November 25, 1924, with Tulane knocking off the Tigers in front of a crowd of 12,000. The first major expansion was in the early 30's. LSU's Athletic business manager, T.P. Heard (who also introduced night football to LSU), found LSU president James Smith had $250,000 earmarked to build new dorms. Heard suggested enclosing the North Endzone and building the dorms in the new part of the stadium. Smith went for the idea and for a time in the mid-30's Tiger Stadium was the largest stadium in the South. The next big enlargement might be the most entertaining. In 1950 LSU needed money for their New Orleans med. school and for a new campus library. Some Tiger boosters were pushing for another stadium expansion. A bill was passed in the state's legislator that would give 6 million dollars towards the three projects. T.P. Heard, by this time the schools A.D., somehow got the bill's sponsors to put the three projects on the bill in order of priority. When the bill was finally passed. The med school was listed as priority one and the stadium number two ahead of the library. The med school got over half of the $6 million, with the stadium expansion getting the second biggest share, a whopping 1.5 million (The Korean War was in full swing and hiked up the price of steel). The library was issued only $800,000 (the estimated cost was around 4 million). Heard got his new seats, but in 1954 the university relieved him of his duties. To this day some still refer to the South endzone as the library. An upper deck added in 1978 and additional club seats flanking the press box brought the stadium up to it's current capacity of 78,000. The Gators have fared pretty well in Tiger Stadium, and currently hold a 12-11 edge. Their first win Baton Rouge came in 1956. The 1964 game was pushed back to November 28th because of a threat of a hurricane around the original date. The Steve Spurrier led Gators eventually defeated the Tigers 20-6 in a game played in frigid temperatures on the bayou. In a weird period from 1980-1986, the home team didn't win a game in the series. That streak was halted when the Tigers defeated UF 13-10 in 1987. The Gators drove deep into Tiger territory late in the game, but missed a game tying field goal in the last second. UF got revenge two years later when the Gators kicked a field goal as time expired to win 16-13. On the game's next to last play, UF quarterback Kyle Morris had thrown a pass out of bounds to stop the clock (this was pre-spiking the ball). The stadium clock showed :00 and the LSU crowd had thought the game was over, but the referee put one second back on the clock thus allowing the Gators a chance to win. That win started a four game win streak in Baton Rouge for UF that was finally snapped with the Tiger's upset win over the #1 ranked Gators last October. I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about one certain aspect of the whole Tiger Stadium experience, tailgating. I've been fortunate enough to have tailgated in such places as South Bend, Columbus, and Happy Valley, as well as throughout the Southeast, but without a doubt there is no tailgate scene anywhere like the one in Baton Rouge. On gameday Saturday, on just about every square inch of the LSU campus, you'll find someone partying. Not just the run of the mill partying mind you, but professional tailgating. I saw at least five DSS dishes set up so the revelers could watch other games. There are two things I make sure I bring with me when I go to a game there, my ticket and a fistful of Rolaids. Through the years Tiger stadium has played host to some amazing games. -Billy Cannons 89 yard punt return to defeat Ole Miss 7-3 in 1959. -The 1972 game against Ole Miss where the Tigers were able to get off four plays in the games final 10 seconds to win 17-16. -In 1988, Eddie Fuller's 4th down touchdown reception in the games waning moments set off such a thunderous crowd reaction that it caused an earth tremor that registered on the university's Geology Department's seismograph. It is known as The Night The Tigers Moved The Earth. -Last years victory over the Gators is known as The Night The Goalposts Came Down (I refer to it as The Night Jeff Brown Got The Hell Out Of Town). The goalpost came down with amazing speed. I was looking toward the endzone closest to the LSU student section thinking this would be the first post down, when I glanced to my left and saw the other one fall. It took maybe five seconds for both of them to topple. Regardless of the outcome of that game there was one good memory that came out of the contest. The sunsetting over the West stands was something to behold. It added to a great college football setting. And that's just what Tiger Stadium is, a great college football setting.