September 25, 2003
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of LSU Athletics
FROM: Skip Bertman, LSU Athletics Director
This Week:
- GameDay Recap: LSU vs. Georgia
- Soccer Update
- Stadium Club Update
- PMAC Roof Update
- Help Make LSU Better
The LSU football team beat the Georgia Bulldogs last Saturday by a score of 17-10. But that was just part of the story that made Sept. 20, 2003, one of the great days in LSU sports history.
An estimated crowd of up to 115,000 people were on the LSU campus, a record 92,251 of which wedged into Death Valley for the nationally televised game.
Millions of CBS viewers nationwide saw that Tiger Stadium can be just as intimidating in the day light as it is after dark. And millions more watched ESPN Gameday originate all day from the LSU campus.
The scene outside the PMAC was one to behold as an estimated 12,000 fans arrived early to show their spirit to the Gameday audience. The Tiger Band sent a contingent to entertain the fans while the show was broadcast, and when Lee Corso picked LSU to win by donning a Tiger head, North Stadium Drive exploded.
And the game was still three and a half hours from kickoff.
The ESPN Gameday crew said it was the largest crowd they’ve ever had for a show that wasn’t broadcast from inside a stadium, and it was easily the most enthusiastic. They thanked us for making them feel at home and promised to return soon.
Inside the stadium, our fans rocked and cheered the Tigers to victory, while another 20,000 to 25,000 fans stayed in the parking lots to watch the game from their tailgate locations. We welcome those fans to campus, because LSU football is more than just the game. It is a daylong celebration of our University.
At the end of the game, a most remarkable event occurred: no one rushed the field and the goalposts stayed in place. This is a sure sign that our football program has come of age. There’s no doubt our fans took great joy in the victory, but it was a statement that there are bigger wins still to come and championships still to be won.
Our reports tell us that Tiger fans did more to help clean up the campus this week than ever before. Trash cans were full and our Litter Getters passed out more trash bags than at any previous game. Over 53 tons of garbage was removed from campus after the Georgia game. I can’t thank our fans enough for taking ownership of the campus and helping to keep it among the most beautiful in the country.
All in all it was a great day for LSU and you, our fans. Tiger fans make a difference. While fans won’t win or lose a football game on the field, they can put their team in a high percentage situation by influencing the atmosphere of the event, and that’s exactly what you did last Saturday.
SOCCER
Congratulations to our LSU soccer team which is off to a 7-1-1 start. Coach George Fotopoulos‘ team has allowed just six goals this season, making the Tigers a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. Mark your calendar for October 10, LSU’s next home match and the SEC season opener against Ole Miss. The match starts at 7 p.m., so come out the eve of the Florida football game, have fun, and watch some great soccer action.
STADIUM CLUB
Don’t forget that the deadline is approaching for applications for the Stadium Club, scheduled to open in 2005. The Stadium Club will consist of over 3,000 new seats on three levels on the west side of Tiger Stadium. Stadium Club members will enjoy a separate entrance gate and high speed elevator access to their seats. Two dining areas of over 4,800 square feet each will feature catered meals and beverages, plus closed circuit large screen televisions and spacious restrooms. The deadline for applications is October 15 of this year, so call (225) 578-7787 or log on to LSUsports.net to apply.
PMAC ROOF
As announced earlier this year, the roof of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center will be repaired. The project will be funded with state funds and, unfortunately, the cumbersome bid process has delayed the project and costs are higher than projected. Repairs, which we had hoped would begin in August, are now scheduled to commence in late October.
MAKING LSU BETTER
We want your feedback. We are discussing a number of ideas to make LSU Athletics better and we want to hear from you.
We are discussing holding a post-game concert outside the stadium to provide entertainment for fans who may want to wait out the traffic. We are discussing adding live traffic reports to our pre-game and post-game radio shows. We are discussing moving kickoff to 6 p.m. for games after Daylight Savings Time ends in future years. This would allow more time for post-game traffic to clear out, yet still begin the game after dark (REMEMBER: this would NOT go into affect this season).
Give us your thoughts on these and other ideas you might have. The 6 p.m. kickoff idea came from a fan as a direct result of these Cyber-side Chats. I cannot promise a response to every e-mail we receive, but they are all read. So write to us at LSUvision@etigers.net and tell us how we can make LSU Athletics better for you.