Dear Tiger Fan,
A new athletic year brings with it renewed optimism for schools all over the country, but at LSU there is a unique level of enthusiasm as the first kickoff draws near.
This season is a little different for LSU football as we play our first two games on the road. The season opener in Atlanta against North Carolina is one of a series of games we have added to bolster our non-conference schedule. We also play West Virginia this season, and when you add an SEC schedule that features two Top Five opponents, this will be one of LSU’s most challenging schedules in years. Our players will need a strong show of support from the Tiger Nation at home and on the road again this season to tackle this grueling lineup of opponents.
Soon, we will be making another exciting announcement about next year’s season opener.
The first home game of the year always comes with great anticipation and this year we will open Tiger Stadium with an SEC game against Mississippi State in our annual Gold Game. Help us light up Death Valley for an ESPNU national telecast by wearing gold on September 18.
Speaking of Death Valley, we recently launched a fund-raising program to replace the broken and deteriorating windows that surround Tiger Stadium. We are starting with the north end of the stadium and hope to have some windows replaced by the home opener. Tiger Stadium is one of the world’s great sports venues and it’s up to us to take care of it for future generations.
The window project is the first step in renovating the North Stadium Drive area where thousands of fans gather every Saturday night to see the Tigers and the Golden Band from Tigerland march to the stadium. North Stadium Drive is one of the primary entrances to campus and it should be a showpiece for the entire university.
Creating an attractive gateway past the stadium onto campus is an example of what a good athletics program can mean for a university. LSU as an institution is going through some very difficult financial times right now. The university has already been handed three budget reductions over the course of the last 20 months and could face catastrophic cuts next summer. LSU is one of America’s great universities, but it is facing serious challenges. Just like you support our football players in great numbers, we need you to stand up and support the university and its mission of educating our leaders of tomorrow.
You can take pride in the fact that the LSU athletics program, as cited by USA Today, is one of only two programs in the entire country that takes no state tax dollars and no student fees and contributes back to the university. In addition, a successful athletics program produces good will and creates a positive spirit for the entire campus. LSU is in need of something good to happen, and hopefully this athletic year will bring more championships and more great memories.
We hope you will be there with us every step of the way. Whether you attend the games or listen on the radio or watch on TV or follow on the internet, you and other Tiger fans are what separate LSU from the rest of the great athletic programs in the country. No school has fans as passionate as LSU fans.
As always, we welcome your comments at athletics@lsu.edu. Unfortunately we cannot answer every e-mail we receive, but please be assured they are all read.
Geaux Tigers!
Joe Alleva
Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics