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Mike the
Tiger
Louisiana State University
LSU is a member of the
NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic
Association) and the
Southeastern Conference. It fields
teams in 20 varsity sports (9 men's, 11 women's). Its official team
nickname is the Tigers; and Lady Tigers for women's teams that have
a male counterpart (the term "Bayou Bengals" is also heard at times,
but not officially recognized), and its school colors are purple and
gold. LSU's mascot refers to its
Confederate heritage, drawing from
the fame of two Louisiana brigades whose fierce fighting earned them
the nickname "the Louisiana Tigers." Based on winning percentage,
the University's athletics program is consistently one of the best
in the nation.
LSU Tigers football began in 1893,
with national championship wins in 1958 and 2003.
In 2006, the Tigers defeated Notre Dame in the
Sugarbowl, 41-14. They also beat
Arkansas,
Tennessee,
Mississippi State,
Ole Miss,
Alabama,
ULL,
Tulane,
Fresno State, and
Arizona. Their two losses were to
the national champion Florida Gators, and to Auburn. LSU ended the
season with the 10th ranked offense and 3rd ranked defense. Their
quarterback,
JaMarcus Russell, had the third
best passer rating. He decided to skip his senior year to go to the
NFL. He was the number one overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. Free
safety LaRon Landry, WR Dwayne Bowe, and WR Craig Davis also went in
the first round.
LSU's arenas include
Tiger Stadium (football, also known
as "Death Valley"),
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
(basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, also known as the PMAC),
Carl Maddox Fieldhouse (indoor track), Bernie Moore Stadium (outdoor
track), Tiger Park (softball), and
Alex Box Stadium (baseball).
LSU's Tiger Stadium is considered to be one of the
most action packed venues in all of college football. Nicknamed
"Death Valley" for the excruciating levels of sound from fans, the
stadium is legendary for the crowd noise generated by fans. It is
the sixth largest college football stadium in the nation and third
largest stadium in the SEC after Tennessee's Neyland Stadium and
Georgia's Sanford Stadium, holding 92,400 fans. Tiger Stadium is
generally considered one of the loudest and most electrifying
college football atmospheres in the country. During a nationally
televised game against Auburn in 2003, ESPN recorded a noise level
of 117 decibels at certain points in the game. Tiger Stadium was the
site of the legendary "Earthquake Game" against Auburn in 1988. LSU
won the game, 7-6, when quarterback Tommy Hodson completed a
game-winning touchdown pass to running back Eddie Fuller in the
waning seconds of the game. The crowd reaction registered on a
seismograph in the LSU Geology Department and is the only stadium
ever to do so. Also, in 2007 when the No. 1 ranked Tigers played the
No. 9 ranked Florida Gators, it was recorded that the noise level
was 122 decibels when the Tigers made a come-from-behind win in the
final minutes of the game.
Rivals include the traditional intrastate rival
Tulane Green Wave, SEC West rivals
Ole Miss Rebels,
Auburn Tigers,
Alabama Crimson Tide,
Arkansas Razorbacks and the SEC
East rival
Florida Gators.
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