Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Football Operations Center
- Donate to the Tiger Athletic Foundation
- About the Nutrition Center and Football Operations Center Renovation
TAF President Rick Perry:
“Somebody did a very nice job with the weather today. I don’t know who to thank, but whomever it is, thanks a lot!
What a wonderful day. This has been about seven years in the making since the first seed was planted about the nutrition center and working towards this. This is a culmination of a lot of people’s effort and a great deal of work and I think when you get to see the facility, you’ll be quite impressed. I want to thank some folks who are here today; our contractor Arkel, the folks from HNTB, and Remson | Haley | Herpin Architects. The folks at Facility Services and PDC at LSU who we work so closely with and all the help they give us as we go through these projects. Of course the members of the Board of Supervisors that are here today and give us so much support and guidance, we appreciate all you do for us. The administration, Dr. (F. King) Alexander and everyone that helps us in so many ways to accomplish the many things that we want to do to help our student athletes and students at LSU. The Athletic Department, Scott Woodward and the gang and everyone, a team that we work with on a daily basis, and that’s how we get things accomplished. We also thank Coach Orgeron and his staff.
Probably some of y’all have had to live through a renovation of your home, and had to deal with that for a year and what that means. Think about moving an entire operation the size of football for a year and still having to do everything you normally do, and guess what? Go on to win ten games that year. Pretty great accomplish when you think about it. Coach, great job.
I also want to thank some folks from our side at Tiger Athletic Foundation. Mr. Brian Cheramie, our current chairman, is here and also a number of members of our Tiger Athletic Foundation board. I want to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to our organization. The TAF staff, these folks put in untold and tireless hours to try and help LSU and take these projects so that we can help the young people that our mission says we are here to benefit.
Finally, I want to thank the very generous donors. Without them, none of this happens. It’s their love of this institution and love of this program that has made this possible. Thank you very much.”
LSU Athletics Director Scott Woodward
“As Rick mentioned, this is a great day and we’re here to say thanks. I want to begin by thanking those in attendance and our honored guests. One in particular who couldn’t be here today is Governor (John Bel) Edwards, who is a huge supporter of LSU and all of our student athletes. In his place, Commissioner Jay Dardenne, who everyone knows if you cut him he bleeds purple and gold. Jay thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule for being here today. Our august leader, President Alexander, who needs no introduction. Thank you for all your support and help for this wonderful project. Members of the Board of Supervisors, past and present, and current leadership James Williams and our athletic chair Valencia Jones, thank you for being here today. This is nice of you to come out.
Rick Perry, thank you and your predecessor General Ron Richard for coming out. My predecessor Joe Alleva, wherever you are Joe thanks for being here and having the great leadership to show for doing this facility with everyone involved. Thank you to all of our athletic staff, partners and vendors. And thank you to, as Rick said, our most important people. The people that really care and make this place function, our donors. Without their generous support, help, and commitment to LSU, we couldn’t do this and be who we are today.
As I mentioned this is a day to celebrate a great accomplishment at LSU, and I’m not just talking about this spectacular facility. Yes, this is the finest facility in the nation. It has the very best of everything. The very best technology, best equipment, best infrastructure, and that’s important for all of us who compete at the highest level coach, and is absolutely necessary. What I wanted to say is that we’re also celebrating the student athlete and the unique promise we make to them. When you come to LSU, the entirety of who you are is going to be cared for, not just your performance on the field. Everything here is purposely designed for the long term health and well-being of world class student-athletes. Their physical and mental health, their academic study, nutrition, training, rest and recovery. It’s truly innovative. It’s mind, body, and spirit that we look at, and it’s mind, body, and spirit that’s going to make us proud at LSU.
Again, this is a celebration for all of LSU. Thank you all for being here, and Geaux Tigers.”
LSU President Dr. F. King Alexander
“Thank you once again for being here. I’d like to also recognize a number of our board of supervisors that are here. Certainly our Chairman, James Williams. Certainly just recognize chair elect Mary Werner coming in as the new chair. Welcome back to campus Remy Starns. Jay Blossman has joined us. The Valencia Sarpy Jones is chair of our athletic committee, Lee Mallett is here as well. Lee, thank you for being here. Ricky Brazzel, our student leader, Ricky, I saw you in here. There you are, came down from Alexandria and LSUA. Robert Dampf’s here. So we appreciate all your great support and what you’ve done to help us build what we’re building throughout the campus.
This is a great day and I’d like to thank Brian Cheramie and Rick Perry and all the TAF donors who made this happen. Many of you guys, probably the vast majority of you, have supported both athletics and academics on our campus on both sides of Nicholson, Dr. And we were thrilled that you’ve been able to support so much so consistently for our university as we go forward. Somebody particularly I’d like to take this opportunity to recognize and it’s the first public opportunity we had to do this. But certainly governor john Bel Edwards and Commissioner Dardenne right there. Let me share with you what Commissioner Dardenne and Governor Edwards passed in this budget for us, this capital project. Capital project, the Huey P. Long renovation of the old Field House, $20 million in renovation. The renovation of the art studio, $13 million of the art studio renovation. Memorial Tower $5 million additional to the renovation of the memorial tower right in the heart of campus, Stevens and veterinary medicine clinic $5 million additionally, as well as numerous approvals. It is rare that we’ve had this kind of capital success.
Commissioner Dardenne and your administrative staff, as well as the governor, we thank you for what’s going to be happening on this campus. In addition to being the best of what we are right here in football and athletics. We want to be the best in everything. We want to win Heisman trophies and Butkus Awards. But we also want Nobel prizes. And that’s what great public universities do. They do as many things as possible, and they do them as best they possibly can. And that’s what we’re striving to achieve for every student athlete and striving to achieve for every student on this great university campus. We look forward to working with you to address many of the challenges that go forward. We will keep doing and expecting to be the best in the classroom, in the laboratory, on the basketball court, on the baseball diamond and on the football field. So Thank TAF. Thank you TAF. Thank the construction workers for always getting this accomplished right before school starts, or before practice starts. We know what a challenge that is, as we were worried to death, about the 1600 apartments being ready to two summers ago in August, right before move-in day. So we appreciate the construction workers and the architects, and everybody that made this great feat possible for this university.
We’re about raising expectations on every side of campus and everything we do, This sets a new expectation for what football is going to be who we’re going to recruit and how we’re going to keep excelling in each and everything we do here at LSU. So congratulations to everybody and Geaux Tigers.”
LSU Football Head Coach Ed Orgeron
“What a great day for the LSU Tigers. I want to thank every LSU Tiger that wore the purple and gold that practiced on the practice field they had, that dressed in the locker rooms that they had, never blinked and set the standard for what we want to be at LSU. I want to thank all the coaches before us that worked so hard on this football field and football stadium to get us the legacy we have today.
I wish you could have seen our football player. You saw on the internet when we opened up that locker room, it was like Christmas. All that they said was that you come to LSU and deserve the very best. I want to thank the board, I want to thank the governor, I want to thank Joe, Scott, the president, everybody. All the donors. We had them all in the room and presented a nice power point t those guys. Those guys were proud. In fact, those guys wanted to donate more. It’s been a wonderful time.
It’s been a wonderful time to see the joy, to see the excitement in our players’ faces. They worked at South Stadium and it was a tremendous year for us that was about character, about grit, it’s about being great LSU Tigers. Now, all the recruits want to come see it. This is the best facility in the country and we deserve to give you as coaching staff and a football team the very best.
I want to thank everybody for being in attendance today. Thank you for all you’ve done. I want to that the construction people for the work they’ve done. They’ve done a wonderful job, but also thank you in advance for having my practice field ready for next week. Geaux Tigers!”