BATON ROUGE — Cloudy skies and a steady drizzle couldn’t put a damper on LSU’s national championship celebration on Saturday as over 25,000 fans showed up for the hour-long event here in Tiger Stadium.
“You make Tiger Stadium the most special player in the world to play a football game,” LSU coach Nick Saban told the fans on Saturday. “This is the greatest place to be the coach of any place in the United States in any league.
“Everyone here today, everyone that supported this group of players, is a part of this team. You helped this team realize what it could accomplish. It is an accomplishment that none of us can ever forget and I know that it will be next year’s standard to try to repeat this.”
LSU’s celebration in Tiger Stadium came just a couple hours after the Tigers participated, along with Southern University, in the Parade of Champions in downtown Baton Rouge. An estimated 75,000 fans lined the streets in downtown to show their support for the Tigers, champions of the BCS, and the Jaguars, the Black College National Champions.
The parade culminated on the steps of the state capitol where both teams were presented keys to the city.
In Tiger Stadium, LSU fans were treated to a pre-game performance by the Golden Band from Tigerland followed by the introduction of the team and coaching staff.
After remarks from Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu along with LSU System President Jenkins, Chancellor Emmert, and Athletic Director Skip Bertman, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive presented Saban with the SEC championship trophy.
That presentation was followed by the awarding of the Nokia Sugar Bowl trophy by Sugar Bowl executive director Paul Hoolihan.
Saban was then presented trophies for winning three national coach of the year awards, which included the Associated Press National Coach of the Year, the Bear Bryant Award and the Eddie Robinson Award.
“To receive an honor like this, these trophies have to be split up many, many ways,” Saban said. “First of all, we have a great administration and we have a great coaching staff, which has done a phenomenal job of working with the players. But most of all, these trophies should be split up about 120 different ways, because every player, regardless of what his role was on our team this year, trusted each other, respected each other and was responsible for their own self-determination.
“This is the hardest-working, best chemistry team I’ve ever been associated with.”
The ADT National Championship Trophy was then presented to Saban along with captains Michael Clayton and Matt Mauck.
“When I was a senior in high school, I came to the opening game and the stadium wasn’t quite as full and I was a little skeptical where I was going to school,” Clayton said. “I didn’t know where I wanted to go. I was going to go to either Florida State or Miami (Fla.), but I came back to a game when LSU played Tennessee (in 2000). The Tigers won that game in overtime, and I was sitting right up there (pointing) when I saw the 90,000 fans from the stadium charge the field. I knew then that I wanted to be a part of something special.
“It has been that way since I have been here for three years playing under Coach Saban. It has been an honor, and I speak on behalf of the whole football team in everything we wanted to do, we dedicated to Jeff Boss’ family. We were dedicated to success. One of the highlights this season wasn’t to win a national championship. That wasn’t our goal. Our goal was to play like champions and we did that this year. Next year, Coach Saban I won’t be here but the Tigers will be running again for another national championship. I promise you that.”
The hoisting of the 2003 National Championship flag in the north endzone capped the activities.
“We couldn’t be more proud of this football team, these coaches, and these young men for what they have accomplished, for what they’ve done,” Emmert said. “They have done this with class, with character, with dignity, and with integrity. They have represented this university, this state, and all of the tiger nation with great enthusiasm. We owe an enormous debt of thanks.”