Grew up in Louisiana. My mother graduated from LSU. Listened to every Tiger game on radio as a kid. Freshman at LSU when Bert Jones was a Senior. What a QB. Also was Dale Brown's first year. Good Times! Left La. about the time the baseball team started winning ('91). Thank God for Nick Saban. Go Tigers!
I grew up in North Louisiana, and I kinda wanted to get away from home a little bit, so Louisiana Tech, the closest to home, was out of the question. Tech was also not very strong in my chosen field of study (physical geography). I knew if I went to Tech that, unless I majored in mechanical engineering or something like that, I would never get out of north Louisiana. LSU was far enough away and in a big enough and diverse enough city to give me a taste of "the outside world," but close enough to home that I could have a safety net if I needed it. Made a lot of sacrifices to go to LSU, and not just financially. It's cost family time, strained friendships, and I lost a girl that I really thought was "the One" at the time. But it's almost over. I graduate in August. And I wouldn't have traded these four years for anything in the world, and if I had it to do all over again, I would without hesitation. The good has far outweighed the bad, I've made friends here that have made my life better and that I'll stick with (and they with me) forever, and I've gotten a top-notch education that will serve me well. I was one of four in my graduating class that went to LSU. I could've played it safe and stayed close to home, but I chose to take a chance and walk the road less traveled. And despite all the hardships, I honestly feel I am the better for it. God definitely guided me to make the right choice. I regret many things, but my choice of school isn't one of them. I will always be proud to be a Fightin' Tiger.
from Leesville, which generated numerous LSU players some of which are very notable like Cecil "Diesel" Collins, K. Mawae (Perennial Pro Bowl Center), J. Mawae (R.I.P.), E. Fuller (Earthquake game), V. Fuller, R. Smoot and now the newest product is K. Zinger #89, who saw significant playing time as a true freshman at TE. '96 Cowboy 2nd rounder Kavika Pittman, who was suppose to be the next Charles Haley and currently on the Panthers roster, also would've went to LSU if he hadn't got into trouble and had to settle for McNeese St. Him and Gabe Northern would've made an interesting DE combo for the '95 team that beat Saban's Spartans in the Independence Bowl.
Anybody here not from La, and never lived in La? When I first got to LSU, when I would meet people from other places from all over the country and sometimes the world - I would always ask, why LSU? The ones that had no affiliation to LSU through family or ties to La, usually came here for the party reputation or the sports. Before I came to LSU I always thought of it as just an instate school, that nobody from the rest of the country knew about us - but after one year at LSU, I don't have to ask Why LSU? Now I just tell them that they made the right choice.
Cparso, where are you originally from? I grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana and was an LSU fan from as far back as I can remember. I use to skip work just to watch LSU games. There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to be a Tiger. I didn't submit applications to any other school. I am now a proud LSU almuni and I loved every minute of my college experience in Baton Rouge.
I am from Mandeville, La - near Slidell. I never watched any sports or anything growing up, and my mom & dad's families were a** backwards, the only ones that made it to college all went to McNeese. I had good grades and ACT score, so I knew I wanted to go somewhere better. Everybody at my highschool loved LSU and most of my graduating class came here, but alot of them had parents who were alumni or grew up watching LSU with their parents. I didn't know anything about LSU until early senior year when I had to start thinking about where I wanted to go.
Believe it or not, I had never even heard of LSU until I was in the 10th grade. I grew up in Texas, and it was all about whether you were going to A&M or Univ. of Texas. I had decided when I was a small kid that I was going to Texas, and I had never questioned that decision. By senior year I had auditioned for the music department, put down a deposit on the dorm room and signed up to room with my best friend. One of my teachers was an LSU alum and convinced me to go visit LSU just so I would have something to compare to. I just knew I was a Longhorn until I visited LSU with my dad late in my senior year of high school. I went to the band hall to listen to a band rehearsal before my audition with the band director. The students welcomed me and invited me to sit in on the rehearsal with them, and everyone was so friendly. People at UT had been nice, but people at LSU made me feel at home. I loved the campus and the atmosphere, and I went home that day a Tiger!
I grew up in Baton Rouge, and there was really no other option for me. I was going to college and it was going to be LSU...end of story. I got literature from Alabama and Ole Miss, but I never really even looked at another school.
Third generation LSU graduate, with both of my parents as LSU alumni. I was 50/50 between LSU and Vanderbilt, and decided to stay at home. It all seems to have worked out since I have only missed one football game since '92. Oh yeah, I met my wife while I was LSU, too.
