Tiger Stadium, aka ‘Death Valley’
Built – 1924
Capacity – 102,321
Record Capacity – 102,321 (2014)
Tiger Stadium has been one of the toughest places to earn wins as opposing teams for a very long time. Not only do opposing teams have to run out of the tunnel past Mike the Tiger, at 700-pound Bengal Tiger before dealing with the quality football teams in one of the loudest environments in the sport but are fighting an adversary that they literally cannot defeat; sunset. ‘When the sun sets on the western sky’ and the one hundred thousand LSU fans become part of ‘a Saturday night in Death Valley’ the scene has been described as indescribable by some of the greatest wordsmiths in modern history.
Legend has it that in 1988 against Auburn, a touchdown pass in the final seconds triggered an interesting reading in the nearby Louisiana Geological Survey earning the game ‘The Earthquake Game’ label. LSU and Tiger Stadium were one of the first stadiums in the South to have games at night with the Tigers having played home night games for over 75 years. They’ve had some success playing at night with a record of 201-59-3 since 1960.
LSU is in a little bit a feud over the ‘Death Valley’ moniker with the Clemson Tigers who also call their stadium ‘Death Valley’. Both environments are tough on visitors but there is just something about being in the swamps of Louisiana around the fun-loving, loud but passionate Cajuns that make up the LSU fan base. Everything about Tiger Stadium is great. From the Tiger habitat across the street from the Stadium where Mike lives, to the giant tiger eye painted on the field, to the legendary tailgate food that surrounds the stadium on game days, there is nothing quite like Saturdays on the bayou at Tiger Stadium. It doesn’t hurt that the team has been one of the best in the country for the last couple decades. Just remember that you’re a part of something special when the sun goes down.
Be the first to comment